The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-02
An UNEXPECTED RESULT.

The South Carolina democratic exc
cutive committee disposed OF Senator
McLaurin by kicking him out OF the
democratic party. The firing was quick
and hit he mark. OF the thirty menu
bers twenty-five voted for the expul-I
sion and demanded his resignation as
Senator from South Caroline. Sena-I
tor Tillman supports the resolution.
The motion declares that McLaurin is
false to his party. and. therefore. his
resignation is in order. He ought
to go quickly and to stand not on the
order Of his going:
III it were done. when It's done. then
'twere well
II II were lone quickly"
How he could agree to remain sol
long in perhaps inexplicable. Afterl
his votes in the Senate with the repub-l
hcans, and after his efforts to divided
the democratic party at home it would
appear as IL a removal bag and bag-l
gage over to the republican side of the
fence were in order. The action of thel
democratic committee is said to have
been unexpected. McLaurin. so reportsI
say. will still call himself a democratI
and pose as such. Will he play theI
role of a martyr for conscience sake?I
A dispatch to the Charleston News and
Courier from Columbia, says that theI
course Of the committee excited a great
deal of discussion. The question asked
&c what will na~oa &c so r;Il-oor I;Il
it, and it shows how strong he is. Me-
Laurin will hang on to the Senatorial
teat with a death grip. The Dispatch
says:
The view held here by many it that
what happened to McLaurin' is goingl
to be a continuous performance forl
some time to come. A great many
think that when the convention meetsI
in May it will adopt such additional
pledge as that suggested by Mr.. Maginl
and that that will place any one with
other than regulation party views inl
something of a box. One of Senatorl
McLaurin's most ardent supporters inl
the committee last night said that i'll
the May convention required such al
pledge as that suggested by Mr.. MagillI
he had no idea that Senator McLaurinI
would enter the primary. and if he doesl
not enter the primary, of course, it isl
easy to see that is the end of the NATL
ter, as h majority of the General
Assembly, regardless of candidates,
would, on the stump, agree to vote forl
the nominee of the party primary andl
the United States Senator is elected
by the members of the General Assent
bly,"
So it looks as if McLaurin will conf
~ Hfo Is ;ro I,x ---
not look now as if he could so tie upI
democratic party in South Caro-,
as to make it the tail TO the republican,
kite. or an annex to McKinleyism. The
News and Courier says editorialIy that
the effect Of the action of the conf
will be to emphasize the oppo-
sition of the leaders of the party tol
Mr.. McLaurin and to draw the partyl
clearly between democracy and
republicanism. and possibly to compelll
McLaurin and his supporters toI
a separate political organiza-l
ton in State politics. There can be mol
objection to that: indeed. that is ALL
that the opponents of Mr.. McLaurin|
lave insisted that he should do"
There is no disposition to persecuteI
McLaurin for opinions sake or to putt
gag on his ready mouth. but to haveI
linn align himself with the party hel
IS DESTROYS to help and to get in linel
with the republican f1esh-pots after
he evidently hankers much. If
he is honest" as he insists he is. heI
should either accept fully and unre-
the principles Of the democy-
racy or retire showing, as the APOSTLE
John wrote of certain seducers-"TheyI
out from us, but they were not
IF us; for if they lac been of US theyl
would have continued with us; but they
eft that they might be made manifest
hat were not all of u.s."