The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-09-06
SENATOR M. C. BUTLER
WITHDRAWS HIS PLEDGE TO ABIDE
BY THE PRIMARY ELECTION.


State LrsisIaturo arc TO be Fought For
I'm tho G snersl Election In November.
Tho Negro to Como In.
COLUMBIA, S. G., Aug. 28.-SenatOr
Butler has withdrawn his chances for
,he Senate from before the Democratic
primaries and he and his friends are
going to make the fight in the Novem.
Der election. That was the startling
and unexpected news recei ved in Co
lumbia yesterday and 1t will furnish a
sensation throughout South Carolina.
Many people will find 1t hard to believe,
put 1t Is cold fact; q fact which means
serious times for this turbulent little
State and her people; a fact which an.
pears to mean an appeal to the negroes:
fact which means blOodshed when
the negro again tries to loom up as the
balance of power.
The die Is cast and with it is cast the
political fortune Of the man who fought
the negro harder than any other man
IN 1915. Not only is the fortune Of
General Butler at stake, but the for.
tunes and lives OF hundreds of others
are involved.
General Buffers determination was
announced In the following brief tele.
gram to d. IL. Tompkins, Secretary of
the State Democratic Executive Com.
mlttee, and came yesterday about
noon:
Washington, d. c., Aug. 81.
III hereby withdraw the paper / filed
with you on the 10th or 18th of June,
announcing my candidacy.
49,, IN. 8. BUTLER"
when the newspapers first got hold
OF General Buffers brief telegram yes
terday they were In doubt. 1t was sub
JecC to two cOnstructiOns-one that
Senator Butler had withdrawn from
the Senatorial race altogether and the
other that he would no longer submit
his claims to the primaries. So that
there would be no doubt on the matter
the city editor Of The Register at once
telegraphed General Butler for an OK
nlanation Of his telegram to Colonel
Iompklns. The following answer was
received:
"Washington, ID. c., Aug. 81, 1884.
"To w. w. Price, Correspondent Co.
lumbia Register:
"lteply1ng to your telegraphic inquiry
just received, l beg to say in withdraw
ing the paper l filed with TOmpkins.
secretary OF the Democratic Executive
Commlttee, announcing my candidacy,
L am following In the footsteps Of dis
tinguished Reformers who are unwill.
Ing to submit their claims to primary,
where everything from coroner up has
been cut, dried, packed and salted down
by the ring; where the result Is slated
and known by the ring before a vote
has been put in the ballot box.
I'M. g. BUTLER"
A copy Of the Tompkins telegram
was shown before General Buffers an.
swer was received, to Captain John G,
Capers, who was supposed to know lust
what 1T meant, and in reply he said:
"The telegram must speak for itself.
Certain 1T Is, however, that 1t places
General Butler entirely independent of
the actlon OF the primary on the 28.h.
You Will knoWa great deal before ten
days elapse, and you can rest assured
that Senator Butler is still a most act.
I've factor in State and national poll
Tics. The news of Senator Buffers first
telegram flew over the city rapidly and
was talked of on every corner and In
every business place. 1t caused hun
dreds or comments and will cause hun
dreds more. The bitter element Of the
Conservatives rejoiced over it but it
produced no Joy among that class of
men who believe in standing by the
democratic party, no matter what its
woes or its tribulations.
The alleged cause for Senator But.
lers action appears to be the failure of
the State Democratic Executive Com.
mittee to grant the separate box which
Senator Butler asked for. General
Butler's action, even with this, is
strange in view of the fact that in his
campaign speeches he made elo quent
for white unity and suprema-
cy, at times urging this with tears In
Nhnrp q 0lyuo of Iii
peculiar, something apparently hidden,
which appeared to convey
warning IN these appeals and this was
Captain Capers, in his remarks, init
mates that the public will know a few
things In the next ten days. The Till.
mantle leaders believe that they know
the plans of the Batter mon without
waiting ten days for them and sum
them up like this:
In six counties-Si Sichland, Charles
ton, Georgetown, Sumter, Beaufort aud
Edgelield-the Butler men have legis.
latiVe tickets In the field in tho Demo.
cratic primary. They believe they can
win In the primary in these counties
and are Democrats, excepting that If
they win tho Reformers will have to
vote for thier nominees III the regular
election. 1t the thirty remaining coun.
ties there are no Butler candidates in
the field before the primaries. 1t will
be in these counties that the Butler men
will put Independent candidates for
the Legislature. With the members Of
the Legislature from the six counties
that are to stay Democratic and with
what few they hope to elect in indepen-
dent cOunties-thore Is the politicN
jack O. lantern which the Butler men
are following.
The next hope of the Butler men ia
that If they do not succeed in electing
q majority Of the Legislature theywllI
find some ground for contest In the
United Statas Senate, using the pretext
of fraud, etc as a basis for the contest :.
They presume that Buffers popularity
In the Senate and the hatred for Till
man will lead many Senator to vote
against Tillman. 1t Is game In which
two desperate chances are being taken
by desperate mon, but 1t Is u game
which will be blocked. Tilimanite
leaders say that Senator Butler obtained
his seat in the Senate by a contest and
that Is what suggested the plan to him
and his friends this time.-Register.