Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-08-07
wALHALLA, SOUTH CAROLINA, AUG. 2, 1901.
AN APPEAL TO REASON.
7. Larry CAN'T Reviews Recent Political His
tory-LatImer Showed Up In Bad Light.

7. Larry CAN'T Reviews Recent Political His.
tory-LatImer Showed Up In Bad Light.
"Democrat," in South Carolina,
for the past six or eight years, has
been a very elastic word, and has
been stretched and strained 80 as
not only TO embrace and take in the
entire Populist party, but every
white Republican as we'll who would
consent to vote with US and only
agree to support the nominees of the
State or county election for which
he voted-leaving him free to sup
port his national nominee if he saw
proper. In Spartanburg county l
know several hundred white Repub-
licans who regularly vote the State
Democratic ticket, but cast their
votes for their party's national
nominees.
Even when the Populist party was
in the zenith of its power that politi.
cal organization secured but mea-
gre support in South Carolina, owing
to the fact that, by voting with the
Democrats, it could best secure it's
ends, and, at the same time, under
the guise of Democracy, disarm and
paralyze the power of it's enemies.
In our own State the greatest lati-
tude has been given to political dis
sentients and all required of candi-
date or voter was that he would
agree to abide by tho verdict of the
primary at which he voted. 1t was
the desire of the political leaders in
our State to strengthen the Reform
ranks by drawing therein as many
white voters as possible so as to keep
the Conservatives hopeless minority.
There was at one time, however,
among our Reform leaders, who are
now setting themselves up as the
sacred guidances of Democracy, and
are 80 jealous of the honor of their
party, a strong inclination to join
the Populist ranks; and they would
have done 80, too, but for the strenu-
GUS protest and exertions of the late
Hon. John l.. M. Irby, who was, at
that time, State Chairman, and
South Carolina would have been as
strong Populist State as Kansas.
This is true, and know whereof
speak. The introduction, by Mr..
Latimcr, of those resolutions bitterly
denouncing Grover Cleveland in the
State Convention and which conven-
ton, too, was tottering on the very
brink Of Populism, gave the mem
bers ga bone to gnaw" on, and dis
tract their attention from what was
then known as the "Third Party"
And when those anti Cleveland reso-
lutions were first introduced Cover
nor Tillman opposed them at the
meeting that night, but the next
day, when he found the convention
determined to pass them, he was
silent.
At that time the Alliance move
ment was very strong in South Caro-
lima and the introduction of those
resolutions by Mr.. Latimer secured
him the Congressional nomination in
his district. But before the cleo.
tion was held Mr.. Latimer passed
through Mccormick, and while there
had an interview, which was pub
lished in newspaper, in which he
O.atimer) stated that he would re-
fuse to 60 into any Democratic eau.
Gus on the sub-treasury bill. Al
soon as this interview appeared seve
raj papers in our State raised pro
test against the Democrats voting
for any candidate who would no
abide his party caucus. Mr.. Latimel
then came out with second inter
view in which he argued that tn,
sub-treasury bill was "an economic
and not "political" question, ant
the members of Congress had n,
right to hold any caucus thereon.
| now understand that Mr.. Lati
mer repudiateB the Alliance sub trea
sury bill, the same plank upon which
he tloated into Congress, and whicl
shows that the gentlcman's mind ha
undergone q revolutionary chang
on what was once the "livest wire
! in South Carolina politics, and whicl
not only knocked Senator Hampton
but every old Congressman in Soutl
Carolina on: of their jobs.
We all remember that when M,
William j. Bryan was first nomi
mated by the Chicago Convcntio
that "lG to /" was the leading iss,
in our State, and had pumped on
the sub treasury bill. Whom on
Stoto Convonfi0u mot nvory dale