Evening star., 1901-08-14
Senator McLaurin Will Not Attempt
to Control It.
APPOINTMENTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Why Tillman and His Followers
Appeal to Prejudice.
COMMERCIAL DEM MOCRACY

1t Is pretty well understood in admins
tration circles that for political and per-
sonal reasons Senator McLaurin will make
no attempt to control the federal patronage
in South Carolina, although any recon-
mendation he might make would be almost
sure to be favorably acted upon. The ap-
pointment Of several democrats to post
offices led to the belief that Senator Nc
Laurin would undertake the general distri-
button of important offices in his state.
Mr.. McLaurin, 1t Is said, does not propose
to do anything of the kind. The appoint
ments made at his request were of posi-
tions in which he had a personal interest.
just as is the case with a number OF DEM
ocratic senators. Senator Daniel of Vir-
ginia, for instance, is keeping a democrat
in the post office at Lynchburg for per-
sonal reasons to himself, and President
Mckinley has acquiesced in Senator DAN
iers request.
Two Appointments Probable.
The Tilman democrats in South Caro-
lima accuse Senator McLaurin Of republi-
canism and boast that he has the entire
federal patronage in his hands. If this is
SO Mr. McLaurin does not propose to dis
pose of it. and only in few instances will
he have anything to do with the patron
age. 1t is understood that E. A. Webster
the old-time republican leader In the state,
will probably be appointed collector Of in
ternal revenue to succeed himself, and that
Lawson Melton, the present marshal of the
state. will receive reappontment. Both
of these men are old-time republicans and
for a while were deeply worried about
their positions. To put new men In the
places of Webster and Melton might be
evidence of the truthfulness of the charges
made by Senator Tillman and others and
so Senator McLaurin is not proposing to
alxn ho rtyAS hot ha h0y
ciares to be unfounded and unfair.
Next Years Senatorial Fight.
Senator Tillman and his followers are
now intimating their belief that Senator
McLaurin will never make the race for
senator next year within the rules of the
democratic party. These rules provide for
primary elections by direct vote of the
people and the legislature Is morally bound
to elect the man who receives a majority
Of the votes cast in the primaries. The in
ference is thrown out that Senator Nc
Laurin will ultimately declare his belief
that he will not be able to get fair play in
the primaries and will bolt the rules laid
down by the democratic executive commit
tee, which, the McLaurin partisans charge.
is bossed entirely by Senator Tillman. If
he enters the primaries Senator McLaurip
will pledge himself to abide the result. If
he declines to go into the primaries and
continues In the race for senator the out
come would be the placing in the field of
independent democratic tickets for the Leg
lslature in every county in the state and
bitter fight to the finish to determine who
would come to the Senate.
Will Not Be Forced Ont of Primaries.
Unless sentiment changes a great deal
In the next year, however, Senator Nc
Laurin will probably not permit his
enemies to force him out of the primaries
While sentiment in the state is represented
as rapidly changing, the probabilities are
that Senator McLaurin would command
greater strength under cover of party rules
and party discipline than If he broke away
and attempted to take with him thousands
of democrats now in sympathy with him.
Pressure would cause many of these demo-
Gratis to desert Mr.. McLaurin If he ran out
side of the primaries, although he would
gain thousands of votes from the republi-
can ranks. The republican vote, owing to
the constitutional disqualifcations, cannot
be made large. Probably not over 5000
negroes could register and succeed in get
ting their votes through in the general
election for members of the legislature.
InrOads of Commercial Democracy.
When Senator Tillman and his followers
were disfranchising the negro in the con-
stitutional convention in 1896 they stated
that they were doing SO that the white
men of the state might some day be able
to divide without having to appeal to the
negro. They boasted that when they got
through the negro would be so thoroughly
out of it that if the white voters fell out
politically and put several tickets in the
field the election of a white mans ticket
would be certain thing. The Tillman
democrats then felt the possibilities, 1t is
said, and ow dread the realization. That
Is why they have begun early to appeal
to the prejudices IF the democrats, it IS
said. The commercial democracy of Sena-
tor McLaurin has been making such in
reads in the party that it is Thoughts best
to draw the lines now-at least year be-
fore the primaries at which a senator is
chosen.