The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-10
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
The preliminary campaign III 2'u''i
Carolina which began at GreellFliie t'te
,otb of June had been carried through
seventeen counties up to last Friday.
# has been bitter one ana hoIiy
fought. There has been so much crlhl-
ina,iop and recriminatlon so hhucn
personality and abuse, ana the peoPle
have beeu so aroused and excited lhaI
we fear breaches have been mace lhat
it will take i long time to cure them'
if they can ever be healed. Inc prelo-
dices and passions of the people nave
heen so aroused that it is almost useless
to saw anything in soberness, or direct |
4 line to their reason. let we nave
great and abiding faith in the conSer-
vative patriotism Of the people, ana we
cannot believe that they will he leo
astrav by any man or set OF men on
appeals TO passion and prejudice.
The question in county and state
nolitics has about narrowed down 10
= question Of Tillman and antl-llli-
man. There can scarcely be meeting
Of anv kind that this question does not
enter. The principles involved ana
,be cause. have all been sunk and the
oreat question now is the election OF
4 man. The leaders of the llliman
movement seem to desire that the peo-
ple shall not think much for them
selves, but this thing of the election Of
B. r. Tillman must be carried through
with = whoop and q hurrah. We know
that the plea is for self-government,
and Can't Tillman's explanation and
solution of the whole trouble are TO be
fouod in those two words : "Sclt.goV-
ernnent.n Vet if actions are to be
taken as anything, that plea is only q
delusion, and snare-that is so far as
this election is concerned. The term
..seIf.novernmeutH us used by Capt.
Tillman, means, 4, We understand 1t,
that the people be permitted to have 4
voice in the selection Of their officers
- In other words that we have pFl'
mary election for State officers, or II
not that then that delegates be elected
by primary. But New@crry County IS
on record against that tbs gear.
The actions of the leaders OF this
movement remind us very much OF the
advice of Mai. Bagstock to Mr. Dom
bey: "Dombey," said the Major, rap
ping him on the arm with his cane,
"don't be thoughtful. It's bad habit.
Old Joe, sir, wouldn't he as tough as
YOU see him, if he had ever encouraged
it. You are TOO great Il man, Domoey,
to be thoughtful. In your position, sir,
you're far above that kind Of thing"
This movement was started as great
reform movement, and when one dares
to ask what reform will be inaugurated
and what reduction of taxation can be
brought about, the answer comes "We
cont want to know Tne people, or
large portion of them, have been
aroused to such pitch of enthusiasm
that they are almost insulted if you
ask them to think Of this thing, and
honestly want to know Of them what
reforms the election Of B. Z. Tillman
can accomplish.
We are told that it is I fight
{ against the rings and politicians, the
(. aristocracy and the oligarchy. Now
so far as we have been able to see and
hear they have never pointed out a
single ring or the member Of one. They
have never named, placed ordescribed,
what, who or where the aristocracy and
the oligarchy are, and as the Greenville
News says when Capt. Tillman and his
supporters are brought down to produce
facts and figures to support their
charges, statements and insinuations
the whole business dwindles into "a
shapeless mass of nothing containing
nothing"
Then what is all this fuss about?
Simply the election Of one man and
some others who are trying to pull in
office with him. Suppose he is elected,
what then? We will all just have to
go on working just the same to make
our livings and pay our debts, five can,
and our taxes the same as before. The
people will not be rid Of the politicians,
for unless our vision is very much dim
med, and we fail to appreciate the mean
ing of the term, the politician will be
there too. The people may get left but
the politician never.
The whole question now is the fight
of certain men to get office. Their
election will not benefit the people
any more than the election of any
other set Of good, honest and capable
men. Then why have all this hurrah
and bitterness and even autagonism to
men who do not think as some people |
do.
The political situation in South Caro-
opinion. The effect Of tlSs agitation |
and the manner in which it has been |
conducted has been to estranye former
friends and even neighbors, without
cause or reason. We have no interest |
in this matter except the good of the
State and the welfare Of the people of |
South Carolina. Their welfare should |
be held above the advancement or ag-
grandizement Of any man or set or
men. We are 40 hero wor>hipper and |
never expect 10 be.
Let us stop and consider this matter
just for i little while. 1t is nice to be
on the popular side in yoEr conlmun-
ity. or your county, but the multitude
is not always right.