The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-08-14
M'LAURIN'S REPLY
Tc fhe Request 20 Resign His
Seat In the Senaee.

Seat In the genats.
MEkEs A QENERRL DEFENCE.
He Regards the Action cf Com.
rietee IS R:dicuious ARD Of
No Legal Effect or
Weight.
Senator McLsarin replies as follows
to the action Of tie State Democratic
Excctive committee:
Paris Mourtair, s, G..
August 5th, 1901.
To the Dsnocrstic Executive Commit
tee, State Of South Carolina.
Gentlemen: The Official notice Of
the action Of a majority Of your CON-
mis:ee Of July 25 / vas received by ne
on August lst, five days after it had
been s1nounoed il the newspapers.
This publish announcement was the first
notice I had that any actioa affecting
me was to be taken by your committee.
I am now officially informed that the
msjority Of your committee CONDEMNS
my course in the seusse, demands my
resignation snd undertakes to expel me-
from the Democratic party. Twenty
one men have attempted to usurb tie
powers Of the 90, 900 Democratic voters
Of South Carolina and, as sn incident,
in 3 meeting called for another purpose,
have hastily endsavored to do what eau
De done only by solemn proceeding Of
impeachment, expresslv.nro7ide d for in
the constitution Of the United States.
hold my commission from the D,mo
cratic voters Of South Carolina ]
recognize no authority bat theirs, take
no orders from any sourcs but them,
and shall in due couse appeal to thsm
for judgment on my couc:e as 3 senst,r,
and my character SIS nsu and Dsmo,
crst.
Personally I am Indifferent to your
action because nobody hiss made you
my master or csnsoc, and I regard what
you have done as mersly expressing the
malice and the fears Of one Individual,
Senator 3. &. Tillnan. But for this
always evil and Indecent influence,
ordinary respect fer the proprieties,
would probably have prevented the four
Of you who are my declared coupeti
tors for the seat ! now have the honor
to occupy, from attempting to use the
power entrusted to you by your party
to remove ri7sl from your path.
As citizen and Democrat Of South
Carolins, am mortified b9 your sction,
because it has brought upon the State
the condemnation and tie ridicule Of
the press and public throughout the
country. Unhspply, those who are
not intimately acquainted with our con-
6itions accept the action Of your ma
toriey IS representing the Intelligence
and Democracy Of our State and both
are made objects Of derision. Against
this I wish to enter my solemn protest.
I shall demonstrate how unfair, absurd
u1democratic your sotionia; ard shall
trust to the Democrats Of South Caro-
lima to repudiste it when the oppor
tunity is given them. Your purpose is
to deny that opportunity.
It is in strong contrast with ths
blatant boast Of Sanstor Tillmsn at
GsEney to put me on trial before the
party on the hustings with hiusslf as
prosecutor. As you know, sought
that test BY accepting proposal Of ap,
peal to the people, but the governor saw
ft to forbid it. Now Senator Tillrnan
sppears IS prosecutor against NE in my
absence and By proceedings like those
Of the star chamber, which was the
most infamous tr,ouus! OF Gngilsh his
tory, and the most abhorient 10 Anglo
Saxon instincts, seeks 10 exclude ne
from.party and its debates and pubic
sssemblages. It is your duty, as Gus
sodians Of the parry interests, to seek
recruits and to strengthen the party.
To save Senstor Tillman from stalking
his record, strength and fortunes against
mine, you undertake to exclude me
and my friends from the party. What
ever your individual motives may have
been, the purport Of your action is to
facilitate the senalor il aodging me
and to deny the people the opportunity
Of passing on my positions and conduct.
It seems to me the Democratic masses o:
South Carolina are competent to say g:
the polls whether or no. ! hs7e bean a
faithful senator and consistent
Democrat. Why shouid you attenp'
TO prevent them?
Il IS no cause for wonder that Sena
Tor Tillman should seek to make po!iti.
cal asssssins Of you to avoid open and
fair fight. He has c4im moed 20 power by
venonous abuse Of many Of the pures'
men in the state Eho opposed him, fol
which he has alrsys carefully shilkec
prsonal responsibility, and on the po
litical lives and fortunes Of those Whc
befriended him while be needed friends,
Norris, Ti1dal aud Donaldson, mez
representing earnest purpose and the
interests Of the farmers Of the state,
and, therefore, strong, were usea
by him to promote his own interest!
and then thrust aside. Irby, Shell
and Farley died despising him because
Of his treaehery to them and to the pec
pie. I an no# in his way, and because
ne has failed to strike me down, he IN
cites you to attempt to strangle NE
and at the same tineto destroy white
primary, to his advocacy Of which h
owed much of the best Of his early FOL!
lowing. Party PRINCIPLES are hzed
and to the principles of the Domocrstl
party I hsve been uniformly faithful
Party policies are determined from tim
to time by party elections and coc7en
tions and no man, nor body Of men
has the power to say between these cleo
sions what policies shall be the tests 0