The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-03-20

The white men of this State may
not agree with a position taken
by a public man, yet they would
not consent to the suppression of
free speech, and if McLaurin be-
comes a candidate for reelection
the people will demand that he
be i.eard whether they agree
with him or not. The primary
system in this State, was in
augerated for the purpose Of
permitting any white man: who
will take the pledge to abide the
result and support the nominees,
to go before the people to dis
cuss issues, and if those who are
in the majority in the May con-
vention prescribe what issues
may be discussed in order to
make a man eligible to run in
the primary, it will destroy the
very principle of the primary
system.
The papers and politicians
that are making these extraor-
dinary demands, with one accord
claim that McLaurin is politically
dead, yet at the same time their
actions show that he must be a
lively corpse, or they would not
make so much ado over him.
McLaurin positively denies that
he has deserted to Democratic
party. He claims, the questions
on which he differed with a ma
jority of his party associates,
were not party questions, that
in the position taken by him he
was prompted by conscientious
conviction that he was acting for
the best interests of the people,
and further, it is his purpose to
submit these questions, together
with his position to the white
voters Of this State in the Dem
ocratic primaries, and acquiesce
in the result. There is no disposi-
ton on the part Of McLaurin to
go into the general election with
an Independent party, nor is he
taking any stock in this talk Of
a white Republican party; if we
understand him, and We think
we do, he has certain views on
national questions, which have
not met with the approval Of a
majority of the Democratic Sen
ators, and which have never
been discussed before the people
Of this State, and in order to
know whether or not a majority
of the South Carolina Democracy
endorse his position he proposes
to go into the Democratic pri-
mary and abide the result. If
the white voters of the State,
after hearing the arguments
on both sides, disapprove of
McLaurin's position they will
vote against him and that will
end the whole business. but do
not permit by sharp practice,
methods to s5ifle free speech, or
prevent the people from having
an opportunity to hear both
sides. If McLaurin IS willing to
trust the people, his opponents
should certainly be, and if they
refuse to let him go into the
primary by adopting a platform
repugnant to his views: and re-
quire as a qualification to en-
ter the primary, pledge endors-
ing that platform, it will be an
acknowledgment of weakness on
the part of McLaurin's oppon-
ents, and it will have the effect
Of encouraging a great fall off in
the vote at the primaries. Be-
cause, il the leaders of the Dem
ocratic party are going to be
permitted to say what white men
shall run, and who shall not run
in the primary, there will spring
up a spirit of resentment, and
numbers will refuse to partici-
pate in such close corporation;
this feeling will grow and cul-
inmate in the destruction of the
primary system Of this State.
STATE OF OHIO, CITY OF TOLEDO, Lss
LUCAS COUNTY.
FRANK J. CHENEY makes oath that he is the
senior partner Of the firm OF F: J. CHENEY s
Co., doing business in the city OF Toledo county
and State aforesaid, and that said firm will pay
the sum OF ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for