The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-01-13
LAURENs. 8. c., Jan. ID, 1904.
Williams Against Croft.

news is this editorial statement In The
! Edgefeld Advertiser of last week:
y "We have it from Hon. T. j.. Will
llams' own lips that he is q candidate
for congress from this district. A!
Hon. j. VIM. Thurmond will not enter
the race, MIR. Williams will receive al
most a solid vote in Edgefield county,
and the record which he has made
since entering politics, especially in his
management OF the dispensary, will
make him q strong candidate in the
other counties of the district"
The ICE between Mr.. Williams and
the incumbent, CO.. George w. Croft,
of Aiken, should be a lovely ore to the
lockers on. Both are strong men
that is both are above the level of
nat has satisfied the prevailing South
Carolina rotion Of congressional tim
Der in,late years. Numerous circum-
stances should contribute to the fight
what will make it of import to the
whole state, outside as we'll as within
the district.
In the days of the heated f~actional-
ism, Col. Croft was known as q staunch
Conservative or Anti-Tillman man.
He figured in Conservative v
tions and caucuses in Columbia and
with credit. So far as we are informed,
he has seen no easop to apologize for
his course and there Is none. Mr.. l..
j. Williams, on tho other hand, has
been first, last aud all the time q stall
wart Tillmanite as member of the leg
islature and chatham of the s!ato
board OF control. 1t is difficult TO, i'm
asine that the dispensary record Of DIr.
Williams may b, kept out of this race.
Indeed, here is his home paper alreedy
and naturally enough, bringing it in,
If Mr.. Williams, who Is still chairman
of the board, has done we'll, il should
be a good argument in behalf of his
other ambitions On the other side, il
is possible that Mr.. Williams record
will be severely attacked.
Mr.. Croft wi | have the advantage of
the claim Of all congressman, that they
should be elected to congress at least
twice. Additionally, since his last cleo
ton he has led 10 conducting the sue
cessful defence Of Senator Tillman's
nephew, There are those who say that
his zeal for his client was so fervent that
he forgot or abandoned the ru'es that
are supposed TO govern lawyers in their
practics and that he deliberately invit-
edthe resentment of every friend Of the
late editor OF The State by the heaping
nj n0nstip n q nnnoiofi nn, ,r,or 1t, ~..,,
DRY. But in the same measure that he
offended the friends of thu dead man.
he must have gained the aifectious of
the Tilimans. Senator Tiilman pei
mitted his name to be used freely in
the D.. FL. Tillmau trial. MIR. Croft
championed the Tillmans generally,
If Senator Tillman, not to mention
that other, be possessed with ordinary
human gratitude he must throw the
weight of his great iuhuence and eff.
his W county, q fellow Reformer, and
a fellow champion of the ~dispensary in
favor of his former political enemy,
Certainly MIR. Croft has sacrificed
enough for the Tillmaus to make then
his answering defenders and suppo t.
ers for all time.
The surm'ss of The Edgefeld paper
that Mr.. Williams will carry that
county is doubtless accurate. 1t is in
Saluda that the Tillman influences will
count heavily. In the 1902 campaign
the diff ,rences between Croft, Thur.
mond snd Bellinger were less than Toe
votes. Meanwhile, Mr.. Croft will have
the quiet support Of gentlemen who
expect to be candidates ia 1906. The
ousting of Croft at the end OF a -four
year term wou|d be u lighter task than
the removal of Williams at the end OF
two. ID