The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-05-29
SENATORS RESIGN
The Gaffney Meeting Made a Sensation
Report of What Was Said and Done.


with deep feeling and almost In tears ne
spoke of what he called Tiilman's bruiRllty
and his sickness and that he wanted Tillman
to understand he was one man who was not
afraid ofTillman. 1t brought applause. ana
then, curious indeed Is human nature. for IL
took as keen delight when Tilman jammco
the times Of his pitchfOrk up 10 the NIT lnto
McLaurin. There was manifest feeling oe-
tween the two senator who but short ume
ago we're such staunch friends. They ulu not
exchange greeting except In debate anu IL was
apparent that both tried hard TO curo passion
and tongue and neither Interrupted the speak
ing during its progress. Though potn are accus-
toned to speaking they seemed severely iear'
full all along Of saying too mnch. apparently.
1t was a signal open ing and sparrlng ior posi-
tion and 1t is evident that day after day IN
the campaign TO come, the gait Will he swliter
and sw ifter and reserve will fade meeting by
meeting. Tillmau seemed fresn anu dapper
while McImurin spoke with such earnestnesS
and yipor th at it seemed utterly 10 exhaust
him, while Tillman appeared 10 warm up un-
der the prospect OF hsht as OF y"re. IneS
hoth talked talked overtime. McLaurln
spoke for one hour and Iorty-tVe minutes ana
Iillmap for about as long, and both were Will
ing 10 give each other all the time they
The meeting was called TO order by Chair.
man Ed H. DeCamp In well timed remarks
and he thanked this correspondent for being
able to present McLaurin as the spokesman
for the commercial Democracy" Tor want Oh
a better name.
Senator McLaurin started out by saying :
1--WE are all Democrats" but tnere are great
questions on which the division has come.
The time has been, be said. when he would
have given his life for Tillman and the differ
ence arose because he now occupied the strong
road Tillman had entered upon 10 years ago;
Tillman bad gone through his stony road and
now he had entered sucn stony path as Mr.
DeCamp had described. He then outlined
how he came 10 Join the reform movement
years ago and how sixteen years ago ne enter
then backed up Tillman. Illlman then $1,000
for what he today stands. Nothing has ever
occurred in his whole lie that gave MIN more
of his old friends, but he felt he was right IN
his views. In 1890 there was the cry Hush"
You will split the party, ana you VIII remem.
he said he stood for freedom OF thought and
Independence. Who is now crying Hush or
you will split the party 2" The very same
abuse heaped on Tillman that IL now on MIN.
One year ago be did not expect again to en-
ter politics, and II he consulted hls own prefer.
ence he would no: be In campaign" The fact
is. Tillman would today attempt the role Of
has forsaken the faith, adding: ~ am Till
mantle of the old stripe and be has iorsaken
The way and chosen the easy path" Senator
Vile speech and then referred to his speech
here in 1897 when be explained his position
| in protecting monozte, which is a
local Industry. The industry was dead until
some one looked after II in 1897, there WAS n o
| monozlte business here, not dollar, and last
year tho business amounted to sl7 $50, and this
| was the result Of work and that was what he
| called statesmanship business Democracy, or
commercial Democracy. The result of the
| little tax he put on monoZte Is that Carney
has done $4,000 worth OF monozite business
and a factory TO use the mineral ls TO be put
up here They charged that he voted for
| Repnblican measures and II he were not
| Republican he ought to be. 1t was bitter
| pIli, In 1892 the Alliance instructed its con-
gressman to independence, ana tnat was ms
| position now on the matters complained OF.
| In 1892 we attacked the platform and de-
nounced Cleveland, the leader OF the Demo-
cracy, and we protested against the De.
| mocracy as then managed. He had no doubt
Bryan was honest but he was often mis- staken. /.
