The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-29
TiiII||Hla TiII||HlaI and and IA|eeIEauFIn IIeEauHFIn esig Resign
They HiII Stand for Reelection : and q
Fighf it OFT Before The People.
CHOOSE yz BETWEEN THEM.
Contest viii be a Test of Personal
2 strefgthrof Two Men. Rather Than:a
Il BattlesfOr Political Prineiples. -
6 snansal.4n.the State

lspeeial,to the State.
Gafney. May 25.-It is the unez-
pected that happens so often in South
Carolina politics, which happened here
today: It came ike a thunderbolt out
of a clear sky, so unexpected 1a1 ana suo. u4
den was the whole thing. When tne
two United, States senators agreed 70
meet in. joint debate, MeLaurEn' TO ao.
yocate his Commercial Democracy
and TiIman to- attack IT.. NO one
dreamed the two United States sena-
tors would before nightfal have, their
designations in transit to the govern
I,cr. -
Here up in a hourishing corner OF
the State. has occurred the most SEN
fsational deFelopmentso poh tics since
1890. Two senators have uncondltion-
ally resigned. Tillman has Just entered
HDon$a SIX wear term and McLaurln
has Until March,, 1905 to serve lth-,
out molestation, yet both have resign
ed. effective September 18th in order
SHafs fheyl might 90 before the: people
and test their strength, the under
standing Being that this test shall de-
eide whether the people endorse Sena-
tor McLaurin's Democracy with It's
expansion, ship subsidy and :" com
merciaI'' ideas or that Of Senator
yTillnan4 with what: JMcEaurin' calls
his Bryan, Democracy Senator Nc
Laurin sought to narrow the fierce
contest to Tillman and himself where.
as Senator Ti1lman insisted on resig-
nation as originally proposed on the
ground that he could not dictate to
the Democratic committee as to who
be in. the, race or When. IL
should be. Both seemed eager to sign
the resignation and about 5z O'Clock
the paper. containing the dual tresIg-
nation was in the mail It means
that insteadsof the campaign coming
next summer it will be held this year,
and it means that Tillman will be in
the race for his si9Egear feFfnsaId Nc
Laurin for reelection or for Tilman,s
term as he sees ft, but most likely for
Tillman'ss term. TilhnanF in his speech
had hammered and hammered away at
the idea that McLaurin had betrayed
the true Democracy and that If ne
were pota Repu bEGn he ought to sbe,
foE heshad Supported All theESFropo--
sitions and doctrines. Tillman urged
that the decent thing for McLaurin
tode. only. proper; hing vas: for
him to resign his. position and 60 be
fore the tpeeplef ands If they:enaorsed
him, be returned, or stay atshome II
defeated IS McLautia & had deserted the
party platform and ought to resign at
once, he persisted. Senator McLaurln
in turn insisted that he was aaDemo-'
craE and that. on national Issues ezE hei
S. s. asfrsgsso r setSwfsd dnsgpe peadsnc esand q
Ididso. Tilhaan sa Laufsn
sresign and @oa befgse$he DenoqEat9ci
spriaaryatelas gearaasa I4ge kafae
and keep my mouth shut and let the
other fellows attend to him. If you
elect it paticez thai you
don t want me. If he is a Democrat
then I am not. Then, McLaurin5
tuminaeotege TiIlman, ~snggessedgshat}
4i SI1aa alga xs ff6sand Ssas bomb proof,
and then Sgenat c Eau ri A went oni
telsay: .0h yes. TillRaan says why
don't resign If I'm elected it will
mean. tbes people don't want Aln, put
BE GstoprsdSs there: ghesiisss smart FOB
never catch him committing himself
too far. He did, not say if I'm elect
ed ne would resigs% Oh! you will
neyerahear of Benjamin Tillnan re-
signing. Senator Tillman. jumped up
andsaide~::.. vail saYits and do saNi tss,32 4
Senator AfcLaurin: $ $ agreed. = = g g !, g
Tillman: "I'n resign right now
and we will go before the
people > $
McLaurin: Agreed.
Tillman: DRAW up the. paper and
wen sign 1t right noW.'' *
McLaurin g That suits me.
Later &oa in .Tillman's Eve Minutes
reply, he remarked that he would not
:sreply-to McLaurin,s charge that; he
was bruta1-in his treatment and inde-
cent in harassing hin1sass he d5d: they
.wouldsbotB be- e5beforea4he people soon
and there would sbe no need to dis
cuss matters further here. He was
ready for thesagreeme1t at once.
McLaurin: so am I. -
It was soon after that the agreement
and RESIGNATION were signed.5s