The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1890-08-05
fIE NEWS AND HERALD.
WINNSBORO, S. C.
Tuesday, August 5. 1880
FOR GOVERNOR
JOHN BRATTON
The County Convention.

News AND HERALD full report of
the proceedings Of the County Con-
vention of 2nd inst. The outcome is
of course a matter of much regret to
every honest and thoughtful Democrat,
and it is difficult to forecast how far
reaching may be the results of Satur-
days work. The intelligent public is
entitled to judge Of the merits Of the
issues upon which the secession in the
Convention were based.
In order that the question may be
squarely quito ourreaders we will re-
produce so much of the proceedings as
relate to the issue. Heretofore we have
had no contests among the clubs onthe
subject of proper representation in the
County Convention; we have had no
serious issues upon which our people
were divided and hence the necessity
of such a fight never arose. In the
present battle the lines were sharply
| drawn and the contending forces have
beeu-xery nearly equal in strength,
hence the matter 81 proper and Strict
apportionment of delegates among the
several clnbs was obviously an in
teresting questi on.
The Constitution Of the party pro-
yides that each club shall be entitled
to one delegate for every twenty-five
enrolled members. In another section
of the party law, it is provided in sub
stance that the several clubs Of the
county shall operate under the control of
the County Erecutice Committee. The
clubs are to enroll, representation is
based on enrolment, and the County
Executive Committee, under the
authority of the section Of the County
Constitution quoted, called upon the
clubs to send up their respective rolls
Eve days before the meeting Of the
Convention, and appointed a committee
to revise snd correct the same and re-
port to The Convention the result of its
work. This was done by sub-com.
mittee composed Of representatives of
both factions.
The work of the committee was the
work of each and every member, and
as the report itself shows was con-
Cured in by all the gentlemen COM
prising that body. The committee
was in session all day Friday, sat with
open doors, received and heard all
testimony offered and thereupon
made up its report, which was the
bone of so much contention on Satur-
day.
AS we understand it, the Tillman
forces wanted to ignore the action of
the committee and to have first of all
q committee on credentials appointed.
The opposition took the ground that it
was premature to appoint such a COM
mittee until there had been All enroll
ment of the clubs and their delegates
on the basis of the action of the Exc
cutive Committee. That from this re-
port alone could the Convention base q
temporary organization. The anti
Tillsnanites desired an enrolment Of
the legally existing clubs and that the
finding of the Executive Committee
should only be the law Of the Conven-
tion in its temporary organization.
They did not oppose the appointment
Of committee on credentials, but took |
ground that there must first be body !
with members to move, and members
to vote, and members to be appointed
on such committee. Chairman Gail
lard held that the findings Of the Exc
cutive Committee were p'ima tacie COR
rect and must be the basis of tempo.
rary organization. The ruling when
stripped Of all parliamentary language
simply meant that the Convention
must first be organized by and made
up Of delegates whose seats were in no
wise contested; that if contests were
to be heard and determened there
must be first Of all some body consti-
tuted and organized to hear them;
that no one shoaId sit in judgment
upon his own case.
Not only then was the report Of the