INDEPENDENCE 2N AXL THINGS.
VOL. VIII.
COLUMBUS, N. C., THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1902.
NO. 4.
BOLTS THE PRIMARY
McLaurin Says f it Has Outlived Its
Usefulness.
WILL KEEP OUT OF CONVENTION
He Will Not Subject His Friends to
Subscribing to an Oath to Support
Men and Pleasures Which Do Not
Represent Their Views.
Washington, Speci'al. -Under date
of May 3, Senator McLaurin, of
South Carolina,: hasv issuedv the fol
lowing address to the people of South
Carolina: i -
"My Fellow Citizens of South Caro
lina: The great? doctrine of represen
tative responsibility is the foundation
stone upon which our republic rests,
and no one more keenly than I recog
nizes his accountability to -the people
nf South Carolina for all official acts.
At the same time, no people who in
sist that their representatives adhere
to political policies and traditions
long since dead and declare them
vital issues, can ever become truly
great. Every advancement in the his
tory of our race has been the direct
result of independence 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 pub
lic question before the people, who
-&re thus enabled to form an intelli
gent opinion and give -a .verdict at the
ballot box. Unfortunately in South
Carolina for nearly 40 years we have
been unable to have two parties for
fear of negro domination, and for ten
years, after, the Hampton revolution
in 1876, our people took no interest
in public affairs, beyond maintaining
a Vhite man's government.' About
the year 1890, however, began what
was known as the 'farmers' move
ment,' which was nothing more than
an instinctive effort on the part of
. the people to preserve the principle
of self-government. With Shell, Irby,
Norris, Tillman, , Donaldson and oth
ers, I contributed what I could to
wards its success, simply because I
fell that agitation was better than
stagnation, and it is passing strange,
in that connection, that the leader of
that movement, B. R. Tillman, . was
then' denounced,-as I am now de
nounced, for attempting to Mahoneize
the State. The freedom of thought and
action, however, which followed the
farmers' movement, opened the doors
for every white man and every negro
who voted for Hampton 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 Republi
can ticket were allowed to vote in the
primary for State and county offi
cers, and I haye heard from the same
platform men claiming to be Demo
crats, 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 indepen
dent Haskill movement, the Populist
Rowden movement, or the RepuDli
can Pone movement. V
"I was elected to Congress in 1892,
after a heated canvass against able
ODDonents and yet on every stump in
the district. I proclaimed my inde
pendence and announced that upon
national Questions 1 would follow my
own judgment and not be bound by
the caucus of any party. Although my
Democracy was assailed at that time,
I was . elected four times upon the
samft declaration of nrinciDles. Carry
ing out my pledges to the people, I
began a systematic study of the ques
tions of the dav with" the result that
I changed my views upon many of
them. The first marked- difference
with my party associates arose , over
the tariff question while I was. in the
House and a memebr of its ways arid
means committee. 'Again, in 1897
when I was a candidate for the Sen
ate, I was charged with being a R:
publican, but J I disregarde dthe char
acterizatlon, and resolutely contend
ed that the policies which I advo
cated were for the material advance
ment of the people, regardless of how
tney were labelled.
"My attitude i was endorsed by SO
Per cent. bf those voting in the pri
mary and I came to" the Senate. The
issues growing out of the Spanish war
widened the, breao.h between myself
and the Democratic party leaders, for
I could only follow' the dictates ;pf my
COnSPienPf nnrl stnnrl Viv AnKirlr.an
soldiers fighting upon a foreign soil.
At that time the war was not a party
question and I hoped it .would not be
come so. In this I was disappointed
and Was Rnnn rnnfrnnfad Vvtr tho ftltpr.
