The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-05-27
LAURENs. $. c.. May 81, 1908.
TilIman and Cleveland.

~N'N OHO P'ScsNNoNJ "NS
pected of courss. The senator is re-
ported to have said among other things
that the mention Of Cleveland was "an
iDsultto the Democratic party" "What
sort of ours do they take us for" he
inquired, ito ask us to vote for such q
man as Cleyeland?" When Mr.. Till
man, then governor, entered his first
race for senator, against General M. O.
Butler, in a speech at Rock Hill, he
made an abusive attack on Mr.. Cleve-
land, the Democratic president. For
Senator Tillman to cease these attacks
would be for him to swallow great
streams of abuse that have proceeded
from his mouth during nine years
against Mr.. Cleveland and the senator,
even If he knows himself wrong, has
not the large heart and mind to con-
fess it.
In the same Interview, the Senator
while expressing no preference for
president spoke kindly of Judge Parker
of New York. If Senator Tillman sup
ports Parker or any Democrat Of his
type, he will swallow all his past ut
terances quite as though he were sup-
porting Cleveland. The Senator holds
that Cleveland betrayed the Demo-
cratic party because he did not en-
courage the two candidates. of Mr..
Bryan. This cannot be the real cause
of his opposition. The Senator cannot
and does not oppose any Democrat who,
lilo tho nlttDr NJ O'trI- DrDDrrcr t.
1895 bolted from the Bryan organiza-
tion and voted for ether Democrats
Palmer and Buckner. Senator Tillman
In that year, in the May convention
in Columbia led in the adoption
of a resolution pledging the South
Carolina delegation to bolt the
Chicago convention in the event that
1T failed to endorse the free coinage of
silver at LII to 1. 1t was an issue of
principle, not party, with the Senator;
he would remain in no party not
friendly to 16 to 1 and would help to
smash and shatter an organization
that failed to condemn the gold stand
ard. 1t did not become necessary for
h senator to bolt, his wing of the
party won in Chicago, but the Senator
braveIy forced the issue of Brightness
or wrongness OF boiling aud as leader
OF the faction favorable to boiling, he
defeated Senator lrby who was a con-
%sistent, dyed-in-the-wool party Demo-
Crat-ready to abide by the voice of
h majority In the national conven-
tion, come veal or woe. Senator Till
man was true to his May convention
principle In that he openly favored for
Democratic nominations such boilers
from the Republican fold as Teller and
Towne.
If Senator Tillman supports any
other, in or out of the party, than a free
silver at l6 to l man now, it will be in
effect exactly equivalent to supporting
Cleveland. His abuse of Cleveland is
the abuse OF a name. 1t is a mere
hodge,-an awkward effort to cover a
retreat. 1t will fool a great many peo-
pie OF course, it may have the desired
effect in South Carolina, but the sena-
tor will take his place in the ranks of
those who "lnsult the democracy il he
supports any other than a Democrat of
h pure Bryan type for the presi-
dency. 1t Is a rough bed that the Sena-
tor mad for himself in 1895 when he
pinned himself to the principle of ''16
to 1 or bust' but he has got to lie in it.
And 1t is not worth his while to try to
kick the cover off.
Mark Mr.. Tillman's contrast with
MIR. Bryan. In 1895 he was even more
extreme than Bryan. He stood ~squarely
by Bryan In 1900. 1t is principle with
Bryan yet. Bryan must know that
bis cause is lost, at least for some pol-
1tical generations, but Bryan Is battling
for 1t still. Wrong, foolish, rocking
with error and full of nonsense as we
believe Mr.. Bryan to be, there is no
doubt about his loyalty to his conyic-
lions. Nobody has ever heard of Sena-
tor Iiilman battling for a "lost cause.n
Senator Tillman differs from Mr..
cleveland today in no essential of
Democratic policy. Senator Tillman,
Senator Latimer, Senator Daniel of
Virginia, Senator Bacon of Georgia.
Senator Morgan and all the other
Democratic free silver leaders except
Mr.. Bryan are practically gold bugs.
The gold standard is the law and these
men have ceased to fight 1t. Senator
Latimer at Wares Shoals last year sd-
mItted that free silver may have been
a mistake. From the point of view of
Gold Democrats, leaders who no longer
oppose and fight the gold standard are
not their enemies.
In 1900 Senator Tillmsn with sn,en.
did dramatic effect read the platform
at Kansas City declaring for anti-im.
perialism as the paramount" issue,
The paramount issue, too, has busted.
The policy Of this government towards
the Philippines Ia settl,d. The Demo.
Gratis seized its ''paramount" issue of
four years ago because they we're grop-
Ing around for any old issue. 1t never
was worth shucks.
or course the Palmer and Buckner
Democrats Will not reorganize the
party. They understood in 1905 that
they cut themselves off from political
preferment. A few, not n in South
Carolina that we know OF, accepted Of
flee from the Republicans, but The vast