The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-06-05
TILLMAN'S TALK TO VOTERS,
He Explains the Reasons for HIS
Action in Resigning His Seat.

III
Action in Resigning His Seat.
The following address is pub.ishc,
ny request of Senator BENJAMIN Il
| Iillman
nm ADDRESS TO TIE DEMOCRATIC
VOTERS OF THE STATE.
Fellow Citizens An eXtraordinar,
and unparalleled situation has mcy.
pcctcdly arisen in this State, and as
am mainly responsible for this | feel
lhat proper respect for you requires
an explanation of my action and mo-
yves. Eleven years ago by n very LARGE
vote you elected me Governor of the
State, and two years afterwards | was
reelected by an overwhelming major
| lty. In '9i | was sent as Your rcpre-
sentative in the Congress of the United
States as one OF the Senators from
Souih Carolina. After six years ser
wee IN that body | was last year chosen
without opposition to be my own sue
ccsSor. | was sworn in on March +
last for the six years term ending in
1907. The ink has hardly become dry
upon my oath of office and yet | have
rendered my resign alton, to take effect
September l5 next. My colleague has
also rendered his resignation, TO take
elect the same date, and thus there
VIII be two vacancies to be filled bv
appointment of the Governor until the
Legislature can elect our successors in
January next desire to announce
my candidacy to succeed myself, and
shall ak you to vlndicate my action
by Jour votes in the primary which
VIII be ordered by the State Demo-
cratic committee. This is an of wear
IN politics, and but for the conditions
which had come about my action in
prcclpltating political campaign and
primary election would be incXcuSablc
"A brief review of recent political
events will be necessary to elvc that cy.
pIanation. My colleague, John L. Nc.
l4aurin, was elected to the Senate at a
primary held in '97, to succeed the
lamcntcd Earle. He was elected as n
Democrat, standing upon the Chicago
platform of 1896. Early in '99 Scna.
tor McLaurin parted company with his
Democratic colleagues in the Senate
and has since voted for and advocated
everything that the Republican party
now stands for, and has pcrsistcntly
antagonizcd his own party in all of his
public uttcranccs aud acts. Notwith-
standing new State Convention last
May laid down the principles and polio
ic3 OF the party, and new National
Convention at Kansas City i'm July am
nounced the principles of Democracy
as now understood throughout the
Union, your junior Senator has acted
us though he were entirely Independent
OF the people who elected him, and has
felt under no obligations to obey their
wishes or do their will as their rcprc-
sentative. When Congress adjourned
last March he and his sympathizcrs in
this State began at once an active pro-
paganda of his new doctrines, which
he claims are Democratic, but which
all true Democrats must know are only
Republicanism in disguise, and very
thnly disguised at that. He made a
speech at Charlotte, April IS, in which
the Democratic party is snccrcd at and
assailcd. He made another speech at
| Grccnville last week, filling out and
| developing his new theories, and took
pains to Indicate his perfect accord
with Mr. Mckinley and all of his poi
iclcs. lie had appointments already
arranged to make speeches at at least
three other places Yorkville
and Spartanburg had begun an
active canvass for reelection fifteen
months before the regular campaign
which would choose his succcsso~, in
the Democratic primary of 1902, would
open.
1T was natural that these gentlemen
who proposed TO contest for his seat.
should be unwilling to prematnrely an.
nouncc Their candidacy and take the
field against him. He had the dispcns
ing OF Federal patronage placed at his
disposal by the Republican President
and he had unlimited money furnished
by his Republican allies, or Mckinley
Democratic followers in South Caro-
Ina, and his purpose was to go up ant
down the State unopposcd and unan
swcrcd to organize his new politica
machine.
: This was the situation up to tn
Galfney meeting and i was confron.c,
with the question of what was my dut
under the circumstances. Rccollcc
that L am m nber of the Natlona
\ Democratic committee as your repro
I sentative. | was on the committee oI
Z platforms In both of the last natiOnf
! conventions and helped frame the d.
c claralion of principle and policy, upo
c which we went to battle, and | wa
c chairman of the committee on platforl
J. in your last State Convention. RI
c member, too, that both at Chariot
II and at GIeenville, directly and ind
o rectly, had been assailed by Mr.. Nj
o' Laurin, and you will understand wi