The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-05-22
POLITICS IN THIS STATE.
McLaurin's Position as it Appears
to an Outsider

of South Carolina studying the polit
cal situation developed by Senator Nc
Laurin, writes to his paper from &c
lumbia his impressions Of the case
lie says:
"Thc politics Of South Carolina az
in what may be called an interestn
situation, but to appreciate the signi
fcance one must take INTO considcra
tion few events III history. Befor
the war South Carolina was ruled b,
what is famiharly known as the "plan
tatiOn aristoCraCy,' a close ana cXclu
sive clan which was autocratlc and in
dependent. After the war came wha
is known as the "carpet-bag" period
when former soldiers and camp fol
lowers of the Union army organized
the newly enfranchiscd negroes into g
Republican party and controlled the
offices and the finances of the State
These were Overthrown by fOrce-a
political revolution. Senator 1'ilmau
says, +" We shot 'em, we scared 'eiu,
we cheated 'cm, and we drove 'em
away from the polls" Then the cx-
soldier came into power, the "Confcd.
crate brigadicr." Nobody could get
an Office or exercise any influence un-
less he had served in the Southern
army, and if he had left leg or an
arm upon the battlefield or carried the
marks of the conflict on his person his
influence and position was advanced.
During the rule of the "Confederatc
brlYadicr" the Farmers Alliance was
organized and Senator Tillman cmerg-
ed from obscurity to become the rolili.
cal dictator of the State. He has been
an absolute monarch. Ills will has
been law, and the great voting mass
of the Democrats have stood by him
and obeyed his orders in n most re-
maIkable manner. Neither Bryan in
Nebraska, nor Croker in New GUik,
nor German in Maryland, nor Hanna
in Ohio has ever had so complete ami
unquestioned authority as Tillman.
The old aristOcracy, the commercial
element, the manufacturers and other
people of means have been opposed to
Tillman and his Populistic policy, but
he has preferred their opposition u
their support because it has strength.
aned HIM with the "woollY hat" elc-
ment in the country, as the rural vo-
ters are termed. But this opposition
has mover organized. 1t has realized
that 1T was in hopeless minority and
that resistance to Tillman was useless.
The Republican party is practically
extinct. The negroes no longer vote
and the white Republicans are so few
in numbers that they are only able to
fill the Federal offices. They have
maintained nominal organization for
the sake of securing recognition at
Presidential conventions and in the dis
tributio of patronage, and have not
encouraged anyone to join their party
because of fear the new Comcrs might
seek office.
This was the situation in South Car
olina last winter when Senator Nc
Laurin, a Oung man Of good family,
excellent character, unquestloned in
tegrity, but limited ability, took an
independent stand III national iegisla-
ton and gave his hearty support TO the
policy of the Republican administra-
tion. 1t was not new thing for Nc
Laurin. He was in the habit of voting
with the Republicans now and then
and against his own party on the tariff
and currency questions, both in the
House of Representatives and in the
Senate, but had never gone so far be.
fore, and had supported Bryan both in
1896 and 1900. McLaurin comes from
the southeastern part of the State,
where his family are planters, well-to-
do people of Scotch-Irish ancestry. 1t
ID said that he was originally intended
for the ministry, but drifted into the
law, was elected to the Legislature, ap-
pointed Attorney General of the State,
was sent to Congress- to fill an un-
expired term and formally elected at
the next campaign. He pleased the
people and gained Tillman's confidence
80 that when there was vacancy In
the United States Senate McIaurin
was appointed to fill it and became
candidate when the election occurred.
Tillman preferred John Gary Evans
for his colleague in the Senate, but as
the fight was between two of his fol-
lowers he kept his hands off. The more
respectable element of the State, the
business community, the professional
men and others who were interested
in the result supported McLaurin be-
cause they considered HIM the better
man of the two, In character, ability
and In all other respects. McLaurin
had been on both sides, however, more
or less. He had failed to sustain Till
man several times, and although no
pledges were exactcd from or offered
him during the campaign of 1897 he
knew, and rillman knew, and the anti
Tillman element in the State knew
that he desired or expected to lead or
at least to become iigurchead for the
latter faction. In other words, he was
taken up by the anti-Tillman element
to break Tillman, and 1illman's sup.
porters called him contemptuously
Curly-Headed Johnny"
When McLaurin got into the Senate
he and Tillman had very little to dc
with each other. They were merely
friendly, and each watched the Other
with suspicion. McLaurin was in fre
quent consultation with representatives
of the Manufacturers Association anC
other organizations that ignored Till
man, and was looked upon as theil
representative. Whenever Legislation
vital to the Republican interests OF
strongly desired by the administration
was pending McLaurin habitually votet
with the Presidents party, which caus
ed some comment. 1t was understood
hu ho L.,