The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-08-08
Strife Among Reformers.

history OF the WOIiu as you pieaee,
and you will always find that poll.
teal party cannot stand intact and
all-powerful, without internal dissen-
sions arising, unless there is some
opposition party The remarkable
developments in South Carolina poll
tics in the last two days prove that
history always repeats itself. For
within these two days the entire poll
tical situation in South Carolina has
been turned wrong side out, up side
down, and indeed, great metamor
phosis has come over the land.
Rings are going by the board and
being smashed That big Reform
band wagon has proven too small to
carry the Alliancemen, as we'll as the
Reformers, and many Of those who
have always been the red hottest
Reformers are crawling down from
their seats in.the high vehicle. Just
think of Samps Pope getting down
and out Samps has evidently seen
that there are others who want to
crowd him off his end of the drivers
seat, and that the wagon is creaking
and cracking. Yes, the old wagon
has had too heavy load to carry all
along and now it has played out.
The truth is the most significant
events that have occurred in the past
four years have happened in the last
few days, and there is not Reform
politician who, today, will pretend to
define exactly "where he is at," he
simply doesn't know. and he does not
know what is going to happen at
any moment.
The political ring leaders of Re-
form evidently thought that the
Alliance was going to quietly submit
to being the tail Of the big kite 4But
the Alliancemen, before they went to
Aiken, realized that they must fight
for life Consequently, they went
there with s.6ghtu in their minds,
and they. have BY their prompt and
bold action, actually stunned many
Of the Reform leaders who are after
Office.
Now many politicians have attempt.
ed to decry the strengths Of the Alli-
ance. A careful investigation shows
that, while the Alliance has but l5,-
600 active, members, the controlling
influence is great. The Alliance is
composed of men who have influence
over their fellows in their respective
communities and there is hardly a
member that cannot control some one
else's vote. Then no political
machine can compete with the ALI
ance. Its organization is perfect and
secret, and the action much quicker
and more widespread, extending,
directly to the far backwoods' dis
tricts.
In the reports of the Alliance pro-
ceedings from Aiken, mention of the
fact that the Alliance, after passing
its own resolutions with regard to the
voting for candidates for the Legisla-
ture. proceeded, after slight discus
sion, to endorse those resolutions
adopted previously by the Marion
county Alliance along the same line.
1t is said. too, that while the Ali
auce was in session at Aiken, cen
sus was made up Of the standing of
the members as to Ellerbe and Evans
The result was that only six of those
in attendance. including officers,
delegates and all, were found to be
Evans men. Among them were the
delegates from Spartanburg, Aiken
and Laurens. The Ellerbe men are
iubilant over the Alliances action,
and regard Ellerbe's chances as much
better than they have ever been.
Now, as to the gubernatorial outlook,
it has, indeed, been very much
changed Pope's action in kicking
out of the traces came like bomb,
and shows that some of the strongest
keformers are tired OF doing just
what they are told to do. 1t is true
that Tindal and Ellerbe have filed
their pledges, but there is nothing to
keep them from Withdrawing item, if
they see fit to follow Pope's lead leav-
ing Evans and convention all to him
self
One thing is certain, any one can
look a. the action of the Alliance and
see that the Tillman Evans Wilson
combination got severely raped.
Tillman's rap was direct. and that he
felt it, he has shown by calling atten-
ton to it. The rap to the Evans and
Wilson crowd can be seen in the &C.
ton of the Alliance in bouncing Can't
and re-elee,ing Duncan. Then there
is all the dissatisfaction about the