Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-06-12
]. A. Cooks Views on tho MoLaurin and
TiIlman Problem.

Fort Madison, S. c., Juno 10.-Editors
Courier AS it has been quito awhile
since we wrote you, we thought we
would give you a line to lot tho people
hear once again from Fort Madison, the
| finest part of the world
Wheat orops are looking better than
usual, but corn and cotton are not 80
good.
There is some sickness in our town.
Mr. Rico has typhoid fever.
Mrs. j. III. Sullivan, who has been sick
qnite awhile, is improving.
| There has been an unusual com motion
in our vicinity for tho last week or two
| in regard to the designations of our Soma
tors, Tiliman and McLaurin; but our
Governor acted wisely in not accepting
tho designations, and tho people seem to
be satisfied. There seems to be good
many of those little one-by- three editors
all over tho country, jumping on Mo-
IIaurin with both foot, abusing him as
though he was guilty Of some great
crime; but suppose majority of thom
are of that same little old jealous, mar
row minded faction, which was fighting
McLaurin all through the campaign of
1897, and some are those who have been
swinging to Tllman's coat tail ever since
ho went into politics, for tho probability
of getting some petty Office through fa-
voritism. Now, boys you had bettor be
careful, that old coat tail may be getting
rotten by this time, and it might lot you
fall, though somo of you are 80 light it
won't hurt you much if you do fall. So
just hang on, boys, if you feel like it,
Wo have investigated McT.aurin's
course in Congress, tho bost we could
under our circumstances, and We have
failed to find anything wrong with his
work, though We know thoro is an idea
existing in the minds of a certain class
of people in tho South that man is not
Democrat unloss he will go to Wash
ington and quarrel with the Republican
majority in Congress and act tho fool
generally; but this is mistaken dea.
A man is not obliged to bo fool to be a
Democrat, neither are all tho Republicans
scoundrels. A member to Congress is
not obliged to vote for any and every
thing that the Democratic party may got
up, regardless of merit. Whether it's
right or wrong to be Democrat we
know this blind off hand kind of work
is what they have been doing for tho
last 25 years; but they arc not obliged to
do it, McLaurin would quit it if we
would let him and take q common sense
view of things; but wo won't lot him.
1t has boon about 35 years since tho
war between tho States closed. That is
half Of an average life time. We think
it's timo for:us to stop calling each other
Yanks and Rebols and say Americans,
and all got together for good and build
up tho country. Wo think MoLaurin
will probably do his country moro good
with his common sense way and friendly
disposition towards the Republican ma.
jority in Congress than Tillman can do
with his pitchfork. have novor known
q Southern man do his country any good
by quarroling with Republican ma
jority in Congress. It's like butting
against stono wall. If McI.aurin's
course in Congress is Ropublicanism
then Republicansm is not 80 worry bad
rs we hoard it was after all. Wo think
tho country needs little moro of It,
Tho Democratic party of tho Tillman
| stripe was in power q fow years ago.
They had thoir President and n majority
in both houses of Congress and what
did they do !? Why not thing in tho
world but sit thero and quarrel with
! each other whilo tho country wes snffnr-
ing. When Tillman can't find ANYBODY
in Washington who will quarrel with
him ho will come homo and quarrel with
tho preachers of his State Just because
| they don't like his dispcnsary whiskoy.
If McLaurin will start out with pitch
fork on his shondor and onco i'm awhile
hollow free silver or burst, raiso quarrel
with every Republican he meets. why
then Tillman will think ho is n Demo.
crat of the right sort.
Tillman boasts of writing out the DO.
mocratio platform, as assisting in tho
work, and that's what's the matter with
the Democratic platform to-day. If
| some conservative man had writton it it
| would not have boon so full of dynamite
and Bryan would have boon President.
AS it is, their platform exploded proma-
turcly and Bryan got beaten.
Yours, &c., j. A. Cook.