The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-05-07
N'LAURIN'S ADDRESS.

NLAOS1N RDONESS.
The latest move on the politi-
cal chess board is the recent
address to the people" issued
by United States Senator John
L. McLaurin; in it Senator Nc
Laurin anticipates the action OF
the May convention, and virtual
ly :'throws up the sponge" In
assuming that the convention
will adopt such requirements as
will preclude him from comply
inc, we think the Senator has
made mistake, but he is right
in scorning anything like a spe-
cial privilege in his case. as in
dicated in Senator Tillman's
Manning speech, il which, with
mock magnanimity, he proposed
to permit the adoption of a spe-
cial rule in McLaurin's case. No
man with a spark of pride would
enter a primary under such cir
cumstances.
We regret exceedingly that
Senator McLaurin has been so
hasty, we have an abiding faith
in the good judgment and patriot
ism Of the people, and still be-
lieve, when the convention as
sembles the party requirements
will not be materially changed,
and such action will be taken
as will meet the acceptance
of every Democrat, matters
not how much they diff
fer now. We realize, there is
an element now in control of the
party machinery working with
might and main to accomplish
selfish purpose for the coming
election, regardless Of the effect
on party harmony; that element
cares not, so it can accomplish
it's purpose, and to gain a tenn
porary advantage it would run
the risk Of tearing the party into
several hostile camps, but when
the convention assemblies: it
need not be controlled by these
monte-banks, and conservatism
and patriotism should be the mo-
tive prompting the delegates.
The convention should take such
action as will inspire confidence,
and inure to the benefit of the
people without regard to the
political aspirations of any man:
this, in our opinion will be the
motive prompting many Of the
delegates and, for Senator Nc
Laurin to anticipate throttling
action, is premature.
The convention is entrusted
with the rights of the people,
and not the aspirations of politi-
clans, and as the Representa-
tiYesof the people, no man should
attribute unfairness to them un-
til they have acted unfairly; SIM
ply because Senator Tillman has
issued forth his decree, is no rea-
son to conclude that the dele
gates to the convention will do
his bidding. There will be men
in that convention who will have
views different from those ex-
pressed by Senator Tillman. and
they will present them strongly.
True, Senator Tillman has a
powerful influence with the
party, but he has not always
succeeded in forcing the accept
ance of his ideas, therefore we
regard Senator McLaurin's let
ter bad stroke at this time. If
by it he simply means to retire,
then he could have done so, by
employing different language,
but when he indicates that he
will ignore the primary, he plays
squarely into the hands of his
opponents, who have conspired
together for this very purpose.
The Democratic primary is the
only place where Democrats can
settle their differences, and he
who refuses to go into the pri-
mary cannot go before the peo-
pie at ali, and is therefore out,
and no more a factor for con-
sideration. What his future
course will be is not clear. The
Senator's enemies claim that his
letter was written for the pur-
pose of paving the way to
going over to the Repub-
lican party, but in the letter we
can not ind one line which will
justify such a conclusion, and in
our opinion that conclusion is ar
rived at for the purpose OF
further tanning the flames Of
prejudice, be that as it may, Nc
Laurin does not indicate that he
will join the Republican party,
but he makes it clear that he is
not in sympathy with the con
templated primary system, and
that he believes the primary has
out lived its usefulness, and the
time has come when the people
should do away with the prima'
ry and depend upon the general
election, ''under our State and
National laws"
We cannot agree to this view,
our whole fight since this agita-
ton began. has been to keep the
primary system where its found
ers placed it, we have made this