The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-05-29
A GREAT SPEECH.

GREAT SPEECH.
The speech delivered by Sen
atcr McLaurin in the city OF
Greenville, which we invite the
serious attention of our readers
to, is, to our mind, one Of the
strongest appeals to common
sense we have ever listened at
or read. We regard it a full and
complete answer to the charge
of disloyalty, and whether his
views on governmental policy
will be accepted by the people at
this time or not, the day is com
ing when the people will realize
that Senator McLaurin's course
was what he sincerely believes
to be for the South's best inter
eSts.
McLaurin's speech was an out
line of the platform upon which
he proposes to make his fight
before the people, and it is in
deed fortunate that South Caro-
lima has a primary system where
a man can urge his ideas before
the voters and at the same time
keep the Democratic party in
tact.
McLaurin's opponents charge
him with party disloyalty-that
on national questions he is a Re-
publican. and on account of his
views he mas influence with the
national administration.
We l-es2d che speech delivered
and we have also read every
word of it, anG for the life of US
we cannot find a syllable IN it
that is disloyal to Democratic
principles. We do not profess,
however, to be as capable of de-
termining the meaning of Demo
cratic principles as some of our
friends who roll the words out
of their mouths with as much
wisdom as if they, we're talking
about the rules of poker, but we
are capable of understanding a
proposition which appeals to our
reasoning powers. This being
so, we have no hesitation in say
ing that the Senator's speech
should be studied by every voter;
yes, every student will find in it
valuable information, and we be-
lieve if the readers will thrust
aside the prejudice that has been
created, they will reach the con-
'clusion that the day is at hand
when the South, of all sections,
cannot be benefited by forming
itself into a wall to obstruct and
hinder the national government.
We must, if we propose to en-
courage our industrial growth,
lend a helping hand in the up
building, and as long as we re-
main content to blindly cling to
the past, we cannot expect to be
benefciaries of progress TO any
great extent.
AS we understand Senator Nc
Laurin's position it means to
have a sacred regard for past
traditions of the Democratic
party, and to turn our faces to-
wards the condition of the coun
try as it now exists; that we do
not permit ourselves to be held
together by party dictators, but
each man enjoy his God-given
right to exercise his own judg-
ment. McLaurin believes that
the Democratic party under the
present leadership can never be
successful, and through such
leaders the party has drifted
away from the principles pro
mulgated by Jefferson and Jack
son, as much so as the Republi-
can party has drifted away from
the principles of Abraham Lin
coin; on account of our environ
ments he is opposed to the
formation of a Republican
party" in this State, and urges
that our primary system be not
tampered with to prevent the
white men of the State from ex-
pressing themselves in it.
If we are correct in our under
standing of his position, all Of
this talk about his attempting to
build up another party and the
negro come in, is all fol-de-rol; L.;
the negro cannot vote in the pri-
mary unless he voted for Hamp-
ton and has continued to vote the
Democratic ticket continuously
since; therefore it will be seen
that McLaurin makes his fight
on issues within the primary, and
it gives every man the opportu-
nifty to Judge for himself which
side of the issue he will accept. |
That such a condition should be, |
is what brought on the political
revolution of 1890. Tillman con-
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