Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-11-04

vote the United States was saved from
what would have otherwise developed
into bloody and destructive war with
Germany and perhaps other foreign
powers. The senator's enemies raised
the cry of traitor and deceived thous-
ands for the time being; but now the
truth is generally understood. Later
Senator McLaurin devoted himself to
the development Of the cotton trade Of
the south by means Of ship subsidy.
and although there was no ground for
such an insinuation. his enemies again
howled Republican" Just at this
time, Leader Underwood is holding
out for the same idea; but not so in
tenigently, by means Of his discrimi-
nation Of per cent on the tariff du-
ties as goods carried in American
ships Mr.. Underwood's integrity has
been impeached by none except Mr..
Hobson who wants to beat him to the
senate. Long years afterward, when
Mr.. Hearst, as smooth a proposition as
there Is in America, published certain
stolen letters Of Mr.. McLaurin to Mr..
Archbold, which letters related to
purely legitimate business and threw
out the insinuation of bribery, ETC.,
Senator McLaurin's enemies forgot all
about the other alleged delinquencies
that had already proved boomerangs,
and sought to blacken his character
with insinuations Of his having be-
trayed his people to the big trust for
money.
But none of these things have had
anything to do with. Mr.. McLaurin's
final withdrawal from politics. The
great mass Of honest, earnest thinking
people over the state have not been
deceived in regard to him. They know
he is an able, experienced, patriotic
statesman whose one consuming de-
sire has been to be Of real service to
them. They know too that he has
really been of more practical benefit to
them than has any other man who has
gone to Washington from the south
during the past twenty years. That
does not elect governors or senators,
however.
II any one who has read that speech
that Mr.. McLaurin delivered at the
banquet of Blease leaders at the jeff
erson hotel, does not believe that Mr..
McLaurin does not thoroughly under
stand the politics of South Carolina,
then they are due to read that speech
again and to study 1t. 1t is our delib-
crate judgment that there is not a
man In the state who has more ac-
curate comprehension Of South Caro-
lima politics than has Hon. John l..
McLaurin; but this does not necessa-
rily mean that he Is acceptable as a
leader of the leaders. Had Mr.. Nc
Laurin gone to that banquet with the
deliberate purpose Of coming away
with the endorsement of those pres
ent for the governorship, he would have
known exactly what to say and how to
say 1t. We do not think there Is any
doubt of that; but Mr.. McLaurin is
not that kind of a man. He Is, as he
says, a genuine Tillmanite-a better
Tillmanite that Tillman is or ever was
but his Tillmanism means more than
personal place or individual power. 1t
means constructive craftsmanship that
will give to the masses Of the people
the rights, privileges, and precedence
that is really theirs rather than empty
pats on the back.
No man knows better than Mr.. Nc
Jaurin that this state Is dominated by
two great contending parties or fac
tions-one the party Of usurped privil-
ege, and the other the faction Of equal
rights and the square deal. He knows
also that as things stand now 1t Is
next to impossible for any man to go
1t alone. He knows too that the JEFF
ferson hotel aggregation though not
fully in accord with him, or he with It,
Is much closer to the sentiment for
which he stands than is the other side.
and If it is not willing to accept this
leadership, then there is nothing left
for him to do but to step down and
out. as he has announced his inten-
ton to do so.
It is quite probable that Governor
Blease could have brought about diff
ferent result If he had desired. We do
not doubt much that he could have
induced the gathering to accept Sen
ator McLaurin as it's leader; but from
the standpoint Of the game as 1t is
played, we would not undertake to say
that this would have been wise. Gov
ernor Blease has reached his present
political ascendancy largely through
his own efforts, and with but little
help from prominent leaders. The
conditions and forces so accurately
described by Senator McLaurin have
contributed more to the governors
success probably, than he realizes;
but nevertheless it is beyond dispute
that the governor Is now backed by a
majority of the voters Of South Caro-
lima. OF course, there may have been
changes since the election of last year;
but there Is no present way OF estaD-
fishing that fact. The point is that the
governor was in the ascendancy when
the people last expressed themselves,
and 1t is natural that he should as
sumo that he still holds that position
This thing of a governor running for
senator and attempting to dictate VINO
shall succeed him as governor has
been tested out in South Carolina and
proved to be an exceedingly uncertain
proposition. The governors attitude
therefore in refusing to try to dictate
who his successor shall be, is not un-