The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-22
CONDITIONAL DEMOCRATS.
THE POLITICAL CONDITION OF THE
COUNTRY.
Colonel w. =. Calhoun Writes n Let
ter In which he Discusses Politics.
Abbeville, S. c., July l3, 1891.


Abbeville, S. c., July l3, 1891.
Editor Press and Banner:
have been watching political events
in the State for some time with a great
deal of interest, and, at the same time
with grave apprehensions of the result
Of the measures being advocated by cer-
tain men who seem willing to destroy
the democratic government of our State
in order to advance their personal inter
ests.
They may say what they please to the
contrary, but every step taken by Messrs.
Talbert, Stokes, Terrell g. Company is to
prepare our people for bolt from the
democratic party, if they think they can
gain a sufficient number of followers to
reasonably insure success. There are,
in my opinion, only two things that will
prevent this bolt. The first is this IF
the men referred to can secure their poll
tical advancement by means of the alli-
may be we'll. Tho other and, perhaps,
the most powerful reason to prevent the
bolt, will be their failure to control a
sufficient number of the Alliancmen OF
the State to follow them to insure success.
This is not only my individual opin-
ion, but that of great many of our peo-
pie, including farmers, Alliancemen,
merchants, lawyers and men of all pro-
LESSONS.
a very prominent allianceman in this
county said to me that ho "smelt third
party in the air." and "that In his Opin-
ion it was time for democrats to go to
work, if they proposed to hold the party
together"
There arc mutterings in this section
against the doings of the men referred to
kGnt
is heard, that crowd had better heed at
once. The opinion is freely expressed
that the democracy of South Carolina
should be at once organized to do battle
against the third party demon, and to
make the men now suspected Of ten
dency to third partyism declare them
selves in such Il manner as to leave no
doubt as to where they stand. No doubt
many of them would declare in words
that they are democrats, but that declara-
ton should not be accepted as sufficient
proof. Let their actions and conduct, OF
some other test to be hereafter dcLernin-
ed on be the test.
To delay in this matter while the enc
my is in the field actively fighting demo
cracy and our constitutional government,
is suicidal to the cause of democracy.
We should not keep idle and inactiye till
it is too late to act.
Immediately action on the part of the
democracy is absolutely necessary 10 put
stop to the third party movement. Il
State Chairman Irby refuses to aid us III
organizing the democracy, there are other
methods of organizing for which We
have sufficient precedent and if we, in
this emergency, follow the precedent, we
cannot be blamed nor criticised for so do.
ing.
Alliancemen who openly say that il
they can get their demands within the
democratic party, that they will remain
in the party ; and that if they cannot dc
80, that thsy will seek them in another
way, cannot call themselves democrats
They arc merely conditional democrats
upon whom we cannot depend. We dc
not want such men in the party, and
they ought not to remain members o
our democratic organization. BY this
call for the organization of the party al
this early date, it is meant to weed out al
such from our ranks and to give them
tho privilege of seeking their political adj
vanccment outside Of the democratic
party, as we cannot afford to support and
advance such men.
do not think that the farmers of the
state will quit the democratic party. II
is tho only safe anchor that they have in
politics but an effort should be made to
stem tho tide that now threatens the
democratic party. Give each man tho
the chance to say where he stands; and
whenever Il man presents himself, claim
ing that he is democrat on certain con-
dltIOns or on any conditions, strike his
name from the roll, because such i man
cannot be a democrat.
| make this motion for Abbeville
county. Now let all the counties that
second it, speak out.
VIM. Patrick Calhoun.