The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-06-20

thr0eS OF travail to bring forth better
order of things, ana there are now few
who do not look forward, more or less
vaguely, to a new birth that will be c
blessing. We would not wholly change
doctors and risk miscarriage. What
ever personal repugnance We may
still have for such doctors, (aot of oul
chooslns) we feel a certain unacknow'
LEGGED, but self-asseriing faith that in
the divine Providence they are the
men for the time until better mer
have caught the proper inspiration. It
is foolish, stiff.necked pride to refuse
to recognize that grea5 popular move
mentis are due to the blind, but divine
ly guided instinct, of the masses, which
in obedience to the law cf evolution
diTec's them on truer lines than the
reason of the Wisest statesman could
have mapped out in advance. "The
people as mass, have DO understand
ing, but an unfailing instinct. J" Yet
especially after the darkly groping
stage has been passed, there is need of
the light of all the intelligence that
can be brought to bear. "lo recognize,
try and guide this ms inct is the func-
ton of a statesman" The "brain and
leadership of the minority" in our
State are like Achilles sulkiDg in bis
camp, if in this great crisis they fail to
put themselves in touch with the peo.
pie and to put forth their powers for
victory that shall bring honor to the
whole State.
If the fore going find response in the
inner consciousness of once ardent
Cleveland Democrats, once violent de-
nouncers OF the Alliance, once bitter
haters of Tillman and Tillmanism,
then it is the part of honesty and cour.
age. of patriotism and self-interest
alike to speak out and work for the
success of these ideas. If the
national administration should
yet give ground for endorse
ment we can rally to it, but the best
hops of such action by it depends on
widespread and out spoken detection
from it. At present, however, l firmly
believe that a great movement for q
new party is surely coming, that our
Conservatives find it now hard to re-
slst sympathy with 1t and cannot
much longer, and that it is now their
duty to examine themselves, to refuse
to be content with half-hearted with
me too's," to clarity their thoughts
and speedily and vigorously assume q
positive attitude. We are slaves to
Tillman if his attitude must determine
ours, If his choice precludes our max
ing the same choice.
Another thought carries force and
qualification. A emisuperstitious be-
lief often decides conviction, as does a
favorite prejudice. Of late we have
been ashamed of South Carolina-a
most unwonted and painful emotion
for South Carolinian. Meantime, in
jest, a strange analogy was pointed out
as apparent law of her history: South
Carolina goes mad every thirty years.
After the laugh there has lurked a
thought that brought twinge
Inextricable from our minds
IS the association of 1880 and 1850 with
the glorious assertion OF great princi-
pies. Could there be, hidden from our
view, a principle in the third mad"
movement? In the midst OF so much
that we shhor, can it be that our little
State is taking her stand (tn obedience
to fate. which has always assigned her
the vap) as the leader in a great strug-
gle that shall become famed in history
and extclled by men? Could it be-?
Should we have retarded it, have We no
share in winning for her her deserved
place of honor? How was it in 1880?
AS bitter differences of opinion prevail.
ed then as now, but what the majority
did was the act of the State
and, as her collective decjs-
ion, it has been euloglZad by US
from State pride, if not from intelligent
thought-1S60 was the elimination of
much the same fight, and in thirty
years the people had come to be nearly
unanimous. Yet there was still ear
nest Individual disapproval of the act
of the majority, though private opinion
Welded to the public purpose. Peace
has its duties as well as war, and this
may be time that demands of loyal
citizens concurrence in the general
purpose of the State. I admit that
these answers and this suggested
ground for concurrence are hardly to be
accepted by the mind until individual
opinion has come to degree or approV-
al of general purpose.
Let US snake ourselves together and
try to contribute to the correct solution
of the problem that is before the
country-for we no longer doubt that
there is a problem pressing for immedi-
ate solution. Let US join the great
South Carolina Movement to reform
the Uoited States government and
usher in the era OF the Twentieth
Century. y