The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-04-24
McLAURIN'S DOCTRINE
Denies That He is Trying to
Launch a New Party in
the South.
Southern Interests Demand Ac'
cepcance Of Policies OF Present
Republican administration.

0barlstte, April 1s-Mr WI Ting
Fang. the Chinese minister, was the
guest of honor at dinner given to
night by the Southern Manufacturers
club and Senator John l. McLsurin
was the next most prominent guest
and speaker Senator McLaurin read
paper Oh .-Our Present Conditions
in the South and our Duty for the
Future"
Mr. McLaurin spoke ss follows:
DIR Toassmaker and Gentlemen:
I desire to make q statement Of
somewhat a personal nasure before
proceeding with this speech, which
intend to deliver tonight a certain
newspaper correspondent in the city
Of Washington has persistently
spread the report that / was coming
to Charlotte to make speech which
would launch a oew party in the
south. The report is absolutely false
IF / had any such intention good
taste would.prevent me from taking
advantage of an opportunity Of this
kind | am content to advocate
within Democratic lines the policies
which believe to be best for the
south, aod when | can no longer do
this / am ready to retire to private
life.
In the south we are today realizing
some of the dreams of its far reach
ing statesmen and business men of SO
years ago With prophetic eye. they
saw the industria! and commercial
possibilities of orr highly favored
southland.
With sn advance of thought that is
really surprising, they suggested en
terprises of wonderful magnitude for
It's upbuilding and commercial domi
nance From 1888 to 1860, conven-
tons were held to voice the demands
OF a deepseated public sentiment for
industrial progress The story of
these movements is chronicled in q
South Carolina publication. which,
under the name of Debow's Review,
did for the old south what the Manu-
facturer's Record is doing for the
south today
The same spirit which enabled our
fathers to leave the field of defeat
with nothing but their courage and
their characters left, still lives in the
south, and inspires you today in your
great undertaking
The plans of the great southern
business men and statesmen of 50
years ago are no longer idle dreams
Postponed by cruel war which de
stroyed our social aud industrial sys
ten, and which for years rendered
cooperation 10 national uundertakings
almost impossible, such men ss
meet here tonight are making these
dreams actual living realities
Talk about the New South" the
name is misnomer 1t is the same
old spirit revived which so years
ago made the south the dominant
power in this nation-a position Of
which nothing but war could have
robbed her What We need now to
again attain that proud eminence is
the same broad conception and the
same comprehensive grasp of the
true situation The last 20 years
nave wrought an industrial revolu
tion in The south. which must find
expression in our social and political
life.
The time is past for the discussion
as to whether this government is to
be one consolidated in its structure
or loose aggregation of (so-called) J
sovereign States The civil war set
tied that
1t is useless to discuss the question
of etber shis is to be purely
theoretical Democratic government or
an expanding aud giant Republic
The Spanish war settled that Why
BOT then accept conditions as they
are ano make the most of them
The agitation of such issues only
serves to sidetrack broad American
doctrines and should not be made
party questions because they grow
out of actual political and economic
conditions. which it is beyond the
power Of either party TO change. l