Native of retracing my steps, or find'
-l&g myself in opposition to a majority
of the Democratic party leaders and
excluded from, their caucus. I- con
cluded . 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
speecn or vote of mine upon any
question growing out of the SDanish-
Americah war that I would chanere.
even if I ; could, and which I do not
take pride in, thus proving my loyalty
to my country. i-
"I have ever maintained this inde
pendence of thought and action. Last
summer, recognizing my responsibili
ty, to the people, there being no cam
paign in . the State, I announced my
intention of going before them for the
purpose of discussing these national
issues, I was immediately and violent
ly assailed for advocating Republi
can doctrines and branded as a Re
publican in Democratic disguise. The
estate democratic executive commit
tee met and under the dictation cf
my colleague in the Senate, form
ally declared that I was not a Demo
crat, which formed the basis for sim
ilar action on the part of the Demo
cratic caucus of the United States
Senate. The policy of my opponents
had been to belittle the real issues
into a personal quarrel between 'Till-
iran and McLaurin This issue I am
not willing to accept, as J do not pro
pose to be influenced in my public
course by personal spleen or petty
jealousy. The public interests should
never be subordinated to purely per
sonal ends. Now, the proposition of
my; political enemeis is to exclude
me from the primary as a candidate, !
end to exclude all candidates of of
fice who entertain my view's, and thus
prevent the people from hearing me
in justification, of my course and in
advocacy of the absorbing public
measures now confronting the Ameri
can people. I am convinced and fore
warned of this purpose to exclude me
and my friends, because . I have read
the speech of Senator Tillman, the
acknowledged dictator of the Demo
cratic machine of South Carolina," de
livered at Manning, in which he di
rects revision of the rules and form
and oath of the, party for the purpose
of excluding myself and friends from
participating in the primary. I resent
the suggested exception of myself.
for of course I would not make my
race for the Senate, or proclaim my
views under conditions which were
not equally applicable to those who
entertain and advocate my views, 1
have an abiding faith that it will yet
be shown that the dictator of the ma
chine is not the exponent of the views
cf the majority of our people. The
primary system adopted in our State
through the farmers' movement has
been prostituted and perverted into
a political machine" for the purpose of
exclluding all candidates who are no,
in full accord with the views and
wishes of the dictator. The question,
therefore is, will the people of the
State submit to disfranchising the in
telligent people . and excluding them
frcm our elections? j
'With such a system I have no sym
pathy and feel, impelled by a strict
sense of duty, to warn the peopla
against' such tyranny as it encourages
and establishes. With these facts be
fore ' me; and my convictions as to the
original purpose of the primary sys
tem, I am driven to the conclusion
that it has subserved its purposes and
has outlived lt3 usefulness. It is,
therefore a matter cf no concern to
me what may bo the action, 'of the
May convention as to the rules of the
primary and a revision of its pledges.
"The suppression of free speech
and independence of action by , such
means renders it impossible for any
self-respecting, citizen holding my
views, to become a 'candidate fin the
Democratic primary hT South Caro
lina. It is apparent that the system
has been warped and twisted so as
to serve the one purpose of throttling
free speech, free thought and liberty
of action. The primary system in
South Carolina has been? sacrificed
upon the altar of partisanship . and
personal malignity, and has there
fore become unpatriotic and useless
and should be ignored -and finally
repudiated by our people with a pur
pose similar to my own, to look hope
fully to the results of a fair and just
general election under our State and
national laws. ,
"A party yoke has been placed
upon our people and it has become too
galling for further endurance, and
yet .1 realize that many of my loyal
friends would even once more hold
in check their resolution not to again
enter our system of primary elections
in order to again vote for me,, but I
have reached the point where I will
not subjeet them to subscribing to an
cath to support menT and measures
which do not represent their views
upon the issues ofrthe American peo
ple. ' - . - - -'Respectfully,
"JOHN LOWNDES McLAURlN."
Rlrht Sld Flr TTeaw Out cm Caw.
' "Thev Journals in street car tracts al
ways wear out on: the riSV de first,
PRESIDENT PRESENT
President Roosevelt Talks to Cadets
i at Annapolis
SPEAKS TO GRADUATING CLASS
Outline of the Duty and Responsibil
ity0' the Men of the Navy "- The
Speech of Dr. Winston.
