The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-11-18
Who are Boilers?


Winnsboro and other Doltcr papers,"
The Democrat, so called, is uniortu-
nate in its grammar. The insertion
OF tho word "othcr" makes nonsense.
The NEWS AND HERALD will answer
the questions to assist the unprciutlic-
cd voters in Charleston in deciding
tho issues now distracting the city.
The questions arc rs follows:
Suppose The Executive Committee of
your county Democratic party should
order Il primary election, to take the
vote OF your county Democracy upon
thc question Of convention or primary
to nominate candidates, and at the
same time to elect new Executive
Committee, and that this was done, re-
sulting III vote for primary, would
tho new Executive Committee SO
elected be the rightful head of YOUR
county Dcmocracyp
suppose again, set of men in your
county should, after that, conspirc TO-
gcthcr and get up II convention any
how, and elect m Executive Commit
tee and nominate candidate; would
they be the rightful head of your
county Democracy, and their candi-
date tic candidate Of tho regular
Democracy?
AS to The first We say that if the
Executive Committee had been all
thorizcd to act as they did, any oppo-
sition movement would have been
unjustifiablc. If their action was
unauthorized il was void and of no
effect whatever, and was rightly dis
regarded. We will illustrate by the
case of Fairfield. Here as in Charles
ton, nominations had been by con-
Nentions. The people were dissatis-
fled with conventions, and almost
unanimously asked for primary sys-
tenn This was an organic change,
and the members of tho Executive
committee were too wise and too
patriotic to attempt to make it them
selves. They would have been rc-
pudiatcd just rs the Charleston Com
mttee has been. They called a con-
vcntion to consider the question, and
tho convention Of delegates, elected
fresh from tho people, adopted the
primary system, which is now the
organic law of tho Fairfield Dcmocra-
cy. Suppose primary had been
ordered by tho Committee to decide
whether the primary system should
be adopted. This would have been
feeble imitation of the rcconstruc-
ton legislation Of Congress, which
allowed tho negroes to vote upon the
question whether negroes should be
allowed to vote. The constitution
ana the traditions Of the Charleston
Democratic party gave no warrant
for the decision Of this question by IL
primary election, and the Executive
committee in submitting it, were
plainly forcstalling the action of the
party and usurping powers not dele
gated to them. Their plain duty was
10 call convention, not to nominate,
out to decide simply how nominations
should be made. A convention called
III accordance with the usage and
procedcnts Of the party would have
bound the party, and would have been
competent to change tho system of
nominating. But until the convcn-
ton had acted tho Committee was
powerIcss. Has the Legislature the
power to change the organic law of
the State? Can it change the manner
OF clecting a governor or any other
o1hcial! Can 1t authorize the appoint
mcht OF election officers, or the cleo
ton of appointivc officers? And if Il
aid make this change would the moo
pie OF the State be rebels if thcy re-
FUSED TO follow the Legislature blind
lyF Would the governor Of tho State
nave tho power to put to a direct vote
OF the people tho question of abolish
ing the Legislature? An executive
has 10 legislative power. Much less
has an Executive Committee. And
when tho Executive Committeo of
Charleston us,Irpcd legislative powers
the Ward clubs rcpudiatcd them.
That is all.
AS to tho second question, It de-
pends good deal upon who the "sct
OF men" are. Ifthcy are the regularly
constituted Ward clubs, who, through
their presidents, call a convention. rs
mas always before been done, md
1oiiow strictly tho traditions Of their
party, then they arc "tho rightful
mead OF tho county Democracy and
their candidate tho candidate Of tho
regular Democracy" Tho Ward
clubs, and not the Executive Commit
tee, constitute the party. If wc arc
correctly Informed, the Ward clubs
repudidated tho Executive Committee
'.Ihe 4 Winnsboro papcr' can We'll
anord 70 be IN such respectable COM
4 pany. >o'''
The Sale D Democrats claim rep,,)ari.
ty also beca,ise they werc straightout
! Y lSs0. For this they deserve eredit.