Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-13
A UNIQUE CONDITION OF THINGS.
The Split Among South Carolina Democrats
May Endanger the State.

May Endanger the State.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
CHARLESTON, S. c., August II, 1892.
While it is true that the third party is not
actively in the field in this state and while it is
also true that the democratic electors will re-
ceive majority Of the votes in this state in
November next it is not at all certain that the
electoral vote Of the state will be given to
Cleveland and Stevenson. As has been said
heretofore in this correspondence the political
situation in South Carolina is unique. The
split in the democratic ranks does not ostensi-
bly, extend to national politics, bpt the conserv-
alive democrats, who are making the fight
against the farmers movement, are very
seriously alarmed at the outlook for the Cleve-
land ticket should the farmers movement
win In the primary election to be held on the
3Oth OF August. The state convention, which
will be elected then, will nominate state officers
and presidential electors. Should the "Till-
man" element control that convention the con-
servatives fear that the men who will be placed
on the electoral ticket will be third party men
and they point to the utterances Of Gov TILL
man, in speech delivered on Saturday last,
Tor confirmation Of their fears. In that speech
the governor is reported as saving: "Why then
should we vote for Cleveland? Because the
third party cannot possibly accomplish any
thing this year and any vote that We cast for it
Is a vote cast for Harrison or tends to carry
the election in the House Of Representatives
where Cleveland will be elected. So, il we
want to save our self-respect and our votes We
must vote for Cleveland
This utterance, taken in connection with the
declaration of the farmers movement Estate
democratic) convention, which elected dele
gates to the Chicago convention, is considered
by the conservative democracy as indicating
ill
hesitate to stab the national democracy il it
can do SO under the guise of democracy That
convention declared that 1--WE shall look upon
the nomination of eX-President Cleveland as q
prostitution of the principles Of democracy,
as a reputation of the demands of the Farm
ers' Alliance and surrender Of the rights of
the people to the financial kings of the coun-
try"
Under these circumstances the conservatives
fear that any electoral ticket which may be put
out by the farmers movement as the democratic
ticket is not to be trusted. singular feature of
the campaign in the state thus far is the entire
silence on the part Of the farmers movement
candidates and speakers on the subject Of ma
tional politics. The Cleveland vote in the
state land by Cleveland vote is meant those
voters who are honestly and enthusiastically de-
voted TO the national democratic ticket is con-
fined almost exclusively to the cities and towns.
The farmers represent n per cent Of the
population. and the value of real estate is IS
per acre. while the product Of labor is only
Sl60 per capita. This will explain the situation
to some extent The campaign so far as state
politics is concerned is becoming hotter as il
approaches the end. The policy Of the Tillman
state administration and the animus Of its sup
porters in the campaign have been directed
against what is called corporations, the banks,
factories and the railroads coming in for very
considerable share of vituperation. The assess
ments on banking capital and railroad property
have been SO arbitrarily raised by the admins
tration that the corporations were driven into
the courts, and the state has become involved
in an apparently endless series Of litigations
All this adds fuel to the flames, and hence it ID
that the palmetto state is in a political turmoil
with its white voters divided among themselves.
So great is the intensity Of feeling that at a
meeting held today in one Of the upper counties
Z. b. Murray, conservative speaker, was
mobbed by a crowd of Tillmanites while on his
way to attend q conservative meeting.
In all this turmoil between the whites the In
telligent Afro-American voter is preserving his
equilibrium. He has no hand nor voice in the
primary election which takes place on August
80, but it is not improbable that he is vet des.
tined to play an important part In the solution
Of the political and industrial puzzles which
the farmers movement has projected into the
body polite in South Carolina. The recent
election in Alabama, in which, it is said the
negroes played an important part, is looked
upon here as significant. There will be heart.
burnings and hatred whichever way the demo-
cratic primary on the S0th goes. and although
the split may possibly be avoided this year II
will come two years hence as surely e. the
average South Carolina farmer will continue
TO raise cotton credit al long as he can get /,
and despite the fact that he buys his corn from
Kansas and his bacon from Chicago.