The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-10

i
| tackled upon the stump, the people of
ms state had endorsed him. He de-
clared that during that campaign
calumny, falsehood and trickery never
before equalled in American politics
had been employed, and now the prin-
clpal charge against him was that dur
| ing the Mckinley administration he
mad been bought by patronage and that
| ne had renewed his former contract
| with President Roosevelt. Entertain
| ing the high personal regard that he
| ala for both the late President and his
successor, it would be unnecessary for
| MN to say that neither would stoop to
| so lgnoble an act. 1t was true that
| an unfortunate condition of affairs had
| existed in his state, and that he had
recommended good men for office, be-
cause he did not desire to see a repe-
tltion of the horrible affair
| at Lake City, when a negro post
master had been burned to death
He had voted for the war with Spain,
and declared that in the same spirit
| in which he had cast that vote he
| felt that he was compelled to support
the administration that conducted it,
He still thought that the conduct of
the war should have been non-parti-
san, and during its progress he had
never heard from President McKinleys
lip word concerning party advantage.
| Mr.. McLaurin paid a high tribute
to the late President whom he charac-
terized as a broad statesman and
| Christian gentleman.
Mr.. McLaurin said that he had no
| official knowledge of the charge
brought against him by his Democrat
ic colleagues, but that from the news
papers he understood that the princi
pal charges were that he had not OPP
posed the ratification of the treaty with
| Spain; that he had upheld the admin
! istration in its efforts to restore order
| in the Philippines, and to that end had
voted for an increase in the standing
army and that he was in favor of the
upbuilding of the American merchant
marine.
IF these are the only charges said
he, dramatically, they are true, and
l glory in them"
He said he had not wished to vote
against his party upon the question of
ratifying the peace treaty, and had it
not been for the re-opening of hostili-
ties in the Philippines, he would have
deferred to the opinion of his col
leagues.
But, he declared, "the dictates of rea-
son and conscience should not be stified
by the party lash"
Lashed New Leaders of Party.
With bitter words Mr. McLaurin then
proceeded to excoriate the new lead
ers of the Democracy, who, he said
/ had guided the party through it's de-
struction during the last six years and
who were trying to cruelty those who
would seek TO draw the Democratic
party back to its old allegiance. He
| was not one of those who wished to
use the name of Democracy for a
| ~. t1aa arifa ii
| pies of the old party. That party, lie
declared, had always. been triumphant,
| except when the sectional issue was
| raised He still proposed, he said, to
vote in his judgment for what he be-
| leved to be along the lines of Demo-
cratic principles, but he did not pro-
pose to place himself against propo-
sition which he believed to be for the
best interests of the people, simply be-
cause it was advocated by Repuoi-
| cans.
In conclusion Mr.. McLaurin said he
did not propose to be driven from his
own marty. nor to be forced into atfilia-
| ton with the party with which he dld
not care to ally himself, and that on
great public questions he would act ac-
cording to the dictates of his oN con-
science and best judgment.
senator Jones Makes Reply.
When Senator McLaurin took his
seat. Senator Jones of Arkansas took
| the floor to make a statement. Some Oh
the statements made by Mr.. McLau-
| rim. Senator Jones said, he considered
| a reflection upon himself, and he de-
| sired to offer a statement concerning
the incident to which Mr.. McLaurln
had referred At the extra session OF
the Senate last spring he mad been
,f4IO a
of senators who were to be summoned
to a caucus and Mr.. McLaurin's name
being mentioned, ne tSenator jones'
had said ne would himself see the SEN
ator from South Carolina.
81 met him in the cloak room" SAID
Mr.. Jones, land recalling the fact that
he had not attended a Democratic eau
Gus for more than two years, L asked
him what his status was. He rephed
that his relations with the party were
such that he thought it would be en-
barrassing for him to enter the Demo-
cratic caucus | then said to him, You
10 not wish to be invited, then" and
he replied Certainly AS to the charge
of ulterior motive on my part, am
| content to treat it with the contempt
it deserves. 1t is notorious fact, which
| everyone seems to understand except
the senator from South Carolina, that
| there has been no Democratic caucus
at this session of Congress. l have no
hesitancy, however, in saying that in
a recent conversation with a leading
member on the other side l said to him
that l did not think the Democratic
caucus could undertake to provide COM
mittee assignments for the senator
from South Carolina"
TiIImaR Answers McLaurin.
Mr.. Tillman of South Carolina was
on his feet when Senator Jones con-
GUIDED In his Characteristic way he
| announced that while his name had
not been mentioned he realized that
he was the cause of it all. He said
he would not at this time make an eX-
tended reply. Briefly, then he reviewed
the controversy between himself and
Senator Mel aurin, which led to the
ioint tender of their designations to
the governor of South Carolina last
spring, and told of the governors sug-
gestion that the designations be with
drawn Mr.. Tillman said he contend
ed that the governor was simply a
"box into which we had put letters
for the legislature" and that they
| could not undo their act, but that Mr..
McLaurin had fastened TO withdraw
his letter. Senator Tillman said he
had examined the record, and OF about
200 cases in the history of the gov
ernment where senators resigned Mr..
McI,aurln enjoyed the enviable dis
tinction OF being the only one who had
withdrawn his resignation after offer
ing it.
AS to Mr.. McI.aurin's charge of con-