Annapolis, Md.v Special. The spe
cial train conveying President Roose
velt and s party to Annapolis to attend
the graduating exercises at the Naval
Academy, arrived here over the Penn-'
sylvania Railroad. As the President
alighted from the train he was re
ceived by Superintendent Wainright
and his aide Lieutenant Seibmeier.
A battalion of marines, under com
mand of Captain i Lucas, was drawn
up at the station. The party proceed-
edin carriages to1 the Academy
grounds. The President walked across
the campus to where the -cadets were
lined up, and passing down the line,
looked each cadet squarely in the
face. He was thpn presented to the
officers of the Academy by Comman
der Wainwright. While this was gor
ing on, the shore batteries fired the
President's salute of 21 guns. At the
sound - of the bugle blast the cadets
stacked guns and marched byf fours
to the chapel, where benediction was
pronounced i by the chaplain. f In the
meantime, the President had been es
corted down the aisle by Commander
Wainwright, and was shown - to his
seat on the platform, the battalion of
cadets, , the officers - and others, re
ceiving the President standing.
Commander Wainwright then intro
duced Dr. George T. Winston, a mem
ber of the board of visitors, who deliv
ered a short address. . He was loudly
applauded when he referred to Dewey
as the hero of Manila and Sampson
the hero of Santiago, and at the con
clusion of his remarks was congratu
lated by the President. The gradu
ating class discarded their guns and
accoutrements and advanced close to
the platform. 'President Roosevelt
then addressed them, his remarks be
ing : frequently interrupted by ap
plause. The President said in part:
' "In receiving these diplomas you
become men who above almost any
others of the entire Union are to carry
henceforth the ever-present senseof
responsibility which must come with
the knowledge that on some tremen
dous day It may depend upon your
courage, your preparedness, your keen
intelligence and knowledge of your
progression, whether or not the nation
is again to write her name on the
world's roll of vhonor, or to know the
black shame of defeat. We all of us
earnestly hope that the occasion for
war may never come, but if it has. to
come, tben this nation must win and,
the prime factor in securing victory
dver any foreign foe must" of necessity
be the United States navy. If the
navy fails us then we are doomed to
defeat, no . matter what may be' our
material wealth or the high average
of our, citizenship. It should, there
fore, be an object of prime importance
for every patriotic American to see
that the navy is. constantly built up
and above all that it is kept to .the
highest point of efficiency both in ma
terial and in personnel. It cannot be
too often repeated that in modern war
arid especially in modern naval war,
the chief factor in achieving triumph
is what, has been done in the way of
thorough preparation and in training
before the beginning of the war. It
is what has beendone before the out
break of the war that is all impor
tant. ':.'-',...'- .y,,-.;'-:-"'-J
- "Officers and men alike must have
the sea habit; ' officers and men alike
must realize that in battle the only
shots fthat count are the shots that
hit and normally the 'victory will lie
with the side whose shots hit the of
tenest. Seamanship and markmari
ship these must be the two prime
objects of your training, both for your
selves and for the men under you."
At the conclusion of his address
and the distribution of the diplomas,
the President, requested that he be
taken to the hospital where Cadet
Emery S. Land, of Wyoming, a mem
ber of the graduating class, was lying
in. oiixing up in Ded, trie sick voy
received his diploma from the Presi
dent, who made a few appropriate re
marks, in which he - expressed the
hope that he, would soon be out. The
President was then given an oppor
tunity of witnessing the '. customary
prank Of the plebes throwing the grad
uating class out o quarters, which af
fforded a great deal of amusement.
After lunch, the ' President- and his
party went aboard the torpedo boat
Gwynn for a short trip on Chesapeake
Bay. ; .
SOUTHERNJNDUSTRIAL
Raleigh to Tidewater.
a meeting of business men held
At
recently at Raleigh, N. C, $21,000
were! subscribed for buildnag tne pro
posed Raleigh & Eastern North Caro
lina Railroad, to extend from Raleigh
to Washington, N. C, via Wilson and
Greenville; This line would be about
ninety miles long,' and would provide a
very direct route from Raleigh, to tide
water on the Pamlico river. James H.
