The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-09-25


us that it is impossible, even with the
most improved instruments, to run a
straight line of any length, without TAX.
ing frequent "back sights" and correct.
ing errors of alignment, ere distance and
intervening obstacles prevent. In all the
affairs of life, whether of men as indiyid-
uals or as parties, this rule holds good,
and it is eminently wise to take frequent
retrospective views of past conduct, and
honestly correct errors az they occur, not
waiting to be taught by failure and dis
grace, that we have missed our course
and lost our goal.
We have just survived, if may use
the expression, an exciting and demoral-
izing canvass, and purpose to take a
"back sight" When the present system
of primary elections was instituted, it
was claimed for them, among other
things, that the thorough canvassing of
the County by a number of men, pre-
sumed to be intelligent and honest, would
so instruct the people upon matters vital
to their interests, that they would vote
intelligently on ground far removed from
mere personal preference or dislike. II
the recent primaries have accomplished
this, 1 fail to see it. I have seen num-
Der of intelligent and good men confined,
for weeks, to the tedious discussion Of
two issues, not material because practi-
cally settled, while such important mat
ters as Homestead" J" "Lien Law" reg
istration," Taxation" "Revenue or
Tariff Reform" "Relation Of the Races"
Education of the Negro" and others
have been barely alluded to; and all this
at the dic.ation of small minority Of a
small club. I know that many of the
candidates chafed under this restriction,
and I regret that none had the opportu-
nifty or the independence to break their
letters and talk freely.
This, however, Mr.. Editor, I may say
is only great disappointment. The
people are neither more nor less Informed
on these topics than they were before, and
were this all should be silent, but, sir,
I think serious harm has been done by
the manner in which the primaries have
been conducted It is asserted, and
doubtless truly, that in this County the
nomination by primary il equivalent to
election. Every safeguard should then
have been employed to make these cleo
tions absolutely pure; none were taken.
The utterly loose manner in which the
elections were conducted invited fraud
and it is tribute to the honor of the
people Of Anderson to say that have not
yet heard Of any. I am not welded to
the primary system nor in love with the
convention, but it strikes me that we
have been treated to the evils of both.
Either in its purity would suffice; neither
as now conducted is satisfactory. can
conceive Of a convention, composed OF
delegates to every IL of Democratic
ENTHUSIASTICALLY unpledged and unin-
structed, except on the one point Mat they
should not the,nselve, be candidates, and be-
fore whom all candidates should appear
in person or by proxy, which could not
be manipulated. One or the other we
must have, swell conducted primaries, "
or reformed conventions"
One word more, Mr.. Editor. Parties
seldom suffer 80 much from external as
sault as from internal dissension; never
to much from outward pressure as from
the fermentation and disintegration
which ensues when pressure is removed.
We are in danger, Mr.. Editor, and the
foes are Of our own household. 1t is
high time for us ITO put our house in or
der, not to die, but to lpc."
1t would be easy, Mr.. Editor, to write
an essay, but very hard an article. My
nope is to call your attention and that OF
your readers to the subject on which, in
quiet way, I feel deeply. E. L. p.