The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-08-14
PARIS MoUNTAiN, S. c.,
August ), 1901.
To the Democratic Executive Com.
miitcn State of South NnrOlnN

mlttCc, SlatC Oh DOulH CbLOLlllb
GENTLEMEN The official notice of
the action Of majority OF your com
mittcc OF July 25th was received by me
on August 1st, five days after it had been
announced in the newspapers rms
published announcement WAS tho lrst
notice | had that any action Affecting
me was to be taken by your committee
| am now officially informed that the
ma aiority of your committee conGcmns my
course in the Senate, demands my res
ignation and undertakes TO CXpci me
from the Democratic party twenty
one men have attempted to usurp the
powers Of the 10000 Democratic voters
of South Carolina, and MS an incident, IN
a meeting called fOl another purpose,
have hastily cndcavorcd to do what can
be done only by solemn proceedings OF
impeachment, expressly PROVIDED TOT III
the constitution Of the United states
hold my commission from the Demo /
cratic voters of South Carolina rec .
ognizc no authority but them, ana take
no orders from any source but them,
and shall in due course appeal to them
for Judgment on my course as senator
and my character rs man ana Demo
orat.
Personally | am indifferent to your
action because nobody has MADE you my
master or censor, and regard what YOU
have done as mercy expressing inc
malice and fears OF one lnQiNiuu"i' 0ci.'
b. Il. Tilman. But for this always tVl'
and indecent influence ordinary rcsVCcl
for the proprictics would probably nave
prevented the four Of you who arc my
declared competitors for the scat now
have the honor to occupy, from attempt
ing to use the power entrusted TO yoN
by your party to remove riV"' from
your path.
AS citizen and Democrat OF SouIh
Carolina am mortified by your action,
because it has brought upon the state
the condemnation and ridicuIc OF the
press and the public throughout the
country. Unhappily, those who are not
intimately acquainted with our conul'
tions accept the action of your majority
as representing the Intelligence and
Democracy Of our State aud nolh are
made objects Of dcrision. Against TINS
wish to enter my solemn protest |
shalt demonstrate how unfair, absurd
and undemocratic your action is ana
/ shall trust to the people to rcpudiaIc
it when the opportunity is gwen them
Your purpose is to deny that oppor'
tunity.
1t is in strong contrast with the blatant
boast of Senator Tilman at Ganncy TO
put me on trial before the party ON the
hustings with himself rs prosecutor.
ccpting proposal Of appeal TO the reo,
pic, but the Governor saw fit to forbid
It. Now Senator Tillman appears as
prosecutor against me IN my absence
and by proceedings like those Of the
star chamber which was the most in
famous tribunal OF English history, and
the most abhorrcnt to Anglo Saxon in
stincts, seeks to exclude me from the
party and its debates and pubic assem-
blagcs. 1t is your duty, as custodians o'
the party interests, to seek recruits AND
to strengthen the party. TO save Scna
tor Tillman from stalking his record
strength and fortunes against mine, you
undertake to exclude me and my friends
from the party. Whatever your indiyi
dual motives may nave been, the pur
port Of your action is to facilitate The
Senator in dodgng me and to deny The
people the opportunity Of passing on my
Dosition and conduct 1t seems to mt
the Democratic masses Of South Caro-
lima are competent to say ut the polls
whether or not | have been faithful
Senator and consistent Democrat
Why should you attempt to prevent
theme
1t is no cause for wonder that Senator
Tillman should seek to make political
assassins Of you to avoid an open and
fair fight. He has climbed to power by
yenomous abuse of many of the purcsl
men in the State who opposed him, fcl
which he always carefully shirked per.
sonal responsibility, and on the political
lives and fortunes of those who be-
frcnded him while he needed friends.
Norris, Tindal and Donaldson, men REP.
rcsenting earnest purpose ana the in
tercsts of the farmers Of the State and
therefore strong, were used by him to
promote his own interests and then
thrust aside Irby, Shell and Farley
died dcspising him because Of his
treachcry to them and to the people. |
am now in his way and because he has
failed to strike me down he incitcs you
to attempt to stranglc me, and at the
same time to destroy Il white primary,
to his advocacy Of which he owed much
uf the best of his early following Party
principles are fixed and to the principles
Of the Democratic party | have been
uniformly faithful. Party policies are
determined from time to time by party
elections and conventions, and no man
nor body Of men has the power to say
between those elections what policies
shall be the tests of party loyalty. Scna-
tor Tillman is assuming the prcTOgatvC
Of supreme boss and dictator to say who
shall or shall not be regarded as q
Democrat next year. | do not ConCcdc
any such power to him nor to you He,
nor all Of your committee together, has
not the power to exclude from candidacy
nor the polls at the Democratic primary
the humblcst citizen of South Carolina
who declares himself to be q Democrat
and pledges himself to support the party
nominees. Suppose in 1890 the cXccu-
tive committee Of the State had ruled
out Of the party all who engaged in the
Farmers Movement ?" Suppose two
years after it had excluded all who
favored the sub treasury idea Such
action would have been unjust, tyran
ncal and insulting to thousands Of good
citizens and Democrats, but not more so
than this proceeding Of yours.
In his double character as prosecuting
witness and attorney against me, Scna
ator Tillman is reported as saying be
fore your committee that ! have voted
with the Republicans in important
matters" and that he has seen me con.
ferring with Republican Senators AS
will show by the records, he himself
frequently voted with the Republicans
"in important Matters as all other
Democratic Senators have dolc from
time to time. II is frequently necessary,
proper and courteous To confer with
members Of the opposite party as he
knows and as every man Of practical
sense knows. These expressions of his
Il.