The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-08-06
WEDNESDAY, AUGuST s, 1890.
ANTI INTOLERANCE.

ANTI INTOLERANCE.
This political campaign has been q
hard and cruel one, in which friend
has been pitted against friend, broth
er against brother, father against son.
The fight has been, on the one hand,
to retain a tenure of Office held for a
number of years, and, on the other
side, to infuse by means OF new men
and new measures q new lease OF life IN
to an old body nearly parslized from in
action. Each side has produced lead
ers worthy OF the others steel, al
though from the outset the odds were
fearfully against the regulars-those
who deserve tie name from having
held Office regularly for so many
years.
Things have been said and done on
both sides that were wrong, but es-
pecially has this wrong doing been
prominent on the Anti side. Naturally,
like a dam about to be deprived OF
her whelps, they have used every pos
sible means to defeat the Reformers,
and in some instances very question
able means have been employed.
The church is a holy institution,
and its consecrated ministers should
never descend to the level Of politics,
ss known now of days. Every man,
he he nriest or lavman, is entitled to
his opinion and the right to freely
express such, but, as in all things, a
minister should be careful and con-
siderase in expressing his views, SO as
not to offend. As we said above ev-
ery man who has an opinion has the
right to express it, and we have great
er respect for man who, when called
upon, fearlessly gives his views on
any subject, but may a kind Provl-
dence deliver US from the blatant,
proselyting, demogogical preacher
Who would dare to invade the sacred
desk, for the purpose of making po-
litica speech obnoxious to the avow.
ed principles Of large number OF
his own congregation. And yet
from the depths of our heart we
are sorry to say, there are such to be
found in our own State, men who
have so far forgotten the principles OF
decency and godliness as to denonnce
Tillmsn from the pulpit. The Ants
many of them have in almost every
way shown despicable spirit OF IN
tolerance unworthy the education and
intelligence they claim for themselves,
Two weeks ago, because the Southern
Christian Advocate, the organ OF the
Methodist Church in this State, con-
tanned in its news columns few con-
densed items stating for whom GER
tain county conventions had nominat-
ed delegates, and, as it happened,
because all the State political news
was favorable to Tillman, and the Ad-
vocate had truthiully stated it as 1t
was, some rabid Ants flew into a
mountain of rage and threatened to
stop their paper. Such intolerance
Not word had been said about poll
tics in the editorial column, and the
editor had not even prepared this
news summary, yet these intolerant
Antis threatened to boycott the pa
per unless it remained silent or else
lied about it. DR.. Kirkland, the ed.
itor of the Advocate, is pure, noble,
intelligent minister, of too exalted
character to become g blatant politi-
clan, but with his large and liberal
views, we believe that were he to take
issue in the contest he would be on
the side of Tillman and reform. And
so do we believe about our honored
Bishop Duncan. His son, graduate
of Woford College, and gentleman
OF wealth, intelligence, and family in
Auence, the chairman for several years
of the Democratic party in Union
county, is an ardent supporter Of Ben
TSllman and the farmers movement.
A very large number of the purest
and ahlest and most intelligent peo-
ple in the State favor Tillman for
governor, and yet some OF these Ants,
some of them with scarcely an old
cornfeld education and but little
horse sense, the more ignorant the
more intolerant, have the impudence
TO say they are not able to see how
sneh and such an intelligent gentle
man can support Tllman. They are
excusable for saying such for they
dent know any better:
Comparisons are odious, but sup
pose that on campaign day in this
place the ladies of any one of the
churches in town had met in front Of
their church, with q Tillman banner
suspended from the lamp post In front
of the church, for the purpose OF do
ing honor to Tillman as he passed
what would have been the result :?
Such 8 howl of indignation would
have been raised that an outsider
would have believed the unpardona-
bic sin had been committed. And
yet had the same thing been done for
Earle or Bratton, as we understand it
was done at one of our churches, not