Pou, E. B. Barbee and Josephus Dan
iels are among the subscribers to the
fund. It is estimated that the line can
be constructed for $1,000,000, and the
necessary shops can be built for $50,
000. " The line would, it was stated
traverse one of the richest "and most
fertile sections of North Carolina. Pro
vided the necessary subscriptions i are
raised, bonds will be floated to build
the road." . ' 1''-.!:-..V.
In this connection it is interesting to
note that a line is proposed between
Stantonsburg and. -Wilson.' Regarding
this project, Dr. S. H. Croker of Stan
tonsburg writes the Manufacturers
Record that citizens of the two towns
propose connecting them by a railroad.
Continuing, he' says: "We had about
enough money pledged to build the
road,' and the delay is due to the con
templated i Raleigh & Eastern North
Carolina Railroad from Raleigji via
Wilson nd Greenville to Washington,
N. C. If so, that road will be on our
line, and we are now working in har
.mony with the Raleigh & Eastern
North Carolina. The road will run
through the finest timber and agricul
tural belt in the State, and we see jno
reason why it will not pay from the be
ginning.' i ' 1 j
; Industrial Miscellany.
The large lumber plant at Hitch
cock, near Emporia, Va., operated by
the Hitchcock-Trego Company, will
under a contract pass under the con-,
trol of the! Emporia Manufacturing Co.,
which will utilize a large portion of he
output of this mill at its planing mill
and box factory in North Emporia.
The Hitchcock mill will cut from 40,
000 to 50,000 feet of lumber a day, and
under the inew management will beop
erated at its full capacity.
A syndicate of prominent Maryland
and West j Virginia financiers have or
ganized a company in Hagerstown,
Md., ; with! a capital of $100,000. The
company has purchased about 10,000
acres- of timber land spruce, hemlock
and hardwoods from ex-Senator Hen
ry G. Davis in Randolph county, West
Virginia. I This tract will be developed
at once. The main office will be i lo
cated at Hagerstown, with R. H. Alvey,
Jr. f the local representative.- V-
Governor Montague of Virginia" has
signed a bill granting to Mr. H. L.
Page and his associates the right to
build a tunriel under the Elizabeth
river in Virginia, so as to connect Nor
folk, Portsmouth , and Berkley. It is
provided that the work of constructing
the tunnel must begin within ninety
days, and jit is expected that cars will
bexrun through it within a year from
the day the work is begun.
Textile Notes. , f ,
The Vale Royal Mills "at Savannah,
Ga,, have been sold by Mr. H. P. Smart
to the Hilton-Dodge Lumber Co. The
mills are located west of the Central
Railway & Ocean Steamship Co.'s ter
minals, and are among the. most mod
ern' and best equipped plants in the
State.4 These mills have made a spe
cialty of cypress lumber and shingles.
The Hilton-Dodge Lumber Co. will
continue to operate the mill, having
leased from Mr. Smart large lumber In
terests along the Savannah river. . It Is
understood that the price paid for the
mills was $30,000.
Work is progressing rapidly on .the
construction of the Alexander City
(Ala.) Cotton Mills and the buildings
will be completed soon. The main
structure Is of ;. brick, three stories
high, equipped with electric lights, wa
ter;; and sewerage system, fire equip
ment, etc.! There is a spindling-room
on the second and the third floor," each
128x165 feet in size. Tlie picker-room
is on the third floor, and is 46x128 feet.
The company is Capitalized at $200,000,
and will operate 10,000 spindles. J f r
Tavora Cotton Mills of Yorkville, S.
C.J has ordered between $5000 and
$10,000 worth of additional machinery,
the funds to be obtained from its re
cent increase in capital from $40,000 to
$65,000. a--- ;:- -'.y:.:::t
- :t. J. L, Bond of Ruston, La,, is endeav
oring to form mill company; $25,000
has been subscribed.
A movement is on foot at Monticello,
Ark., for the organization of a $35;000
company to bufld a cotton-rope mill.
