The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-06-13

strength Tie wished that every man
in America was a Democrat He for
one would like to ask every nan to
come into the party.
MI. Robertson said that there had
been a good deal of talk about the
violation of pledges, etc. The men
of his county who voted for Weaver
did not consider that they had vic.
lated any pledge, unless it was a
moral one. The great majority of
them had not taken any pledge in the
primary.
DR.. Pope declared that the oath
throughout the State had been
administered to few voters and that
not many of those who voted for
Weaver had taken any oath in the
primary.
MI. Mellette said that the chairman
and the committee had misunderstood
his motion. He meant to exclude
only those who had taken the oath,
participated in the primary and then
voted for Weaver,
Hon. S. A. Nettles of Clarendon,
to stop the discussion and to please
the different minded committeemen,
introduced the following resolution,
which was accepted By Mr. Derham
in place of his own resolution:
"Resolved, That no white mar
shall be excluded from participating
in the Democratic primaries who shall
take the oath required by the Demo-
cratic party"
Speaking to this resolution G. A..
Douglass, of Richland, made the
longest speech of the session and one
of the most eloquent. He said he
was glad that Mr.. Nettles had intro
duced the resolution. 1t was along
the the line Of liberality and kindness
and would tend to increase the
membership Of the party. He de-
clared, however, that he could not
remain silent after all the unkind re-
marks which had been made about
Democrats. He said that the
Haskellite movement may have been
inexpedient, and he had condemned
it at the time, but to say that Judge
Haskell was not a Democrat was to
c%ontrovert history. lie asserted that
Haskell was a Democratic and had
always been one. In the heat of
political discussion lei might say he
was not a Democrat, but in the quiet
of the home circle there came a
change in that feeling and all must
recognize him as a Democrat. In
1890. Mr.. Douglass said, there had
been no pledge in the primary. The
men who voted for Haskell had taken
no pledge and had violated no oath
and it was their right to vote in 1892
without the s~action oftlle Democratic
executive committee. He said that
he would be untrue to himself and to
his convictions if he stood by and did
not draw a distinction between the
men who voted for Weaver and those
who voted for Haskell He asserted
that there was vast difference, and all
his words intimated that the Weaver
! ties were the worst of the two.
Mr.. Douglass was interrupted by
members of the committee who asked
him what about the Haskellities who
had voted for Ensor for Congress and il
Haskell himselfhad not voted for Ensor.
Mr.. Douglass said that he did not
know what Haskell had done, but as
for himself, be hoped that his right
arm would lose its cunning when he
voted for a Republican over a Demo.
crat.
Mr.. Douglass concluded with a
patriotic appeal for peace and lauda'
tory and pretty remarks about the
farmers. He wanted to see the PEG.
pie happy and wanted to see Mr..
Nettles's resolution carried.
DR.. Pope spoke Of the panegyrlc
of Mr.. Douglass aud of his %insinua'
tions against the Weaverites. Then
DR.. Pope declared that there was a
take behind the action of the com.
mittee two years ago in allowing
Haskellites to return to the party.
1t was to keep from disrupting the
party and to bring about harmony.
White men we're at work registering
negroes. He declared that if any
one would show him a Weaverite who
had tried to vote negroes he would
be in favor Of turning him out OF
the party. The Haskellites had vot-
ed negroes against white men, but
no Weaverite had done so, loud
applause
After this the question was quickly
settled. Mr.. Mellett's resolution was
set down on by almost a unanimous
vote and Mr.. Nettles' substitute Yves
carried. The Weaverites and the
Haskellites and all kinds of cites will
ha allowed 70 vote in the next pri.