The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-12-25
PEOPLE MUST NOT ALLOW THEIR RIGHTS
TO BE TAKEN TO Crafty A
POLITICIAN.

TO BE TAKEN TO Crafty A
POLITICIAN.
The political conditions are
such as to put the wisest to
serious thought to know our
status. The Washington Sena-
tors in the Democratic party
have organized themselves. into
a caucus, to which they have in
vited silver Republicans, and
Populists, men who have never
had any afiliation with the Dem
ocratic party except on the free
silver question, and without seek
ing to ascertain the wishes Of
the people Of this State, virtual
ly read Senator McLaurin out of
the party, by declining toprovide
any committee appointments for
him, thus forcing the Republi-
can majority to place him. The
purpose of this is plain. Sena-
tor McLaurin did not conceal his
utter lack of confidence IN the
present Democratic leadership,
and this, together with the per
sonal hatred between himself
and Senator Tillman, it was
with very little effort Tillman
succeeded in getting Jones the
national chairman to Join him in
discrediting McLaurin so as to
cripple him at home, and thus
help Tillman carry outhis nefari-
Gus scheme to prevent McLaurin
from presenting his side of the
contention to the people in the
primary.
. The whole scheme is as plain
as day light. Jones, Teller and
the other leaders of Democracy
will use their utmost endeavors
to prevent McLaurin from pro
mitigating his views, they are
afraid Of his arguments, and as
long as they remain in leader
snip, I1llman can count upon
their influence to help him crush
McLaurin. We do not know
what effect this action will have
on McLaurin, but we cannot see
what the Democratic minority in
the Senate can gain, when it
combines with Teller Repub-
licans who robbed Us of the
Presidency in 1876 and con-
verts itself into a band of politi-
cal tricksters to carry outa little
scheme to rid themselves of a
member whom they cannot con-
trol or intimidate. The action
of the Democratic-Republican-
Populist caucus, will be held up
in our State convention as or
ders from headquarters to
take such action as will
prevent McLaurin from en-
tering the primary, and should
the convention take such action
and carry out the plot: all of US
will be bound by it, and forced
against our will to commit an
outrage against freedom.
So far as we are concerned,
our allegiance to the Democratic
party comes first; if that party
commits an injustice, no matter
how foul, we must stick to it, and
hope for time to undo it. There
is no fear of the party being sew
cred by the action of a few design
ingleaders. We can afford to sub
NIT to the outrages of selfish poll
ticians, until the people are con.
vinced of the wrong, and then
come in for our share of the
glory when the people themsel-
yes cry out for justice. If our
State convention in its wisdom
rules against free speech, and
free action in our primaries,
then the only remedy is to repu-
diate at the polls every man who
voted to throttle US.
There are some great Ques-
tions to be solved affecting the
future Of this country, and if we
are to be a part and parcel of
this government, it is our duty
to study these questions and act
upon them as intelligent beings,
but how can this be done if our
leaders manipulate matters so as
to prevent these questions get
ting before US? Are We to be
kept in ignorance of public mat
ters as the negroes were in the
days of carpet bag rule: In
those days the leaders handed
down the orders, and the masses
carried them out. If National
Chairman Jones, under whose
leadership the Democratic party
suffered two defeats, the last
more than the first, is to dictate
who shall be considered Demo
crat, Or what is Democratic. then
we see no use for a vote by the
people or why we shall have a
convention; just let Jones, Tel
Ter, Tillman and, their kind, get
together and tell US how we
shall vote and who we shall vote
for.
But in South Carolina we can
not afford to be independent af-
ter our party has taken action,
until then however, every man
has a right to give expression to
his thoughts, and if he cannot
succeed in getting his party over
to his way of thinking he must