Bowling Green Knitting Mills of
Bowling Green, 9. C.,. previously!; re
ported, is completing its buildings, 'and
has ordered the machinery to eauin.
Ladies' underwear will be the principal
product; investment $j,ihmj.- s t
CAPTURE OF ' MORO.
Insurgent Stronghold Succumbs to
American Forces f'
A BIT OF REAL WAR AT LAST
Fort Defended by ( 300 Natives and
; . Shelled by Four Mountain Guns.
Hand-to-Hand Fighting In the
Ditches. ?
Manila, ' By Cable. General Davis
the commander of the American forces
in the islandsvof Mindanao, cables that
the 84 Moros who survived the attack
and capture of the Moro fort by Ameri
can soldiers, in Mindanao, haye sur
rendered and that the Sultan of Bay
an, Bajah Muda, Sultan Panda Padto " ,
and a number of the leading Dattos,
were killed in the engagement. The. -assault
on the principal fort, reports
General Davis, was one of the most
gallant performances of American
arms in the Philippines and the regi
ment of Lieutenant jColonel Frank D.
Baldwin, the Fourth Infantry, deserves;
the greatest credit of its conduct. The!
men of the' Fourth Infantry had a!
hand-to-hand struggle with the Moros
in the four lines of ditches under thoj
walls of the fort. When the position:
was captured these ditches were foundj .
to be lined with Moro dead. General
Davis characterizes the rifle fire of. the;
Americans as excellent and says he ha;
never witnessed a performance excel-1'
ling the capture of the Moro fort in
gallantry. General Davis says also it
is his painful duty to 'announce that ,
the overthrow of Moro power was not;
accomplished without . ! severe loss to: .
the Americans. One officer , and 7 menj
were killed, while 3 officers and 37t
1
men were wounded. . '
. After the 84 Moros who survived tho
assault had inarched out of the fort,
others who were concealed there made;
an unsuccessful break for liberty. Some(
of the Moro wounded tried to stab the;
American soldiers, who were caring fori
them. It is impossible to give the total '
of Moro dead, as a number of them' are
lyirig in the tall grass. The fort' was
defended by 300men. Its capture saves'
a siege, as it would haye been impos-l
sible to carry the . position without'
scaling. ladders.
. General Davis further reports his In
tention of retaining his prisoners until
the few adjacent Moro forts; are occu
pied. Then, with the consent of Gen
eral Chaffee he will retain ten of hisV
priscipal captives as hostages and re-' '
lease the others. The American forces
who attacked the fort numbered 470
men and four mountain guns. It rain
ed hard during the night preceding the ,
attack, and the men were . without
blankets. The battery fired 120 rounds
at a range of 1,400 yards.
General Davis adds that he is send
ing theL dead to Malabang for burial.
He intends to invite the Sultan of.
Tarac to an interview. His fort is of
the same strength as Bayan, the one
captured yesterday. General Davis z ,
urging the people to return to the cul- '
tivation of their rice fields. He be
lieves the Moros have learned a lesson
which will prevent -further trouble.;
; Washington, Special. The President
has sent the following dispatch to
General Chaffee, from whom he had re
ceived'a cablegram confirming the As
sociated Press dispatch from Manila:
"Washington, D. C, May 4.
"To Chaffee, Manila:
"Accept for the army .under, your
command and express to General Davis
and Colonel Baldwin especially, my
congratulations and thanks for the
splendid courage and fidelity which
have again carried Our flag to, victory.
Your fellow countrymen at- home will
ever honor the memory of the fallen,
and be faithful to the brave survivors
who have themselves been faithful un
to the end for their-country's sake. ; v
Signed) "THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Wreck on New York Central t
Clyde, N. Y., Special New York Cen
tral , fast mail No: 3, west-boumvcol-lided
with a fast freight grigin the
opposite direction a quarter of a mile
west of the station here at 5 p. m., kill
ing the engineer and firemaii of the
mail and seriously t injuring " thirteen
mail clerks. .
-