The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-06-01
N LAURIN'S MOVEMENT
CORRESPONDENT SAYS THAT
PROSPECTS ARE GOOD.
With the Negro out of the Way, South
Movement Is one of "The Bourbons."

EDITOR STAR: There seems to be
general misunderstanding regarding
the character and significance of the
movement inaugurated by Senator Nc
LAWN, of South Carolina, to turn his
state over from the Democratic to the
Republican party. There is nothing re-
markable about the movement. South
Carolina is as near Republican today
as is Maine or California. 1t has been
so for ten years and probably longer.
To digress for a moment northern
newspapers are just now patting SEN
ator McLaurin on the back and laugh
ing in glee that the new Republican
apostle of South Carolina will at last
down 1.-The Bourbons," that the blue
blooders' who have controlled for so
many years now see the end of their
influence.
This assumption of the situation
could not be farther from the truth. In
South Carolina there are two factions
of the dominant party. I am willing to
qualify one as the Bourbons" it being
made up Of the wealthy, intelligent and
progressive element of the state This
is the Republican side of South Caro-
lima pOlI,Cs and is the one being sup
ported by Senator McLaurin. Senator
Ttllmans faction is made up of clod-
hOppers, mechanics and disgruntled
politicians-"the dear, common people"
y.
1t is this faction that will cling to the
Democrats party to the last. The sue
cess of McLaurin would therefore mean
the return of the Bourbons'' to power
and the end of Tillman and his party.
maintain that there are between
$4,000 and 100000 white Republican
voters in South Carolina. In 1891 a to-
tai of 100000 votes were polled, and
since then the Bourbons," or Republi-
cans, have gradually dropped out. Last
year only $4,000 votes were polled 1.-The
Bourbons," in a large measure, refus-
ing to vote with the Bryan Populists.
Bourbon votes that were polled were
cast to insure protection of the state
from possible negro domination
In South Carolina and other South
ern States conditions are much the
same. This is particularly true of
Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. II
the Republicans really desire to carry
these states, there is but one thing to
do, namely: Remove or assist in remov-
ing the negro bug-bear. In most of the
Southern states that power drives
every white man into the Democratic
party and keeps him there as a matter
of self preservation. In South Caro-
lima conditions are somewhat different.
The Democratic party can there better
afford to split, but a division would
still bring the state close to the dan
ger line. with the negro vote safely
bottled up there could be no question
of the result. The wealth and intelli-
gence of the State would start a Repub-
lican movement then that would carry
everything before it.
Some may wonder why "the Bour-
bons" have shifted their sentiment from
the Democratic to the Republican
parties. The war terminated one i'm
portant Democratic policy-slavery;
with the death of this issue the fidelity
of many of the better classes began to
weaken In the past ten or twenty
years South Carolina has changed from
a distinctiVely agricultural to a state
in which manufacturing now holds an
important position. Manufacturing has
increased fifteen hundred per cent in
the last ten years. This change had
the effect of turning the intelligent peo-
PIE from the policies of free trade and
cheap money to protection and yellow
gold.
McLaurin is sincere. He may be a
trifle early to accomplish much next
year, unless the negro problem is by
that time disposed of. All the same
the movement is bound to succeed in
the end.