Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-06-05
SENATOR TILLMAN TO THE PEOPLE.
he Issues an Address Explaining why He
Resigned His Seat.


The following address is published
by request of Senator Benz Il.
Tillman:
VOTERS OF THE STATE.
Fellow Citizens: An extraordinary
and unparalleled situation has unex-
pcctedly arisen in the State, and as
am mainly responsible for this |
feel that proper respect for you
requires All explanation of my action
and motives. Eleven years ago by
very large vote you elected me
Governor of the State, and two
years afterwards was reelected by
an overwhelming majority. In '9l
was sent as your Representative
in the Congress of the United States
as one of the Senators from South
Carolina. After six years service
in that body | was last year chosen
without opposition to be my own
successor. was sworn in on March
last for the six years term ending
in 1907. The ink has hardly become
dry upon my oath Of office and yet
have rendered my resignation, to
take effect September Is next. My
colleague has also rendered his rcsig-
10 col, rs. 1l>
and thus there will be two vacancies
to be filled by appointment of the
Governor until the Legislature can
elect our successors in January next.
desire to announce my candidacy
to succeed myself, and shall ask you
to vindicatc my action by your votes
in the primary which will be ordered
by the State Democratic Committee.
This is an off year in politics, and
but for the conditions which had
come about my action in prccipitat-
ing political campaign and primary
election would be inexcusable.
a BRIEF REVIEW
of recent political events will be
necessary to give that explanation.
My colleague, John l.. McLaurin,
was elected to the Senate ut pri-
mary held in '07, to succeed the
lamented Earle. He was elected as
Democrat, standing upon the Chi
cago platform of 1896. early in 30
Senator McLaurin parted company
with his Democratic colleagues in
the Senate, and has since voted for
and advocated everything that the
Republican party now stands for,
and has persistently antagonizcd his
own party in all of his public utter
anccs and acts. Notwithstanding
new State Convention last May laid
down the principles and policies of
the party, and new National Con
vcntion at Kansas City in July
announced the principles of Dcmoc-
racy as now understood throughout
the Union, your junior Senator has
acted as though he were entirely
independent Of the people who
elected him, and has felt under no
obligations to obey their wishes or
40 their will as their Representative
When Congress adjourned last
March he and his sympathizcrs in
this State began at once an active
propaganda of his new doctrines,
which he claims are Democratic, but
which all true Democrats must know
are only Rcpublicanism in disguise,
and vcl ! thinly disguised at that. lie
made speech at Charlotte, April
!S, in which the Democratic party is
snccrcd at and assailcd. He made
another speech at Grccnvilc last
week, filing out and developing his
new theories, and took pains to ndi-
cate his perfect accord with Mr..
Mckinley and all Of his policies. lie
had appointments already arranged
to make speeches at at least thrc,
other placcs-Gaffncy, Yorkvilc
and Spartanburg- and had begun
an active canvass for re. election
fifteen months before the regular
campaign which would choose his
successor, in the Democratic primary
of 1902, would open.
1T was natural that these gentle
men, who proposed to contest for
his seat, should be unwilling to pre-
maturcly announce their candidacy
and take the field against him. lie
had the dispensing of Federal
patronage placed at his disposal by
the Republican President, and he