He swtched off to argue for State banks.
| Bryan on the State bank fight went directly
against repeating the state bank tax. Wnich
was then one OF the cardinal principles of the
| party platform. He stood Just as Bryan did
| in procaiming his Independence and doing
| what he thought best for bis people. Tillman
| atfacked the platform and no one had more
| 10 do with changing the platform than TIL.
I The issues of expansion aud the like were
not in the campaign he made for his election.
| No Democrat will, he predicted, ever be elect
| ed president who will oppose expansion and
commercial development. He aided Iillmap
| in many ways to secure the changes 10 the
platform but now saw bis mistakes. Then
he grew eloquent In pledging his sympathy
| with his people and how he stood by them In
their demands for white supremacy. His
| friend was a natural born dictator, he Is
born ooss, and II seems that some OF them
hop around and say: Yes. massa." when
| he cracks his whip. Now, in 1896 what hap
pened Yes, boys, l know how the orders
ed Teller who has always been Republican.
| He was willing Tor almost any sort OF crook
| 10 win except 10 insist upon white supre'
macy: Now: he wanted war to say somesning s
whereof he spoke Then be pictured the ter
rors of reconstruction and how Teller, the
chairman of the electoral college of 1876, tried
saddle negro rule on a. soatn GarolinI h
| to Teller In 1896. Teller In 1876 recommended
and urged that the negroes must have their
rights and be believed he urged that 4 negro
was as good as white man, and III show
YOU the daddy" of the force bill! Tilman
was willing TO put Teller in the White House,
| with his views Of our white people. ~
think have right to vote as / please on
national issues like expansion, foreign wars,
etc, but on strictly party questions, like the
money question or race issues. II Is right to
stand on the party platform, on bank issues
and the like. Tillman liked TO sit In a
bomb proof and always seemed to get In such
| places Years ago he told the boys to vote
against anything The State and and the News
cept that Tillman had forsaken his principles
and now favored ring rule and "bossism ?"
| McLaurin was to have opened for half an
hour TO present any new matter IN addition
| and said he would consent to the same tor
his friend" McLaurin was applauded anc
| spoke we'll.
After the applause for McLaurin aud Till
| man, Chairman neCamp presented Senator
| Benz. r. Tillman, who remarked in opening
| that this was very busy season and the
most serious part Of the year to farmers. but
| many had left their homes to hear this dis
cuss ion and he was glad OF It. Senator Nc
Laurin is laboring under many delusions and
detection asa Democrat The primary is Is
months away and yet McLaurin Is travelling
over the State and attacking the Democracy
with all the venom OF a new convert, and
when l came here to talk honestly he says !
am "boss" and that when l crack a Whip
you all jump and all that. He has told you l
was his guest in 1890 and the like, and tell
| you here he has told me was the arbiter OF
his fortunes, by giving him chance, aud
now he tells you stand for the suppression
of free thought. free action, and that stand
led by the Gonzales. stand Just where did
| In 1895. II the road Is smooth you people
have made II so. (Applause.) l was Invited
here by true Democrats and did not come
| here unbldden. There are over 2o0 names to
the request for me TO come here and speak,
and he read the formal invitation. He was
| not here as meddler or "bOss."
| Ought he to have rejected the invitation or
| done his duty? Like sensible men, the reg
ular candidates for McLaurin's place are walt
ing for the band to start. In his Charlotte
| speech, am attack ed from beginning TO end.
| In his letter in The Independent he says the
| Democratic party has been mongrelized Till
maniBm and populism and the like and yet
he claims to be an original Tillmanite. In
his Greenville speech am referred TO dozen
times or more. He referred to "tutelege in
demagogy' under me. and put me up as q
demagogue. and yet he says l have no griev.
ance!
| You saw here this morning how he attack ed
me and tried TO cast suspicion on my Demo-
cracy. / have never minced words and am
| here to tell you the Gods truth. l sent him
word last night that saw no need for person.
alities, calling me boss and other hard
| things, and yet he started in on me today. /
am not going to let you all forget certain
| things of his utterances. He Is here as the
representative OF "Commerca Democracy"
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