The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-09-17
Posters in the Campaign.

THE ADVERTISER declared for no
man in the race for Governor. Seve-
raj good men were running. It was q
matter OF personal choice. 1t happen
ed that THE ADVERTISERS editor voted
for Col. Talbert. THE ADVERTISERS
editor aud THE ADVERTISERS are not
necessarily the same thing, by the way.
THE ADVERTISERS remarks, however,
that the methods of the latter part OF
the Talbert campaign were not right
methods. The innuend0 aimed at
Capt. Hayward in posters was not excu-
sable. 1t was not in keeping with the
honorable campaign OF Col. Talbert on
the stump. Therefore we believe he
was not personally responsible for it.
THE ADVERTISER unquali6edly con-
dennis Ii.
But the SHINING was not confined to
the Talbert side. Newspapers with
Hayward tendencies made mistakes. 1t
has come about that South Carolina
has but two dailies generally read.
One has about 'retired" from politics
just as a merchant, aftor a long life
well spent in successful labor, retires.
The other, the Columbia State, an able,
untamed and acrobatic performer, is
still the wild child of Anti-Tillman-
ism. Anti-Tillmanism is its Jacob
like voice ever though it's hands be
covered with the hairy skin Of an Esau
peace-and-unity. UP to the first pri-
mary there seemed to be a silent con-
tract that The State would hold off as
between the candidates except as to
Col. Tillman, who was a bone hat fur
nished good gnawing and kept it out OF
serious mischief. The first primary
over, The State instantly declared for
Hayward. The same tacit contract
seemed to have existed in the Senate
rial contest. When it appeared that
Evans was in the second race, The
State atIonce seized that ancient naval
weapon, now unknown to civilized war
fare, called the stink-pot and began to
hurl it at Evans Evans was y former
"Reformer". So wa Latimer, whom
The State daily damned with the faint
est praise available in an enviable vo-
cabulary. How could the Talbert men
know that stink-pots would not be
be flung at their man any moment?
The State held off from its Evans fight
until 1t was too late to reply from the
stump, and it had given a sign in favor
of Hayward calculated to call all it's
following to his standard. The Talbert
people had no great daily circulating
throughout South Carolina every day.
They were driven to resort to the hum
BILE poster. We do not fail to condemn
these posters. They were not fair to
Mr.. Heyward; not at all fair. Yet, 1t
was hardly to be expected that the pos
ters would be edited according to the
lofty conceptions of journalistic ethics
that prevail in a great newspaper
office.
The State, by the way, claims to
have caused Evans defeat aud to have
greatly aided Heyward's election. We
observe that CAN'T, Wilson, Gunter,
Caughman, Boyd, etc were elected or
defeated without the States aid. As
tonishing but true. Meanwhile, Talbert
beat Hayward in the county where the
States resides and Evans ran with Lati-
mer neck and neck there; even in Co.
lumbia. But we do not deny The States
claim. Here in Laurens the three pa
pers issued from this town pronounced
for Evans in strong terms. Latimer
beat our man more than two to one.
The obvious explanation is that the
Clinton, S. @, Gazette championed
Latimer. Hence we are acquainted
with the power of the press, particu-
larly the Latimer press. To have the
opposition of The State Is dreadful but
only those who have tackled our es-
teemed contemporary, The Gazette,
have been up against the real thing. If
you don't believe 1t, compare the Evans
-Latimer vote in Laurens and Rich
land.