The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-01-14
DEMOCRATS ALL.

Ihe Executive committee OF the State
Democracy, Of which J. L. NJ. Irhy is
Chairman, met in Columbia on Tuesday
night ef last week.
The complexion Of this Committee is
strongly reform and there has been
some speculation as to what action the
body would adopt in reference to the
"break" made by the "strayed OUTS"
who, it will be remembered, voted for
Judge Haskell year before last in prefer
ence to Capt. Tillman.
The first hours Of the meeting were
uneventful, but when the time came to
determine tho party standing of the
Judge Haskell party there occurred con-
siderable speech-making, exhibiting va
rious sentiments and feelings, as recon-
ciliatory and dunsriendly, harmonious and
bitter.
Resolutions thatall "white Democrat"
might be received into the Democratic
fold, who would take an oath that "he is
Democrat and will support the nomi-
nees of the Democratic party" and "re-
quiring all candidates to abide by the
Democratic primaries" were passed, with
the following amendment:
'It is the sense of this Committee that
mocracy no Democrat shall be excluded
from participation in said primary be-
cause of differences during the last cleo
tion."
The resolutions and amendment are
said to have been dictated by Chairman
Irby. The amendment seems to have
been the point on which greatest opposi-
tion arose, Col. John c. Haskell declar-
ing that s'it simply means, when boiled
down, that these men ["straight-outs"l
are not to be punished for their wrong
doings, If there were any such"
The action Of the Committee In .e-
quiring the taking of the oath above was
not unreasonable. We confess we do not
fancy the idea of having test oath forced
on man before he. can become Demo-
crat, for the very foundation Of freedom
lies in mans untrammeled right to
vote or not to vote as he pleases or as
conscience dictates, and we are not sur
prised that when this right is interfered
with there should develop opposition to
it. However, the majority of the Com
mittee were supporters of Tillman, whom
they believed, we suppose, was the regu-
lar Democratic nominee. They thought
Judge Haskell and his supporters were
boilers from the regular ticket, and
hence to provide against such action in
the future they have prescribed the oath
above. The chances are the Haskellites
would have acted as did the Tillmanites
under like conditions.
The unwisdom OF requiring this oath
will be apparent in year or two, and
before long the Executive Committee
will revoke that clause. 1t is important
now that the white people of the State
get together again and stay together.
The Greenville Nesos is not "quixotic"
when it warns of the dangers of split
among the whites and consequent negro
supremacy. Under system of Demo-
cratic primaries that will prevail for the
coming election it need rot be dangerous
nor humiliating for all white Democrats
to take tho oath as prescribed, which
must be taken by Tihmanites as well as
by Haskellites.
The action of the Committee was wise
in their opinion, no doubt, and it is the
part of wisdom that all white men who
desire to prevent split in the Demo-
cratic party submit to the actio1 Of the
Committee. Within the party let all
fights be made and all differences settled,
and let us remain united people in %
"solid South"