The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-19
THE FIGHT AGAINST THE RING. :.
Senator Butler Explains Why he Went
into the Canvass-Rescued from the
Hands OF the Despoiiers.
From the News and Courier. I

From the News and Courier.
do not like to burden your columns
or your readers with overmuch writing
but the following from your editorial
OF 9th instant moves me to trouble you
with few observations:
''This is we'll said and we know thai
Senator Buffers friends and supporters
throughout the State will approve Of
his obliteration of self in the work
that lies before the Democrats of South
Carolina. Their chief regret, as it is
ours, will be that Senator B1tler did
not sooner awake to the necessity fol
the thorough organization of the Dem
oeratic party in the State, and that SO
much time has been wasted in a vain
attempt to run the Democratic party
on Populist principles.
ut appears to US that the Irby Ma
chine ls no more undemocratic now
than it was when Senator Butler filed
his conditional pledge with Secretary
Tompkins last June, that the Ring
was just as round during the whole Of
the recent cam paign as it is now, and
that the REFORM party was as undem.
ocratic and corrupt before as it is
after the primary election. It was out
of the utmost loyalty to Senator But
Ter that his friends In the State held
their peace and offered no obstacle to
his plan of campaign. They felt all
along that the struggle was hopeless,
conducted as it was in the camp of the
enemy, and they awaited the result
without doubt as to how the campaign
would eventuate.
"There are some of US in South Caro-
lima who have been very close watch
ers of the political situation and who
opposed as best they coald the drift of
Populism, but they did not have the
support that was requisite to make
their opposition effective. They did
not receive Senator Buffers active sup.
port, although they felt assured that
he was with them in spirit. And since
Senator Butler has enlisted in the ranks
they feel that 1t is entirely proper fol
them to say in the modest and un-
obtrusive way that the question now
confronting the Democrats of the State
is not question of principle, but a
question ofexpediency." ..
To begin with was informed on my
then recent return from Washington
that the Democratic Executive Com.
mittee had passed resolution requir.
| ing all candidates to announce their
candidacy before the canvass opened
IS I now remember, by or before the
18th of June. I accordingly addressed
note to the secretary, Nj. Tompkins,
simply complying, as supposed, with
the requirement Of the committee. It
turned out afterwards that no such
resolution was passed. accompanied
this announcement, as you may Femem.
Der, with request for separate box
in which the Democratic voters could
express their preferences for United
States Senator in direct primary and
pledged myself to abide the result OF
that primary. The committee not only
did not grant my request, bat did not
deigp to take notice Of it further than
| an acknowledgment of its receipt.
The idea of q separate box" was
suggested in this wise. When spoke
at Edgefeld on the first Mond y in
February number of gentlemen ap-
preached me after the speaking and
ssid if I could get a direct vote in a
separate box I would beat Governor
Tilliman 8 to l in Edgefeld County;
that they wanted to vote for me, but
"did not want to 60 back on the Move.
ment." After I made the demand on
the stump numbers of persons made
similar remarks to me, men who I fell
could have nothing against me per.
sonally or politically. My personal
| friends and war comrades somehow OF
other it got iEto their heads that tc
elect Legislature, to return me to the
Senate, would be ''going back on the
Movement They were, however
anxious to express their personal pre-.
ference il this separate box. If the
box had been allowed, or some good
reason given why it should not be, ]
would have been perfectly content te
have abided by it, The Ring leaders
had prsted SO much about having
inaugurated the primaries and paraded
the great credit they deserved for it, ]
determined to put them to the test
especially as it was a perfectly, fail
proposition, and had been adopted in
the election Of 1892. Now the an
nouncement of my candidacy was in nc
sense "pledge." The other fell with
the refusal of the committee to allow q
separate box.
Invent into the canvass because the
rules required it. For four years prior
to this ! had been Systematically, and
I now believe designedly, excluded
from the canvass to keep me away from
the people, and then say, as was said
on the stump thissummer, II had lost
touch with the people," They did not
CALCULATE that I would or could make
such canvass, crowded as this one
was, in SC short space Of tine, but ]
made up my mind to 60 through with
it if I had to be carried on litter. You
surely would not have had me fold my
arms and GLOW such heresies as were
advanced 60 to the people unchalienged:
I went before the people, and came out
of the trying canvass stronger physi'
cally and otherwise than when ] en-
tered it. uncovered the Ring and its
methods. / exposed loose, if not cor.
rupt, practices of the administration OF
the dispensary, and the funding of the
State debt, and the charges have never
been satisfactorily answered. I did this
single-hsnded and alone, and at the
same time threw confusion into the
ranks of the Ring. Of course there
were unpleasant occurrences which ]
would like to have avoided, but when
you meet a high wayDan, who threa'
tens your life or your pocket, you can
not afford to expend much polite ness
on him, but must take him by the
throat to check and thwart his audaci-
ty.
The sensational reports Of the meet
ings we're misleading. With few ex-
ceptions the canvass was as orderly and
quiet as any I ever engaged in. The
tremendous applause" which some ol
the speakers are said to have received
was for the most part manufactured
appointed and well posted claequers die
most of it. This was transparent tc
every body on the stand. The great
body of the crowds was undemonstra.
tive, but appeared anxious to listen, and
did most respectfully, except when pre-
vented by clacquers of the Ring can
didates. Of course you know all about