The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-05-23
POLITICS IN THIS STATE.
McLaurin's Position as 1t Appears
to an Outsider,

i"h' W. ic' Sololo, correspondent
the Chicago RecOrd-Hcrald, who wa
recently in Charleston and other part
of South Carolina studying the politi
cal situation developed by Senator Nc
Laurin, writes to his paper from Go
lumbia his impressions of the case
He says:
"The politics of South Carolina axe
in what may be called an interesting
situation, but to appreciate the signi
ficance QUE must take INTO considera
tion few events in history. Before
the war South Carolina was ruled by
what is familiarly known rs the "plan,
tation aristocracy," close and cxclu'
slve clan which was aulOcratIc and in.
dependent. After the war came what
is known as the "carpct-bag" period
when former soldiers and camp fol.
Lowers of the Union army organized
the newly enfranchised negroes into a
Republican party and controlled the
offices and the finances of the State.
These were overthrown by force-a
political revolution. Senator lillman
says, " We shot 'om, we scared 'cm,
we cheated 'cm, and we drove 'em
away from the polls" Then the ex-
soldier came into power, the "Confed.
crate brigadicr." Nobody could get
an office Or exercise any influence un-
less he had served in the Southern
army, and if he had left leg or an
arm upon the battlefield or carrlcd the
marks Of the conflict on his person his
influence and position was advanced.
During the rule of the "Confcderatc
brlyadicr" the Farmers Alliance was
organized and Senator Tillman cmerg-
cd from obscurity to become the politi-
cal dictator of the State. He has been
an absolute monarch. Ills will has
been law, and the great voting mass
of the Democrats have stood by him
and obeyed his orders in most re-
maikable manner. Neither Bryan i'll
Nebraska, nor Croker in New York,
nor German in Maryland, nor Hanna
i'll Ohio has ever had so complete and
unqucstioncd authority as Tillman.
The old aristocracy, the commercial
element, the manufacturers and other
people Of means have been opposed to
Tillman and his Populistic ,oiicy, but
he has preferred their opposition to
their support because it has strength
aned HIM with the "woOllv hat" ele-
ment in the country, as the rural vo-
ters are termed. But this opposition
has never organized. 1t has realized
that 1t was in a hopeless minority and
that resistance to Tillman was useless.
The Republican party is practically
extinct. The negroes no longer vote
a
in numbers that they are only able to
fill the Federal offices. They have
maintained nominal organization for
tho sake of securing recognition at
Presidential conventions and in the dis
tribution Of patronage, and have not
encouraged anyone to join their party
because of fear the new comcrs might
seek office.
This was the situation in South Car
olina last winter when Senator Nc
Laurin, a young man of good family,
excellent character, unqlestioncd in
tegrity, but limited ability, took an
independent stand in national icgisla-
ton and gave his hearty support 10 the
policy Of the Republican administra-
ton. 1t was not a new thing for Nc
Laurin. He was in the habit of voting
with the Republicans now and then
and against his own party on the tariff
and currency questions, both in the
House of Representatives and in the
Senate, but had never gone so far be-
fore, and had supported Bryan both in
1896 and 1900. McLaurin comes from
the southeastern part of the State,
where his family are planters, wcll-to-
DO people of Scotch-Irish ancestry. 1t
ls said that he was originally intended
for the ministry, but drifted into the
law, was elected to the Legislature, APP
pointed Attorney General of the State,
was sent to Congress- to fill an un-
expired term and formally elected at
the next campaign. He pleased the
people and gained Tillman's confidence
so that when there was vacancy IN
the United States Senate McLaurin
was appointed to fill it and became a
candidate when the election occurred.
Tillman preferred John Gary Evans
for his colleague in the Senate, but as
the fight was between two of his fol.
lowers he kept his hands off. The more
respectable element Of the State, the
business community, the professional
men and others who were interested
in the result supported McLaurin be-
cause they considered HIM the better
man of the two, III character, ability
and in all other respects. McLaurin
had been on both sides, however, more
or less. He had failed to sustain Till.
man several times, and although nc
pledges were eXacted from or offered
him during the campaign of 1897 he
knew, and Tiliman knew, and the anti
Tillman element in the State knew
that he desired or expected to lead OF
at least to become a fgurchcad for the
latter faction. In other words, he wa.
taken up by the anti-Tillman elemen
to break TilIman, and Tillman's sup
portors called him contcmptuously
Curly-Headcd Johnny"
When McLaurin got into the Senat,
nc and Tillman had very little to d'
with each other. They were mcrcl,
friendly, and each watched the othe
with suspicion. McLaurin was in fre
quent consultation with representative
of the Manufacturers Association an,
other organizations that ignored Till
man, and was looked upon as thei
ropraoontoftuo Whoro,,a..