The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-24


he has come to my way of thinking.
Laughter and applause The people
who come here year after year are repre-
sentativcs of South Carolina. The
eighteen men Of Richland, sitting here
represent the people of Richland, and
every man in the county had voice
in their selection. I say the same Of
York, and of Anderson, and of every
county in the State. That the people
select their delegates and select them as
they will, and say that these men
here to-day are as true representatives
Of the people of South Carolina as the
gentleman from Edgefield is. He says
that he has left his data at home, and
it good for him that he has. He says
that there has been an increase of a
quarter of i million dollars of expenses
since 1879. Let him get his data and
it will give him an answer as positive
as | do-that it is not so.n Applause.[ [
Mr. Tillman: "Do you dare say, sir,
that the expenditure of this Govern
mcnt in 1857 was not $247, 600 more
than in 1873? dare you to deny it."
[Applause.l
Mr. Haskell: II do deny it most posi-
lively. [Applause.l What the gentle
man is driving at is very easily explain
ed. In 1879 there was a fund of money
in the treasury and the Legislature did
make appropriations then largely less
than in 1887, because that surplus in
the treasury was used in addition to the
appropriations made. There is diffe-
renee between levy and an appropria-
ton. The levy is what you collect, and
the reason why We collected less in 1879
than in 1887 was because we had in the
| treasury surplus which had been
previously collected. 1t is a fact, sir,
that the expenditures have not increas-
ed materially, and that they have been
pretty much the same. The appropria-
tion bills upon our statutes are things
which cannot make mistakes, and they
are better proofs than the data which
the gentleman has left at home. These
books are here, and my friend can salts
fy himself. I say right here that there
has been no such increase in the ex-
penditures of the Government as he
charges, and I say that the people are
heard here as fairly as they are heard in
any primary election. I say that a
| primary election will be subversive of
every opportunity for the whole State
to secure fair representation. If we
have plurality system, the choice of
the people will rarely get into positions
of honor and trust. If we have a majo-
rity system the people will be so worn
out with repeated elections that they
will not enjoy the chance of securing
their choice that they now do. Zap
plause. 1t will not do, Mr. chairman,
in an intelligent body of men like this,
who come here as the representatives
OF the people with as much right to
speak as the gentleman from Edgefeld,
men who dare to do as much to suffer
as much and are as true to the State as
he or his ever have been, to taunt them
with being politicians while he and his
are the true Democracy Of the State.
LApp!ausc.J Tell us of real wrongs, tell
us Of evils that the people are really
suffering, and we will try and help the
gentleman to relieve them: but it won't
do to make vague accusations, to charge
all the sufferings of the people resulting
from the war and the period which
followed upon the mere system of ma
king nominations. It will not do to
charge the people Of the State who have
done so much to bring up the State to
Il higher condition of prosperity, and
who will he ever mindful of her inte-
rests, with the responsibility of every
misfortune suffered by the people. 1t
will not do to indulge in such glittering
seneralities. Come down to the proofs
They are here. Let him produce them"
Applause
Mr. Cannon, of Laurens, suggested
that for peace sake the Convention
might try the primary plan for one
term and ifit did not prove satisfactory
1t could be changed back to the con-
vention system.
Senator + B. Murray, Of Anderson,
next obtained the floor He said that
the change proposed was one of great
consequence for veal or woe to the peo-
pie of the State, and unless the Conven-
ton was satisfied that the people would
be benefited by such a change it was
wiser to leave things as they were. If,
as the gentleman from Edgefield had
charged, there was lack of economy in
the State Government, the State Legis-
lature and not the alan of nominating
officers was TO blame ar it. The remedy
uoes not lie III the mannerln which the
election for State officers is conducted.
1t is said that this demand for a primary
system comes from the people of the
State. What chance, ask, would a
poor man have to run for State office
with all the expense of primary can
vass before him? What men except
such as have means could afford to go
into such a canvass? | do not believe
the primary system would afford anv
relief whatever to that class of people
in the State. We have no laws to pro-
tect the conduct ola primary election
and no guarantee ofthe accuracy of the
results reached in that election.
Mr.. Tillman: why haven't we such
laws for primary elections? Wasn't a