The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-04-25
TILLMAN INTERVIEWED.
Sharply Crit:cises rlcLaurin's Char.
Iotte Speech.

home and replying to request Tor MS
opinion on Senator NcLaurin's Char
! lotte speech. said:
1T is contradictory, full Of para
doXes and seems intended to pave the
Republican camp. 1t may excirc sur
prise outside of the state, but the only
thing which astonishes Us here is his
continued effort to pose as Democrat.
! Democracy has a broad or general
meaning and a special or local men
ing as applied to one Of the great ma
tional parties. My colleague says, My
definition Of democracy is liberty for
man formulated into theory Of gov
ernment: it means mans inalienabla
ownership of himself. 1t means free
| thought and free speech This is not
the definition given II any dictionary
nor is it the definition given by Jeff9r-
son. and it is only intended to justify
the Senator's desertiOn Of his party, his
treachery to its principles and his be-
trayal of the people CT South Carolina
who have trusted him. The Kansas
of Democratic principles that can now
be recognized and no man can be con-
sidered a Democrat who ignores the
principles and policies laid down IN
that platform and persistently votes
with the Republican administration in
both its foreign and domestic policies
Senator Mel aurin iterates and re-
iterates the charge that the new De-
mocracy' is a sectional party and then
truthfully claims that the south which
in the last campaign was alone Demo-
cratic. is the American end Of Ameri-
Ca Strange that because of this fact
and our veneration and love for the
principles upon which our government
rests that this broad American states
man and new born Democrat Of a
hitherto unknown type should council
our people to accept conditions as they
are and make the most Of them
Senator McLaurin declared In '9S
that Mckinley should be renominated
by acclamation.' and if his speech
means anything it means that the
Democratic party ought to surrender
all of it's traditions which he claims
are long since dead become an echo
to the Republican party, endorse Its
foreign policy as we'll as its domestic
policy. ship-subsidy, large standing
army and everything, and subside alb
solutely as a Democratic party.
IF the administration party is right,
what need is there for a political fac
tor. I have never believed that my
colleague would dare face the people OF
South Carolina in any political cam
paign again. knowing what do about
him. but as he indicates his purpose to
still masquerade as Democrat and
while attacking me covertly as one Of
the leaders of the so-called new De-
mocracy, 1t is his purpose to lead our
people into the Republican camp, duty
compels me to speak out and tell GER
tain things.
"Mr. McLaurin made in the Senate,
January 1899, a speech which was as
ultra and as pronounced in It's denun-
citation Of the acquisition Of the Phil
ippines and portrayed the rlany dan
gers which threatened our country N
consequence as any ever delivered in
that body. UP to Saturday night be-
fore we voted on the treaty with Spain
on Monday, February Z, 1899, he re-
peatedly told me and other Senators
he was bitterly opposed to the ratitt-
cation and would not vote for 1t. Be-
tween adjournment Saturday evening
and the vote on Monday the mantle o!
broad American statesmanship' de-
scendad upon him and a few minutes
before the Senate went into executive
sngsian to consider the treaty and take
vote as agreed. he gave hating ano
lame explanation OF his intended
change Of front. His vote secured the
ratification because en- the first rolicaH
NJ. Jones of Nevada who had also
told us he would vote against the trea-
r.. 'rassed' when his name was called,
and I feel certain if Senator McLaurin
had stood by his party and by himself.
Mr.. Jones would not at the end have
voted for the ratification.
Conscious as he was that his vote
was the governing factor in the train
Of momentous consequences so far
reaching and terrible and involving the
war of subjugation in the Philippines,
the expenditure Of hundreds OF mil
lions of dollars. the loss Of thousands
Of lives and other dire results which
no man can foresee. it is natural for
Senator McLaurin to make desperate
effort to vindicate the Presidents pol
icy in his own action. The declaration
OF independence Of course and an aban-
donment Of dead tradition is the pol
icy of a man who behaves as he has
done.
Such a man has no conscience OF
principles. The eloquent speech which