The age-herald., 1902-05-05

I do not propose to be influenced in my public course by personal spleen or petty jealousy. The public interests should never be subordnated to purely personal ends.
 Now the proposition of my political enemies is to exclude me from the prim- ary as candidate and to exclude all candidates for office who entertain my views and thus prevent the people from hearing me and from hearing them in Justification of my course and in advocacy of the absorbing public measures now confronting the American people. am absolutely convinced and forewarned of this purpose to exclude me and my friends because have read the speech or Senator Tillman, the acknowledged dic- tator of the Democratic machine of South Carolina, delivered at Manning, in which he directs revision of the rules and form of oath of the party for the purpose of excluding myself and friends from participation in the primary. l resent the suggested exception of myself for, Of course I would not make my race for the Senate or proclaim my views under conditions which were not equally appli- cable to those who entertain and advo- cate my views. I have an abiding faith that it will yet be shown that the dic- tator of the machine is not the exponent of the views of the majority of our peo- pie.
 Primary System.
 "The primary system adopted in our state through the farm CTS movement has been prostituted and perverted into a political machine for the purpose of ex- cluding all candidates who are not in full accord with the views and wishes of the dictator. The vital question there fore is, will the people of the state sub init to this political tyranny and join In this unholy and unpatriotic work of dis franchising the intelligent people and ex- cluding them from our elections.
 With such a system I have no sym pathy and feel impelled by a strong sense of duty to warn the people against such tyranny as it encourages and establish es With these facts before me and my convictions as to the original purpose of the primary system I am driven to the conclusion that 1t has subserved it's pur- poses and has outlived its usefulness. It is therefore a matter of no concern to me what may be the action of the May convention as to. the rules of the prim- ary and revision of its pledges.
 ''The suppression of free speech and in- dependence of action In voting by such means renders it impossible for any self respecting citizen holding my views to be- come a candidate in the Democratic pri- mary in South Carolina. It is apparent that the system has been warped and twisted so as to serve the one purpose of throttling free speech, free thought and liberty of action. The primary sys- tenn in Southern Carifornia has been sac rifce upon the altar of partisanship and personal malignity and has therefore become unpatriotic and finally repudiated by our people with a purpose similar to my own, to look hopefully to the laws
 "A party yoke has been placed upon our people and 1t has become too galling for further endurance, and yet I realize that many of my loyal friends would even once more hold in check their resolution not to again enter our system of pri- mary elections in order to again vote for me. but I have reached the point where I will not subject them to sub scribing to an oath to support men and measures which do not represent their views upon the issues facing the Ameri- can people today. Respectfully,
 JOHN LOWNDES M'LAURIN."