The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-31
THE HOUSE DIVIDES!
Shell to Lead In the Campaign Against
1rby.

Shell to Lead In the Campaign Against
lrby.
When the announcement was made in
December that the campaign this year
would open early in January, great
many had doubts about it. Few outside
the "charmed circle" then knew that the
political pot within the ranks of the
Reform party was boiling over, and that
there was fight within the ranks of the
heretofore solid phalanxes of Reform,
imminent But such was the case. 1t
has been brewing for long time, and
now there is crisis.
There are to be two factions in the
Reform party in the coming campaign.
That fact is now no longer denied by the
leaders of the more powerful faction.
The indications are that Senator Irby,
the present State chairman, will lead the
faction which represents the minority,
and that he will have but little to do with
the real manipulation of the coming
campaign as far as the Reform element is
concerned. He and several followers
some months ago cut loose almost entire
ly from the main wing Of the Reformers,
and they are all likely to fall by the way
side, fighting as they fall.
Congressman Shell, it is positively
announced, was approached while in the
city few days ago by the leaders OF tho
Alliance or farming element OF the
Reform party, and he has consented to
be at the head ofthe committee that will
manage the campaign for this faction.
He was the former president Of the Far
oooniotipp in this Stata.
The Cotton Plant, which is the official
organ of the Alliance farming element OF
the Reform party, will support the latter
faction. When this weeks issue of that
paper is issued this afternoon it will pub
iish the following gdouble-leaded editorial,
under the caption, ga March Conven-
tion," which is equivalent to call for
such convention:
"With the very beginning of this year
we are confronted with the fact that this
Is campaign year and that we are soon
to meet our opponents in battle for the
peoples rights and the development OF
our State in business prosperity and the
happiness Of it's citizens. Such being the
case we at once realize the great impor-
lance of at once getting our forces
together and coming to an agreement on
the policy to be pursued so that there can
be no misunderstanding, and the success
Of our cause assured.
"The politicians must be made to take
q back seat and let the people themselves
set the pace. To do that the people
should meet in their neigh5orhood clubs
and send delegates to State Convention,
which will adopt platform and nominate
a candidate for Governor to represent our
people on that platform. A Lieutenant
Governor should also be put up, but the
L. koka 1HH ho
nominated by the delegates to the Sep
tember Convention.
stTbe State Convention for this purpose
should be held not later than the month
of March-betore the farmers get too
busy in their crops to attend to 1t, and
before bad blood rises between the friends
of the aspirants for the Governorship on
the Reform side.
"The Alliance cannot take part in
partisan politics, and therefore has only
the right to point out the necessity OF
calling the people together and leaving it
to some one else to do the work. We
believe that the last president and Exec
utive Committee Of the Farmers Asso-
citation of this State are the proper ones
to issue such call, and we are confident
that the people would respond promptly
and unanimously to call issued by
them. This is movement of the people
to reform and improve our government,
and not movement to place any man
or set Of men in Office merely. We must
keep on the high ground OF pure patri-
otism, and seek out the men for service
who will be the most capable of carrying
out our wishes. Measures and not men
must be made prominent.
"It will be noticed that we do not agree
with some points in the resolutions
passed on last Friday by our Laurens
brethren and published elsewhere in this
issue; but after mature consideration we
feel satisfied that our position is the cor
rect one. We hope that our readers will
use our columns in discussion Of the
matter, and in that way reach the most
satisfactory conclusion. We have briefly
outlined our views, with reasons there
for, and we shall use our best endeavor
to maintain the rights and privileges of
our people and promote harmony in the
work."
It will be noticed that the Alliance is to
be kept in the back ground as far as being
a political machine is concerned, but q
great deal Of good solid work has been
done by the leaders among the Alliance
men all over the State, and they will be
as a unit against the opposing faction.
Yesterday representative of the State
had quite long talk with one or two Of
the leaders of the Alliance side. They
say that the leaders of the other side will
be Irby, Stanyarne Wilson, Larry CAN'T
think that a combination was formed
nearly q year ago by Irby and his follow
ers to run things to suit themselves and
make slate Of the officers for the coming
term, which would be swallowed by
them. They say that the effort to crush
out every leading Tillman man-the
attacks upon Tindal, McLaurin and
others-was the direct result of this COM
bination engineered by Irby. They
consider Irby dead as far as State politics
are concerned. In regard to those Alli-
ance resolutions adopted in Laurens
few days ago, one of these men yesterday
said that they were gotten up under
Irby's. influence, and represented no.
body's views but his own. He was
good manipulation, and got the County
Alliance to adopt them. He did not
think that another Alliance in the State
would have done 30.
The leaders say that inasmu uch asthis
will not affect Governor Tillman's fight
for the Senate, he will be hands off in the
fight. They say that Irby has been
spreading the idea that he and Tillman
have been working together. They know
that Governor Tillman's views in regard
to convention are not those that were
expressed in the Laurens resolutions.
They think, too, that Governor Tillman
wants farmer for Governor.-Colum6ia
State.
What the Reform Leaders Have to Bay. |
Those leading men OF the Reform party
in South Carolina who happened to be in
the city yesterday morning, lay in bed |
and read Sanatnr Irhv,s ca rd To the naws-