The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-15
The Split in South CAROLINA.


The warning democratic factions in South
! Carolina have parted company. In view OF
their attitude toward each other il is
wonder that they continued together so
long. They had been fighting each other
for many years with u-p-ecs ielted bitter
ness and it was not expected that their pro-
ceilings would be marked by harmony
when they should meet il convention u de-
termine whether delegates 70 the SEPTEMBER
convention TO nominate a state ticket should
be chosen b. primaries or conventions. The
withdrawal. therefore, Of the straightOut
democrats from the convention at Columbia
yesterday caused no surprise.
The straightouts gave the Tillmanites
fair warning on Wednesday morning that
they would not abide by any action Of the
convention which it was not authorized 10
take. In the resolution which they adopted
they expressly stated that the convention
had no authority u elect an executive
committee or amend the constitution Of the
party. The TiIlmanites not only elected
new executive committee and refused 10
order primaries for delegates to the Septem-
Der convention, but they adopted an entirely
new constitution for the party. They paid
no ate alton whatever to either the wishes
or the warning Of the straightou's. They
didn't ca q evidently whether the straight
outs remained IN the convention or With
drew from it. They we're SO overwhelm-
ingly in the majority that they felt they
could do whatever they pleased with i'm
punity.
The straightouts organized little con-
vention Of their own and appointed a com
mittee to prepare an address to the people,
That Is about all their withdrawal will
amount to. They are so hopelessly in the
minority that they wouldn't have a ghost of
a chance of electing ticket If they should
nominate one There has been talk of an
attempt to utilize the black vote against the
Tillmanites. 1t is hardly probable that an
attempt of that kind will be made, and it is
less probable that it would succeed if it
should be. Some of the blacks could be in
duced, no doubt, to vote with the straight
outs, but not enough of them to defeat the
Tillmanites, and, besides, the Tillrnanites
would not be backward in utilizing the
black vote il the necessity for doing so b.
came urgent.
But the blacks have some pretty shrewd
men among them, and they are much more
likely to seize upon the opportunity which
the split of the democrats presents to pro-
mote the interests of the republican party
than they are to assist either, or both, of the
democratic factions. If it becomes clear
that the democratic factions will remain
apart throughout the fall campaign the
republicans probably will begin at once to
otganize the black vote with the hope of
getting control of the state aud several of
the congressional districts
1t is question whether the straightouts
did not act very unwisely in Withdrawing
from the convention. They had nothing to
gain by that course. They have no reason
to hope that the democratic masses will sus-
tain them. 1t may be true that the Till
NANTES acted arbitrarily, and did things
they bad no authority to do, yes they were
the representa- of the democratic
masses and the greater part If regularly
called democratic convention. The straight
outs cannot allege that the Tillmanites are
not just as good democrats as they are, be-
cause they recognized them as such when
they met with them in convention. They
were only a small minority, and it was
hardly to be expected that the
Tillmanites would submit to their dictation.
Doubtless they are confident that they did
what was right, but it is extremely doubt
full that they did what was for the best
interests of the Democratic party in South
Carolina. The better course would have
been to have continued TO battle within
the party ranks for what they believe to be
for the good Of the Democratic party.
If they were in the right they would
have triumphed in the very near future aud
the unity of the party would have been
preserved.