The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-26

sential differences in the new constitu
ton are the abandonment of the Sep
tember Convention for the nomination
of candidates and a direct State pri
mary for all offices.
WHITE DEMOCRATS ONLY SHoULI
VOTE.
Mr. Hill, of Abbeville, raised the
first objection to the constitution as
presented, and said that be thought il
best to restrict the primaries to only
such as could vote in the general elec
tions, and that be did not believe in
having men who were in the State fol
y few years to vote in primary which
was virtually an election, and moved
as an amendment that voting in the
primaries be restricted to white Dem
oerats, who shall be entitled to vote
according. to the laws of the State al
the next succeeding general election.
A motion was made to table this, aao
in the confusion some one was asked tC
explain the matter and the features Of
the new constitution, whereupon Mr.
George Evans, on behalf of the com
mittee, said that the only material
changes were~in doing away with the
September Convention, as it was un'
necessary, as the com mittee had de-
cided to advise that hereafter the
Democratic party have direct pri
mary. fApplause.
Mr.. EVANS ASA RING SMASHER.
1t was, he said, thought that there
would be objection to this provision as
it may be thought that it placed the
lower tier of counties at disadvan-
tage. He was glad to report that there
were only two dissenting voices in the
committee to this provision, and he
hoped and thought that this direct pri-
mary system would stop the division
among the people of the State. There
could no longer be any charge Of rings
and cliques when the officers were di-
rectly elected by the Democratic voters
of South Carolina. The matter, he said,
had been made so plain that anyone
could understand it..
There were to be no more nominal
ing conventions or any accusation OF
trading and swapping. The machinery
had been done away with, but in most
other respects the constitution remain
ed the same as heretofore and he
thought it would be acceptable to the
white people of the State.
Mr.. Hill, at the conclusion of Mr..
Evans general statement insisted on
his motion that only those qualified to
vote be entitled to participate in the
primary. He kept it up like little
man and finally won his point. Mr..
MCGOWAN, of Florence, explained that
the trouble with the committee was it
realized that many good Democrats
were disfranchised from voting from
their failure to get registration tickets,
and that it would be Unfair to force
these men out of 8 primary.
DR.. Ogier Lowman, of Urapgeburg,
had the happy solution of the problem
by suggesting that the amendment
read: All white Democratic voters who
have been residents of the State twelve
months and of the county sixty days
preceding the next general election.
Mr.. Buist thought this unfair and
wanted the motion tabled, but lost, so,
after all, Mr.. Hill had his way.
Then came another little poiHt from
Mr.. Louis Applet, of Clarendon. he
wanted to know how the clubs and
counties would be represented, and be,
together with Mr.. Klugh, of Abbeville,
had it so fixed that any county COM
mittee may permit the organization of
any club or clubs it may see fit.
After this went through Mr.. Appelt
wanted the representation based on
club lists and not oD poll lists, as all on
the rolls may not have voted, and be
said that one of his ideas was to let
those who did not vote this year or
could not get into a club two years
hence organize clubs. He, too, bad an
uphill road trying to show what be
meant, especially as the Convention
was not disposed to tamper with the
constitution as reported.
Mr.. Behre asked what was to be rep
resentation in any county convention
of clubs of less than twenty-five mem
bers. Chairman Efird replied that ii
was not a question for him to decide
A delegate from Sumter remarked that
there would be great dissatisfaction if
no provision were made for clubs of less
than twenty-five members, but the
Convention was looking ahead foI
some bigger fray, and 80 upon the cry
for the question the constitution as
recommended, with the few amend.
ments noted, was adopted without
murmur of objection or disapproval
So much for what was said month
q o on the stump about the inequality
of a direct primary and what was 81
easily done at the Convention to day.
CHARLEsToN's FIGHT FOR PURE DEMO.
CEACY.
The Charleston delegation had to
make single-hauded the fight for what
it conceived to be true and honest De.
mocracy. The delegation had hope.
less fight, but under the exceedingly
demoralizing effect of pre-arranged
verdict cid the best it could. Charles.
ton emphati ally and unequivocally
placed herself, as we'll as those in sym.
pathy with her views. on record against
the fallacious doctrines Of Ocalaism
She stood up boldly and manfully fol
true Democracy, and although van.
quished and taunted Charleston's vote
went on the record.
Mr.. w. St. Julien Jervey led the
fight, and was ably seconded by Mr..
w. Huger Fitzsimons. The opposition
did not care for argement, but they felt
it the duty they owed the people of the
State to warn the Convention of its
dangers. When the platform came ur
Mr.. Fitzsimons had the following mi
nority report read:
Resolved, That We, as representatives
of the Democratic party of the State Of
South Carolina, do hereby renew and
declare our answering allegiance tc
the principles of Democracy as set forth
in the platform adopted at Chicago by
the National Democratic Convention o1
1892.
2. That it is the sense of this Conven.
ton that no one is Democrat and
entitled to represent US as Democrats
who is not in full accord with the prin'
ciples and platform of the National
Democracy, nor one who advocates the
principles of the Populist party or seeks
to force the demands Of the Ocala plat
form upon Democrats as the test oi
political principles or action.
8. That we condemn as uudemocra'
tic and subvertive of the principles Of
ha ,,letf farm o6nnto1 anS