The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-05
WILL BOLT PRIMARY
McLAURIN ISSUES ADDRESS TO
VOTERS OF HIS STATE.
HIS POSITION FULLY STATED.
DECLARES PRIMARY A POLITICAL
MACHINE.

The South Carolina Junior Senator
Rehearses His Political Career,
Beginning With the TiIIman Move
ment, Tells of the Growing Differ
ences Eetween Himself and His
Colleague, and Defends His indie
pendence-He Declares That the
State Primary Has Now Become
Merely n Political Machine ana
Announces His Intention of Dis
regarding 1t in His Campaign.
Washington, May 4.-Under date of
May 3, Senator McLaurin of South
Carolina has issued the following ad
dress to the people of South Carolina:
MY fellow citizens of South Caro-
lima: The great doctrine of represen-
tative responsibility is the foundation
stone upon which our republic rests,
and no one more keenly than 1 recog
nizes his accountability to the people
Of South Carolina for all official acts.
At the same time, no people who insist
that their representatives adhere to
political policies and traditions long
since dead and declare them vital is
sues can ever become truly great. Ev-
cry advancement in the history of our
race has been the direct result of indie
pendence of thought and action. In
most of the states of this
union this Is secured by
the presence of two political
parties and the resultant discussion
of every public question before the
people, who are thus enabled to form
an intelligent opinion and give a YER
dict at the ballot box. Unfortunately
in South Carolina, for nearly forty
years, we have been unable to have
two parties for fear of negro DONNA
ton, and for ten years, after the
Hampton revolution in 1876, our peo-
pie took no interest in public affairs
beyond maintaining a white mans
government About the year 1890, how
ever, began what was known as the
farmers movement, which was moth
ing more than an instructive effort on
the part of the people to preserve the
principle of government. With
Shell, Irby, Norris, Tillman Donald
son and others, l contributed what l
could toward it's success simply be-
cause l felt that agitation was better
than stagnauon, and. it is DaSsine
strange in that connection, that the
leader of that movement, B. r. Till
man, was then denounced as / am now
denounced for attempting to Ma
honeize the state. The freedom of
thought and action, however, which
F-1Ix 20. .,.e.s e,taf
opened the doors for every white man
and every negro who voted for Hamp
ton in 1876, and they could advocate
whatever views they cared to express,
provided only that they took an oath
to support the nominees of the primary
election. Men who voted the national
Republican ticket were allowed to vote
in the primary for state and county
officers, and l have heard from the
same platform men claiming to be
Democrats advocating Cleveland and
the gold standard and others Weaver
and free silver. And since then no at
tempt has ever been made to exclude
those who bolted with the independent
Haskell movement, the Populist Bowden
movement or the Republican Pope
movement.
Always IN independents.
was eleCIeQ TO OOlSIESS III 1919
after a heated canvass against able
opponents and yet on every stump
in the district / proclaimed my indie
pendence and announced that upon ma
tional questions l would follow my own
Judgment and not be bound by the
caucus of any party. Although my
Democracy was assailed at that time,
l was elected four times upon the same
declaration of principles. Carrying out
my pledges to the people, l began a
systematic study of the questions of
the day with the result that l changed
my views upon many of them.
The first marked difference with
my party associates arose over the
tariff question while / was in the
House and a member of it's Ways and
Means Committee. Again in 1897 when
1 was candidate for the Senate
was charged with being a Republican,
but / disregarded the characterization
and resolutely contended that the pol
icies which l advocated were for the
material advancement of the people,
regardless of how they were labeled.
"My attitude was Endorsed by so per
cent. of those voting in the primary,
and l came to the Senate.
1.-The issues growing out of the Span
ish war widened the breach between
myself and the Democratic party lead
ers, for 1 could only follow the die
tates of my conscience and stand by
American soldiers fighting upon a for
eign soil. At that time the war was
not a party question, and | hoped it
would not become so. In this | was
disappointed and was soon confronted.
by the alternative of retracing my
steps or finding myself in opposition to
a ajority of the Democratic party
leaders and excluded from their eau
cusses. l concluded that not even a
seat in the United States Senate was
worth a surrender of my convictions.
and that opinion is unchanged. There
is not a speech or vote of mine upon
any question growing out of the Span
ish-American war that l would change.
even if l could, and in which l do not
take pride in thus proving my loyalty
to my country
BIacl<Iisted by Party.
II have ever maintained this indie
pendence of thought and action. Last
summer. recognizing my responsibility
to the people, there being no campaign
in the state, ! announced my intention
of going before them for the purpose of
discussing those national issues was
Immediately and violently assailed for
advocating Republican doctrines and
branded as a Republican in Democratic
disguise. The State Democratic Execu-
tive Committee met. and under the
dictation of my colleague in the SEN
ate formally declared that / was not
a Democrat, which formed the basis for
similar action on the part of the Demo-
cratic caucus of the United States Sen
ate The pOlicV of nv OppOnanfS has