Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-02-13
Is There Democratic Unrest ,

aS Ihc Iiihc dpbIoicieS loI ulSCuSS-
ing the issues involved in the coming
. State canvass, \ it is moro ap-
parent than ever that there is wide.
spread Democratic unrest and dis
satisfaction all over the State on one
single point" &c. The "singlc point
is," says the writer, 'that the cleo
ton of 1876, which redeemed the
State from the Republican party
rule has been seized upon by very
small but shrewed set Of political
leaders who have MIXED the South
Carolina political COW ever since, for
themselves, their friends and next of
kin" This is a pretty strong charge,
and whether it can be fully sustained
or not, it must he admitted that
there has been since the redemption
of the State in 1876 good deal of
"bosssm," or ring management, in
making "slatcs" which were carried
out and consummatcd at nominating
Conventions; for il is well known
fac, that since 1876 a nomination
at Democratic Convention has been
equivalent to an election. Under the
peculiar circumstances in which they
were placed, the white people of the
State, the Democracy of the State,
for their own interest and the inter
est of the Statc-for scif-prcsrrya-
ton, III other words-fclt constrained
to ratify the action of nominating
Conventions. Hence, it was only
necessary for the wire manipulators
to fix up a "good ticket" for the
Conventions ticket composed of
competent, available mcn-and it
was put through viii, little or no
difficulty; and once nopinalcd by
the Convcntiop, "a lilicafiion and clcc-
ton byhc people was assured.
.sSsssGh6s the political wheel has been
>,Tcvolving in South Carolina ior the
past twelve years. AS Il rule The
officers selected have been efficient.
honest and upright, and the admin
istration of the affairs of the State
has been clean. 1t is not to the men
placed in The several State Offices to
which objection can be made, but to
the methods adopted, the faction
that placed them there, or made
their election not only possible but n
certainty.
What is che remedy? 1t lies in
the power, in the will of the people.
And who constitute the people? 1t
is scarcely necessary to say that the
agricultural class, the white farmers,
compose about eighty per cent. of
the voting strength, the Democracy,
OF the State and il has frequently
been thrown in their teeth that if
conventions are mani nipulatcd by
cliqucs and rings, or if the Lcgis-
laturc is responsible for Objectionable
legislation, it is the fault of the
farmers; that they had the power
and opportunity to have matters
different. Are these allegations
true? Have the farmers heretofore
taken the interest in political matters
that they should have done, especially
III the matter of selecting Stat
officers? If not, why not? The
allegation that the farmers have
neglected to take the necessary in
tcrcst in political matters that they
should have done may, and we think
does, apply correctly TO some sections
OF the State, but it is not generally
applicable. This inactivity, how
ever, has not been the trouble. The
real trouble has been, or too fire.
qucntly been, that when the farmers
selected their delegates to nomina-
ting Conventions, while they chose
good, true men, they generally sent
men inexperienced in political meth
ods, who were bound to come in con
tact with wcll-skillcd, experienced
politicians. And SO it will always
be, to some extent at least, while the
system of nominating State officers
by Conventions exists. Hence, we
favor primaries for the nominating
OF every officer, from Governor down.
The primary system has its OBJ
jcctions, too, it may be said. This
we grant, but it has fewer than the
present plan; and in our Judgment
there will always be more or less
"Dcmocratic unrest as long rs the
the present Convention system of
nominating state officers obtains. III
we would have harmony in the party,
then, change from the present sys-
TEN to that Of the primary should
be adopted. This is one Of the
needed reforms. Let the people say
who their State officers shall be.
When the people can go to the polls
and vote for the man or men OF their