Washington sentinel., 1901-06-01
M'LAURIN'S HOPE
Was to Lead a New Dispensation.
He Has Failed.

AS long as Mr.. McLaurin stoo
on his right to repudiate the sIlve
plank OF the platform after 1t har
been twice rejected bv the peopl
he had a large number Of party
men with him; and in regard t
the Presidents foreign policy, a
long as he accepted accomplished
results and recognized it as hi
duty and the duty OF every Amer
ican to assist the Executive in es
tablishing law and order in ou
new possessions for the welfare o
the people thereof as well as ou
own at home Deserving to him
self the privilege of conforming hi:
future action to the wishes OF hi:
party in convention assembled) he
stood upon ground defensible from
a party view and unassailable from
the standpoint OF American citizen
ship.
The necessity of further discus
sion OF the silver question is as
useless as is that OF questioning the
assumption of sovereignty over the
Philippines or Porto Rico. Silver
is dead beyond resurrection and
the Philippines are ours beyond
recall. possible good can come
from attempts to put life into either
OF these questions and any attempt
to impeach mans party standing
for bowing to the twice expressed
will OF the people in the former
case and to the actual and visible
and well nigh undisputed assump-
tion OF authority in the latter will
not be sustained even when cham
pioned by so popular and power
iul a man as Senator Tillman in
his own State. Up to this point,
it seems to US, Senator McLaurin
was safe in his position, and we re-
sEet that an express on of opinion
unhampered by other issues could
not have been secured.
The inteuecrIon OF other matters
into the dispute between the Sena-
tors changes the situation. Be-
tween the Republican and Demo
cratic parties there is a well de-
fined divergence Of opinion regard
ing home policies. Democrats are
opposed to a high protective tariff
and the trend OF events in the past
few years has been 20 strengthen
the party on this issue. Infant I'm
dustries we have no longer. They
are all full grown and vigorous and
well able to look out for them
selves. Republicans admit this
and the first move to withdraw
governmental support has come
from that side OF the House, Mr..
Babcock, OF Wisconsin, being re-
sponsible for it. Mr.. McLaurin,
in standing for protection, thus
arrays himself against his party
and torfeits the name OF Democrat.
Democrats are opposed to the
general policy of paying subsidies
to develop private enterprises, and
in the specific case Of the Hanna
Shipping Subsidy defended by Mr..
McLaur n and opposed by Mr..
Tillman, Democratic enmitY would
seem to be we'll founded from a re-
cent occurrence-the purchase OF
the Leyland line by Mr.. Morgan.
When ship builders here are un,
able to book more orders and the
shipping business is so prosperous
that men can 60 abroad and pay
| SIS per share for stock whose face
value is $50, and see money in il
at that, Democrats may we'll ask
il there is any reason Why our peo
pie should be taxed to swell the
profits oi such men already amply
protected and waxing rich from it,
Here again Senator McLaurin is
at odds with his party and should
forfeit all claim to its support.
Illiteracy has been found an evil
OF such proportions that the North
long since took steps to regulate
it. The illiterate class in the South
is also the vicious one. The two
combined threaten the peace anC
prosperity OF that section. To pro.
tect itself South Carolina has beer
forced to adopt the expedien
Massachusetts has tried with sue
cess. Disfranchisement is neces
sary to save the State from negro
domination. II Massachusetts haC
had the experience ofthe Carolina
and other Southern States in re
construction times the black maj
would never have had a vote there
could it have been prevented. Ii
aligning himself against this neces
sary pneasure Senator McLauril
not merely antagonizes the rulinI
political sentiment OF his State bu
the social and business as well; h
J forieits his standing as a Democrat
cnrriGrnr his self racneck nna 10.