The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-04-24


lottc, n. c., had an eventful day in il
history when the Chinese minister
Mr.. WI Ting Fang, was the guest G
honor, and next in rank among tn
prominent men present was Sonato
John l.. McLaurin, of South Carolina
who read declaration of his position
in politics, and while the address wa
entitled "Our Present Condition il
the South and Our Duty for the Flu
ture," it was IN reality the first gun il
his campaign for reelection to tn,
Senate. He indicates the lines alopl
which he will fight. He has left th'
"ruts," he says, aud for so doing de
fends himself, and indicates the hne il
politics he thinks the South should fol
low Mr.. McLaurln spoke as follows
Mr.. Toastmaker and Gentlcmen
l desire to make a statement o
somewhat a personal nature before
proceeding with thls speech, which
intend to deliver tonight. a certain
newspaper correspondent in the city
of Washington has persistently spre
the report that | was coming to Char
lotte to make speech which would
lauCcb new party in the South. The
report is absolutely false. If | had
any such intention good taste would
prevent me from taking advantage of
an opportunity Of this kind. l am con-
tent to advocate within Democratic
! lines the policies which believe to be
best for the South. and when | can no
longer do this l am ready TO retire TO
private life.
In the South we are today realizing
some of the dreams of its far-reaching
statesmen and business men of fifty
years ago. With prophetic eye, they
saw the industrial and commercial pos
slbilities of our highly favored south
land.
With an advance of thought that is
really surprising, they suggested en-
terprises of wonderful magnitude for
its upbuilding and commercial domi-
nance. From 1888 to 1860, conven-
tions were held TO voice the demands
of deepseated public sentiment for
industrial progress. The story of these
movements is chroniclcd in South
Carolina publication, which, under the
name Of DebOw's Review, did for the
old South what the Manufacturers Rec
ord is doing for the South today.
The same spirit which enabled our
fathers to leave the field OF defeat with
nothing but their courage and their
characters left, still lives in the South,
and inspires you today in your great
undertaking.
The plans of the grea: Southern
business men and statesmen of fifty
years ago are no longer idle dreams.
Postponed by cruel war which de-
strCyed our social and industrial sys-
tenn, and which for years reached CO.
operation in national undertakings al
most impossible, such men as l meet
here tonight are making these dreams
actual living realities.
Talk about the "New South the |
name is misnOmer. 1t is the same |
old spirit revived which sixty years ago
made the South the dominant power
in this nation, position Of which |
nothing but war could have robbed |
her. What we need now to again at
tain that proud cminence is the same |
prehensive grasp of the true situation.
The last twenty years have wrought an
industrial revolution in the South,
which must find expression in our So
cial and political life.
The time is past for the discussion
as to whether this government is to be |
one consolidated IN it's structure or a |
loose aggregation of (so-called) sover
eign States. The civil war settled |
that. 1t is useless to discuss the oues-
tion of whether this is to be a purely |
theoretical Democratic government or
an expanding and giant Republic. The
Spanish war settled that. Why not
then accept conditions as they are and !
make the most of them?
The agitation of such issues only |
serves to sidetrack broad American |
doctrines and should not be made party |
questions because they grow out of |
actual political and economic condi- |
tons, which it is beyond the power of
either party to change. / care not Of |
what political faith the occupant of the
White House might have been; for, if |
a true American, mindful of the honor
and dignity of the nation, the results
of the Spanish war could not be widely
different from what they are today.
Why should our people be the only
ones to close their eyes to what is
going on3 Why should we move
along in the same old ruts and insist
that political policies and old traditions,
long since dead, are vital living issues
and depend upon them for the saliva
ton of the South.
The triumphant re- election of Mr..
Mckinley in the last campaign is full
of significance. 1t is stubborn fact
confronting the Democratic party TO-
day, suggestive Of reproacllful remem-
brances and fearful menaces. What Il
reelection that this new Democracy
did not carry State where the issues
were discussed and judgment passed
by the people upon them on their
merits. Of course with us it has been
impossible to decide elections upon
issues. 1t has been simply a question
of white supremacy. In the North
and tho West, dissolved into factions,
tainted by the errors of Republcanism
and the follies Of Populism, the party
coulI NOT uit boton1 t;lo 90 .>os,s