The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-08-09
4 Year Hence.
From, the Columbia State.


A year ahead is rather far to look in
times like these, when the developments
of day may give an unexpected turn to
the political kaleidos cope and present
new figures to the view, but there are
some probabilities of next years cam
paign which are already so strong that
they may be regarded as practical certain
ties. It is well to state them now, in or
der that public opinion may have time to
shape itself to an acceptance of condit lions
which will be forced by the logic OF cir
cumstance.
There will be no Conservative or anti
Tillman nomination for Governor or
State officers in 1894, even if Governor
Tillman shall offer himself for third
term, against the unwritten laws of the
State and the Federation. Experience
has proved that external opposition is
what the Administration Ring relies up
on to rally its hoodwinked thousands to
its support, to raise the cry that the
"Movement'' is in peril, and to solidify
against any real reform thoBe who have
been running after sham reform. It is
possible that If left to q calra considera-
ton of the situation in the State, unterri-
fed by the spectre of Reimbursement"
the masses of the "ReformeEs' may be
enabled to think for themselves and de-
terpine how best to secure what they
really desire. Ifthey shall reach deter
mination creditable to their intelligence
and restorative to the State, the opponents
of the humbuggery which is called I'LL.
manism will be gratitied, for the sake OF
the commonwealth they shall not, the
conditions which will have been borne
four years can be borne, without a great
access of philosophy, for two years long
or. At any rate, the responsibility tor
the State government will be placed fiat
ly upon the "Reformers," and they will
have no plea of outside opposition to e1-
cuse their acts.
The contest next year, in our opinion,
will be upon the dispensary law end for
the control of the Legislature. It will be
one in which former factional lines will
be broken. There will be some Conserv.
atives who will approve the law and
some Tillmanites who will oppose it.
The objective point of each faction will
be supremacy in the Legislature--the one
in order to repeal or modify the law, and
the other to sustain and fortdfy 1t. The
senatorial contest will be subsidiary to
this. Nearly all the supporters of Butler
the supporters of Tillman will be pro-
dispensary men. But the main issue will
be the dispensary.
To those who doubt the making Of this
issue as the chief one in our politics next
year, we say, Wait and see? No force or
power, granted or usurped, will settle
this dispensary question without an ap-
peal to the polls. The people have never
been allowed to pass upon 1t, and they
will insist upon their right to do &c. The
opposition to tho law to-day is but pale
foreshadowing of the oppo3ition next
wear. By that time the courts will have
spoken, the prohibitionists will have been
undeceived, the blind tigers will have
prowled freely and Espionage and force
will have made odious this uIl-American
system.
There remains, to our mind, but one
complication which may modify the In
dicated lines Of contest, and that is the
possible attitude Of the Alliaice toward
the Democratic party. That the order Is
now under control Of Populist sentiment,
the recent election Of officers hy the State
Alliance, and the resolutions 1t adopted
clearly demonstrate. It has been pro,
repudiate certain demands Of the national
Democratic party or be ineligible to the
support Of tile Alliance for Democratic"
nominations they musS hold GER
tain demands Of the Populist party above
the authority of the Democratic councils
or be cast aside by the Alliance. The ex-
tent to which candidates for office may
regard these orders and this menace will
affect the result. But there IL limit to
the endurance Of even the crushed and
oyerriden Democrats of South Carolina,
and that limit may be passed when 1t is
ordained that no man shall be nominated
and elected to Congress who aotually is
Democrat. Should this issue be forced
upon as next year in Congressional elec-
tions the real Democrats Of ths State, we
do not doubt, will take the advice Of the
National Democratic Administration and
the leaders of the party in ether States
and act in accordance with 1t. If the in
tegrity of the party, the maintenance OF
its good faith and the performance of its
pledges require that the main issue OF the
campaign be Democracy against Popu-
lism, it will be so made. But we hope
that no necessity for the preservation Of
the party may obscure the State issues
which promise 30 interesting campaign.
The fermentation Of intrinsic ideas In the
"Reform" intelligence is something we
could greatly enjoy Witnessing.
The State has done q good d3al OF hard
fighting In its short life, and has earned a
rest and it would really appreciate tho
luxury of spending next summer leziiy
in non. partisan hammock swung very
HIGH above the field of carnage.