The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-12-18

2 the floor TO make statement. Som
of the statements made by Senate
McLaurin, Senator Jones said, he cou
sidered reflection upon himself, ant
he desired to offer statement con
!, corning the incident to which Senate
McLaurin had referred. AT the extr
session Of the Senate last spling III
q had been asked by the caucus office
a for the list of Senators who were TO b.
summoned to caucus, and Senate
! McLaurin's name being mentioned, h'
(Johes) had said he would himself SCI
, the Senator from South Carolina.
"I met him in the cloak room," sait
Senator Jones, I" and recalling the FAC
that he had not attended a Democratic
caucus for more than two years asked
him what his status was. He replied
,, that his relations with tho party wer,
such that he thought it would be EN-
barrassing for him to enter the Demo
cratic caucus. L then said TO him
You do not wish to be invited then?
and he replied, Certainly"
AS to the charge Of ulterior motive
on my part" continued Senator Jones,
Il am content TO treat it with the con-
tempt it deserves. 1t ls u notorious
fact, which everyone seems to under
stand, except the Senator from South
Carolina, that thero has been no DEM
ocratic caucus at this session of Con-
gress. have no hesitancy, however, in
saying that in a recent conversation
with lesdlng member on the other
side said to him that did not think
the Democratic caucus could undertake
to provide committee assignments for
the Senator from South Carolina"
Senator Tillman, of South Carolina,
was on his feet when Senator Jones
concluded. In his characteristic way
he announced that while his name had
not been mentioned he realized that he
was the cause of it all. lie said he would
not at this time make an extended re-
ply. Briefly, then, he reviewed the
controversy between himself and Sen
ator McLaurn, which led to the joint
tender of their reslgnationS to the Gov
ornor of South Carolina last spring, and
trld of the Governors suggestion that
tho designations be Withdrawn. Sena-
tor Tillman said he conlended that the
Governor was simply ca box into
which we had put letters for the Log
islature," and that they could not undo
their act, but that Senator McLaurin
had fastened to withdraw his letter
Senator Tillman said he had examined
the record, and of about two hundred
cases in the history of the government,
where Senators had resigned, Senator
McLaurin enjoyed the enviable distinc-
tion of being the only one who had
withdrawn his resignation after offer
ing it. AS to Senator McLaurin's
charge of conspiracy to humliate him
by barring him from the Democratic
caucus, Senator Tillman called atten-
tion to the fact that he had not been
in Washington during the extra ses-
sion of the Senate last spring. "This
conspiracy" he said, G. is dream
conjured up by him. 1t is the creation
of his own brain"
In conclusion Senator Tillman, with
a sweep of his arm, adjurcd his Dem
ocratlc colleagues "not to fret about
the charge that they were consplring
to discredit Senator McI.aurin at home,
because his crowd was dcmoralized,
cowed and whipped"
Senator McLaurin made no reply to
Senator Tillman, but he arose for
moment TO reply to Senator Jones to
say that he did not desire that there
should be anything personal in his
charge that there had been an "ulterior
purpose in anything he had done.
/" l thought was justified in saying
what I did," said he. "I accept his
disclaimer"
Z" / discaim nothing" retorted SEN
ator Jones, without rising from his
seat. " simply contradlcted."
CT thank the Senator for his cour-
tesy," observed Senator McLaurin,
bowing with mock Difference, as he
took his seat.
The holding of such views by North
ern men, no matter how diverse, did
not endanger the position of certain
political leaders, and consequently they
were immune from attack. But when
a Southern man, said Senator McLau-
rim, tried to get the benefit of the tariff
for his people those whose political
career might be ended by the success
of his efforts were ready to crush and
humiliate him. He had contended that
if the tariff was robbery his section
should share in the booty. Upon that
issue he had lately gone into a cam
paign in South Carolina and, although
his Democracy had been attacked apon
the stump, the people of his State had
endorsed him. Tie declared that DUR
ing that campaign "calumhy falsehood
and trickery" never equalled in Ameri-
can politics had been employed, and
now the principal charge against him
was that during the Mckinley Adj
ministration she had been bought
with patronage" and "that lie had
renewed his former contract with Presl-
dent Roosevelt Entertaining the
high personal regard that he did for
both the late President and his success
sor, Senator McLaurin said 1T would be
unnecessary for him to say that neither
would stoop to 80 ignoble an act. 1t
was true that an unfortunate condition
of affairs had existed in his State, and
that he had recommended good men
for Office, because he did not des ire to
see repetition of the horrible affair al
Lake City, when negro postmaster
had been burned 10 death. He had
/ voted for the war with Spain and de.