The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-08-02
PRESS COMMENTS.


The action OF the Democratic ex-
ecutive committee last night is moth
ing more than the official perform
ance by the Tillman political ma
chinery Of what Tillman and his col
leagues have been doing ever since
McLaurin came out in his fight for
return to conservative Democratic
principles-the attempt to force him
out of the party. The long expected
efforts to make candidates take an
oath to support the Bryan platform
developed early in the meeting. This
in itself would have been sufficient,
il carried out, to have kept McLanrir'
out Of the primaries, for he is fight
ing everything that savors Of Bryan.
just as many other conservative Dem
ocrats are doing today But ever
this radical political scheme did no,
seem sufficient for Senator Tillman
and the members Of the committee.
for they proceeded, as we are told in
this mornings dispatch, to denounce
McLaurin and all Of his actions and
votes in the Senate, read him out Of
the party and demand his resignation.
We hope that the senator will decline
to resign, decline to be read out Of
the party, and continue his fight,
whether it means the certain loss OF
another term in the Senate, for the
simple reason that the movement he
has started in South Carolina has
long ceased to be McLaurin move
ment and is fight between the old
line Democrat and the Democrats Of
the geldTillman stamp
Greenville News.
When Ben Tillman set out to re-
form the Democratic party in South
Carolina he directed large part of
his energies toward the abolishmont
of the convention system of nomina-
ting candidates. He thought there
was too much opportunity for Jug
Cling in limited body aud that al,
candidates couldn't get fair show
before it. He insisted that the mass
Of the party should name the candi-
dates. He had his way and the pri-
mary system was instituted and has
proved generally acceptable. But
Tillman did Enot charge against the
old regime that ministerial section
of the party, a creation of the con-
vention, had ever attempted to die
tate to the Democracy concerning it's
choice Of candidates. There was no
opportunity for this or, we may be
sure, it would have been thoroughly
employed. 1t remained for Tillman
himself to advocate and secure such
an extreme and startling assumption
of power to which there is no shadow
Of claim. The executive committee
Of the State Democracy, at the man
date Of Tillman, had passed a reso-
luton of censure upon Senator Nc
Laurin for his course of action in
Congress and has demanded that he
resign his commission as a senator
at once and without qualification.
McLaurin was nominated by the
Democratic party at a primary and Is
responsible to that body upon the
hustings and at the party ballot box
and to none other for his political
course. He will give an account Of
his stewardship in due season and re-
ceiye the peoples Judgment at the
proper tiI6e. The State executive
committee has no jurisdiction over
| him, and it's action in calling him
| to account is an unwarranted and
| dangerous assumption Of power be-
| longing to the masses of the party,
and is taken merely to prejudice his
| cause before the Democratic primary,
which the committee is pledged to
| conduct impartially. At the com
| mand Of Tillman and for his political
| ends, the executive committe has in
| vaded the rights and broken the safe
guards Of the Democratic masses
| OF course Senator McLaurin will not
resign at this demand. He will quit e
certainly scott at the impertinence Of
it and bring out in strong light be
fore the people it's menace to their
| interests. II the executive commit
tee is to have authority to say who
shall not be the nominees of the party
and to call for designations at will.
why should it not haye the power Of
direct selection given to it, since by
the process Of elimination It's present
assumed authority may be led to
exact choice? Why not abolish the
party primary altogether AID allow
| the executive committee to name all
candidates? And the executive com
mittee might carry out the system
by delegating full authority in the
matter to the Hon. B. r. Tillman
If that is the way the Democratic
party in South Carolina is to be run,
there is small wonder that the cry
for retornl Of it is growing daily more
loud d.-Charleston Post.
@r--.
The State Democrat executive com