The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-06-28
THROWING A LITTLE FIT.

as II he were <tL OltCelSI d-ll SIOuIo uOI
be permitted to show his face again
All because OF the headlines ir this
paper over a special from our Columbia
correspondent. which opened with this
paragraph: '.President Smith of the
cotton association today gave out an
interview in which he censures eX-
Senator McLaurin, whom the associa-
ton officers accuse o. attempting to use
the association TO ride into office, citing
in evidence Mr.. McLaurin'S Greenville
speech" The headlines read: ''Says
NcLaurin broke the rule. Cotton AS
sociation rebukes him for Greenville
speech" If the headline is not q fair
index to the text Of the dispatch then
we have no better understanding than
THE MANNING TINES. To prove
that the headlines pervert news dis
patch into unfair stabs at a citizen who
processes to be working for what he
concelves the peoples interests" The
TINES proceeds to publish as special
to The Evening Post" the full official
text of President Smiths interview,
which was never sent to nor printed by
this paper. That text does not name
Mr.. McLaurir. but declares with much
emphasis that no officer of Jheiassocia-
ton shall participate in politics and
warns everybody against construins
the associations work as any sort OF
political movement. The Evening
Posts correspondent interpreted this.
no doubt in the light of unwritten in
formation at Columbia, as being aimed
at Senator NcLaurin and there has
been no disclaimer of such purport.
But that has nothing 70 do with the
issue raised. The headline, according
to the accepted practice of the best
newspapers, is and must be fair index
to the text which is under it and moth
ing more. That is the rule with The
Evening Post and it is 1ery strictly fol.
lowed. Whether the report from Co.
lumbia was correct or not in its essence
there was not the slightest perversion
of it in the headline. If The TINES
had quoted the text Of The Evening
Posts dispatch instead of attributing to
this paper something which it did not
print. this fact would have appeared.
But The TINES would not then have
been able to make the point at which it
has reached bY false citation.
For the rest, while it is not neces-
sary to say it, yet we shall say that the
appearance Of Mr.. McLaurin again in
the public affairs of the State is to our
mind very excellent thing. He was
driven out of public life by most un-
reasoning clamor, raised by Tillman on
the sorriest sort of prejudice, at a time
when such methods could be made eT-
fective We have regarded McLau-
rims political views as unusually sound
have given them better support than
has come from any other newspaper in
South Carolina In this cotton associa-
ton movement he is doing very valua-
ble service, and if he mixes in a little
politics We have no quarrel with him.
Somebody else will do it if he doesn' It
Charleston Evening Post.
In our last issue we took occa-
sion to expose and comment upon
what we regarded unfair treat
ment of Hon. John L. McLaurln
in that The Charleston Post by
it's headlines over a dispatch
from Columbia sought to mis-
lead the public into believing
that President E. D. Smith of
Cotton Growers Association re-
buked McLaurin for his Green
vile speech and for attending
the prohibition conference, when
in fact there was nothing in
President Smiths interview to
warrant such headlines, and
therefore we concluded they
were written for the purpose Of
deception.
We do not know who The
Posts Columbia correspondent
is, but we do know that the in
terview given out by President
Smith contained not a word Of
rebuke to McLaurin for any
speech or act Of his, and it would
have been presumption on the
part Of President Smith had he
taken McLaurin to task for his
Greenville speech or his attend
ance upon the prohibition con-
ference. The rules of the asso
citation have something to say
about its officers becoming can
didates for public Office, and if
Mr.. McLaurin held an official
position in the association and
had declared himself a candidate
for public Office, then President
Smith could have the association
to pull the rules on him, but as
Mr.. McLaurin is not an officer Of
the association and has not de-
clared himself a candidate for
public honors, il is easily seen
that President Smith would have
been nothing short Of a fool to
presume to discipline him. The
Post correspondent said: ;:Pres-
ident Smith Of the cotton associ-
alton ;: censures ex-senator
McLaurln, whom the ASSOCIATION
officers accuse of attempting to
use the association to ride into
office" The interview attrib
uted to President Smith, war
rants no such conclusion, unless
President Smith had published
one thing and told the CORES
pondent privately something
else. II he did, then he is not
the man to be at the head Of
great movement; the people can.
not have confidence in a man
who sneaks behind another's
back to plunge dagger, but we
do not believe he intended
any such thing. President
Smith may not agree with
McLaurin in everythin 6,
but we do know that he appre-
ciates McLaurin's services in
This n,0vamenf and that he nOl