Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-25
Ms:LAURIN AT
GRDBNV|LLE,
Junior Senator Hits Straight
From the Shoulder.
WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION OR EVASION

Says He Is In Politics Not For Him
self but For South Carolina, and
That the Only Way the Political
SpOilsmen Can Secure His Defeat Is
by Ruling Him Out of the Primary
Senator John L. McLaurin spoke In
the opera house at Greenville last Wed
nesday, in accordance with announce
ment. The seating capacity of the
opera house is 1000, and the building
was full. The audience was made up
about half and half from town and
including about 100 ladies'
from Greenville. Senator McLaurin
spoke with great eloquence and earn
estness, and was applauded frequently;
but was subjected to no hostile inter-
ruptions. When he said II am DEM
ocrat in spite of their ISLANDERS on me" }"
there was, according to Mr.. August
Kohn, a bit of the old-time whoop, and
when he said he acknowledge no polit-
ical boss in or out of the state, Josh
Ashley said that was right. The full
text of the speech is as follows:
Farmers Movement.
Fellow Citizens: The political refor-
nation Of 1890 had for it's main object
the independence Of thought and action
on the part of the people in political
affairs. 1t was this that made me q
"Reformer." A white primary, where
the white people of the state could set
tie their differences among themselves.
In part it has accomplished it's object
in spite of the efforts to dwarf 1T into
a one-man movement. It's leader has
not been content for 1t to be complete,
and has attempted more than once to
dictate who should and who should not
be elected to office. All revolutions of
this kind go farther than its origina-
tors design; no power can control
them.
Men who suppose that the "move-
ment" of 1890 was a mere effervescence
to give office to a favored few are
greatly mistaken. Some of the best
and truest have never held office, and
the time is coming when those who be-
Lrayed and prostituted this great move
ment into a "one-man power" and
mere scramble for the "loaves and fish
as" will be held to an account. / stand
today just where I stood in 1890, with
the added experience Of ten years of
study and contact with public men and
affairs. 1 thank God that one thing
has been accomplished. The people
have been disenthralled and enlighten-
ed, and will never be satisfied with the
Of anything less than
the full purpose of the movement-free
thought, free speech, a fair ballot and
rule Of the people. This must and
shall be the final outcome. No attempt
to break down the reforms nearly ac-
can succeed. The natural
and inevitable consequences of that
revolution must follow. Nothing can
stay them.
The "Alliance."
Fellow Citizens: 1t affords me great
pleasure to address you today. I thank
you for the honor and the opportunity.
I recognize the fact that / am your
the people who elected me for my stew
ardship. This responsibility of public
office is the great conservative and
force in our republican
form of government. 1t is the province
and duty Of a representative to study
all important public questions and
form a judgment as to their effect on
the welfare Of the people. To do this,
he must at times act Independently and
lead public sentiment rather than
blindly follow what is reputed to be
the majority. 1t is his duty to study
national problems and vote according
to his best lights and honest convic-
tions, leaving the final decision as to
the wisdom of his course to the people.
AS for myself, / acknowledge no mas
ter save the sovereign people, speaking
at the ballot-boX, and l refuse to obey
the dictates of any political boss, eth
ar in or outside of South Carolina.
This is my conception of the rights, du-
ties and position of a senator. My
course since my election has been pro-
jected along the line of discretion and
accountability. In voting on great ma
tional issues l have considered the best
interests of the South and the country
rather than the impracticable results
to flow from a rigid adherence to par
ty lines. 1t is passing strange that
some of the men elected to congress in
1892 should criticize me for doing what
they solemnly pledged themselves to
do. Don't you remember that an AL
lance delegation was elected in 1892,
pledged not to be bound by a Demo-
cratic caucus, but to vote for meas
ures calculated to benefit the nation at
large. irrespective of party? I feel like
recalling the words, "Oh, Lord God of
Hosts. Lest we forget, Lest we forget"
Principles Higher Than Party.
Political parties under our form of
are necessity. They
grow out of the political relations es-
tablished by the government itself.
There have been since the birth of the
nation and always will be two great
political parties. If there were no real
issues they would divide and fight over
the mere spoils of office. These differ
ences originated in the diverse views
when our constitution was
adopted as to what constituted the
proper functions of the government.
Party platforms have always been
to be the eXponents Of these
views. A bloody civil war settled the
question of states rights, and for a
quarter of n century the waving of the
''blOOdy-Shirt" on the one side and the
"nigger in the wOodpie" on the other
the dividing lines. / say
that every man. on a purely sectional
question. like white supremacy, is a
traitor and a renegade who does not
stand by his own section and his own
people. / say that any man, on do
meStic problems, problems of internal
concern. should, as far us possible
bow to the behests of his party. If he
cannot agree with his party on ques-
tions of this kind, he should, if possi-
BILE, find a party with which he is in
,,cord T assert fellow citizenS that