The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-16
FOR A MARCH CONVENTION.
The Organ OF the Farmers Alliance
Strongly Opposes Delay In Nomina-

ficial organ of the State Farmers Alli-
ance, announces its opposition to the
plan suggested by the Laurens County
Alliance for nominating convention
in July, and expresses itself as follows:
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 its
citizens. Such being the case we at
once realize tho great Importance of
ut 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 Il back seat and let the people
themselves set the pace. To do that
tho people should meet in their neigh
borhood clubs and send delegates to q
State convention, which will adopt a
platform and nominate a candidate for
Governor to represent our people on
that platform. A Lieutenant Governor
should also be put up, but the remain
der of the State officers can be nomi-
mated by the delegates to the Septem-
ber convention.
THE State convention for this pur-
pose should be held not later than the
month of March-beforc the farmers
get too busy in their crops to attend to
it, 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 neces-
sity of calling the people together and
leaving 1T to some one else to do the
work. We believe that the last presi-
dent and executive committee of the
Farmers Association of this State are
the proper ones to issue such u call,
and we are confident that the people
would respond promptly and unani-
mously to call issued by them. This
is movement of the people to reform
and Improve our government, and not q
movement to place any man or set of
men in Office merely We must keep
on the high ground of pure patriotism.
and seek out the men for service who
will be most capable of carrying out
our wishes. Measures and not men
must be made prominent
1T will be noticed that we do not
agree with some points in the resolu-
oloiiS pdSSCu Ol ldSG rflQ8V DY our
Laurens brethren and published else
where in this issue but after mature
consideration we feel satisfied that our
position is the correct one. We hope
that our readers will use our columns
III discussion of the matter, and in
that way reach the most satisfactory
conclusion, We have briefly outlined
our views, with reasons therefor, and
we shall use our best endeavor to main
tain the rights and privileges of our
people and promote harmony in the
work.
THE convention should be called in
March to adopt Il platform and nomi-
nate a candidate for Governor on that
men who can be depended on to carry
it with perfect justice and fairness to
all concerned"
Commenting upon the political situa-
tion as revealed by the differences ex-
listing between the leaders of the Re-
form faction, the Columbia State
makes the following observations,
which are given for what they are
worth
When the announcement was made
in December that the campaign this
year would open early in January. q
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 brew
ing for u long time, and now there is
crisis. a
s. 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 fac
tion. The indications are that Sena-
tor lrby. the present State chairman,
will lead the faction which represents
the minority, and that he will have
but little to do with the real manipula-
tion of the coming campaign as far as
the Reform element is concerned. He
and several followers some months ago
cut loose almost entirely from the
main wing of the Rcformcrs, and they
are all likely to fall by the waysidc,
fighting as they fall.
Congressman Shell, it is positively
announced, was approached while in
the city few days ago by the leaders
of the Alliance or farming element of
the Reform party, and he has consented
to be at the head of the committee
that will manage the campaign for
this faction. He was the former pre-
sident of the Farmers Association in
this State.
1T will be noticed that the Alliance
is to be kept in the background as far
as being Il political machine is CON
cerned, but great deal of good solid
work has been done by the leaders
among the Allianccmcn all over the
State, and they will be as unit
against the opposing faction.
"A representative OF The State had
quite Il long talk with ono or two Of
the leaders of the Alliance side. They
say that the leaders of the other side
will be Irby, Stanyarne Wilson, Larry
Gannt and John Gary Evans. They
seem to think that a combination was
formed nearly year ago by Irby and
bis followers to run things to suit
themselves and make slate of the
Offices for the coming term, which
wonid be presented to the voters and
would be swallowed by them. They
say that the effort to crush out every
leading Tillman man-the attacks up
on Tindal, McLaurin and others
the direct result Of this combination
engineered by Irby. They consider
lrby dead as far as State politics are
con serned. In regard to those Ali
ance resolutions adopted in Laurens a
few days, one of these men said that
they were gotten up under Irby's inhu-
Il