The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-06-05
TILLALN'S ADDRESS.
Senior Senator Gives His Reasons
for Resigning to Oppose
MeLaurin.
CALLS UPON DEMOCRATS TO
viNDICATE HIS ACTION.
Snecial TO The State.

Special to The State.
Trenton, S. c., May Ex-senator
Tillman furnished the press the follow
inc address this afternoon:
To the Democratic Voters of the
Feilow-Citizens: An extraordinary
and unparalleled situation has unex-
pectedly arisen in the State, and as |
am mainly responsible for this, / feel
that proper respect for you, requires
an explanation of my actions and mo-
tives.
Eleven years ago by very large vote
YOU elected me governor of the State,
and two years afterwards | was reflect
ed by an overwhelming majority. In
,94 I was sent as your representative
in the congress of the United States as
one of the senators from South Car
olina. After six years service in that
body I was last year chosen without
opposition to be my own successor. |
was sworn in on March 4th, last
for the six years term ending in
1907. The ink has hardly become
dry upon my oath of Office and
vet have rendered my resign
alton to take effect September
10th next. My colleague has also ten
dered his resignation to take effect the
same date, and thus there will be
two vacancies to be filed by appoint
ment of the governor until the legis
lature can elect our successors IN jan
nary next. 7 desire to announce my
candidacy to succeed myself and ask
YOU to vindicate my sctlon by your
votes in the primary, which will be
ordered by the State Democratic COM
mittee. This is an off year in politics
and but for the conditions which had
come about my action in preclpitatlng
a political campaign, and primary
election would be inexcusable. a
brief review of recent political events
will be necessary to give that explana-
ton. Ny colleague, Jno. L. McLau-
rim, was elected to the senate at prl-
mary held in '97 to succeed the la
mented Earle. He was elected as a
Democart standing on the Chicago
platform OF 1895. Early in '99 Sena-
tor McLaurin parted company with his
Democratic colleagues in the senate,
and has since voted for and advocated
everything that the Republican party
now stands for, and has persistently
antagonized his own party in all Of his
public utterances and acts. Notwith-
standing that new State convention
last May laid down the principles and
policies of the party, and new ma
tional convention at Kansas City in
July announced the principles Of Dem
ocracy as now understood throughout
the union, your junior senator has
acted as though he were entirely inde-
pendent Of the people who elected him
and has felt under no obligations to
obey their wishes or do their will
as their representative. When the
Congress adjourned last March he and
his sympathizers in the State began
at once an active propaganda of his
new doctrines, which he claimed were
Democratic, but which all true Demo
Gratis must know are only Republican
ism in disguise and very thinly dis
guised at that. He made a speech at
Charlotte. April 18th, in which the
Democratic party is sneered at and as
sailed. He made another speech at
Greenville last week filing out and
developing his new theories, and took
pains to indicate his perfect accord
with Mr.. Mckinley in all his poll
cies. He had appointments already
arranged to make speeches at at least
three other Gaffney, Yorkville
and Spartanburg-and had begun an
active canvass for reelection. fifteen
months before the regular campaign,
which would choose his successor, in
the Democratic primary of 1902 would
open. 1t was natural that these gen
tlemen who proposed to contest for his
seat should be unwilling to premature
" announce their candidacy and take
the field against him. He had the dis
pensing of federal patronage placed at
his disposal by the Republican presi-
dent. and he had unlimited money
furnished by his Republican allies, or
Mckinley Democratic followers in
South Carolina and his purpose was
to 90 up and down the State unoppos
ed and unanswered to organize his
new political machine. This was the
situation up to the Gaffney meeting
and I was confronted with the ques-
ton of what was my duty under the
circumstances. Recollect that am a
member OF the national Democratic
committee, as your representative I
was on the committee on platform in
both of the last national conventions
and helped frame the declarations of
principle and policy upon which we
went to battle, and l was chairman of
the committee, on platform in your
last State convention. Remember too
that both at Charlotte and Greenville,
dicrectly and indirectly, | bad been
assailed by Mr.. McLaurn and you will
understand why | was anxious to
meet my colleague at Gaffney, and