The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-08

The reasons why as chairman define
in specific way the objects OF the meet
ing are:
committee will be held responsible to
great measure for whatever may grow
ont Of the meeting, because withouta call
there would be no meeting, this matter
having been left entirely with me. The
responsibility, therefore, resting upon
me is very great. and no one feels it more
keenly than myself.
Second. Because the Colleton plan has
been discussed for months and the peo-
pie have become familiar with it. For a
considerable length of time nearly every
one was pleased with the plan, and seem
ed to be ready to give vote OF thanks to
our Colleton Reformers, the originators
oft.
+ To-day, as regard it, the principal
dissatisfaction existing is not on account
/ of the Dian itself. but many seem to fear
that mischief and injury to the move
meut will come from the want of specific
details for carrying out the plan.
Third. In your April and July meet
ings, after thorough discussion, you with
great unanimity agreed upon the plan
already adopted. To give this up at this
late date and adopt something new in its
stead will in my opinion make confusion
worse cenfounded and work untold
injuries to the Reform Movement of the
I. therefore, as chairman of the COM
mittee, am unwilling to assume the res
possibility Of throwing the doors wide
open and thus encouraging the discussion
or adoption of q new plan.
Remember there is much at stake.
You have made many sacrifices in the
past to put the grand old movement upon
her feet. Make this another one that she
may stand more erect than ever and bid
defiance to her enemies and demonstrate
to the world that she Is strong tower,
where her friends and the poor. and op.
pressed may always find shelter and
safety. j. A. SL1GH, Chairman. :.
The Register in publishing the call
takes OCCASION to say that the committee
will have to avoid looking at the inter-
ests of any one candidate, but look to the
matter of keeping the Reform party solid.
It speaks Of the discomfort growing out
of the Colleton plan, and says that the
discomfort sprang up and grew as fast as
Jonsh's gourd or Jacks magic beans.
It saws, too, that Mr.. Sigh is clear-headed
and iong-sighted that he "realizes fully
the dangers in front Of the Rsform Move
ment, and Is resolved to leave no stone
unturned to have them removed" It
expresses the hope that the committee
will act conservatively and ooolly, and
that its meeting will result In removing
all the dissension now existing in the
ranks.
AS to the probable result of the meet
ing Of the committee it is very easy to
see and safe to predict that the August 16
Convention has gone by the board. 1t is
thought that the committee, in conse-
quence Of the great opposition to this
convention idea which has been express
ed by Senator w. D. Evans and many
others of prominence, will either allow
the candidates to take their chances in
free-for-all Democratic primary or ar
range for the holding of a Reform primary
election throughout the State. OF course
the Evans men are sticking up for the
Convention, but some Of them seem to
fear trouble if the idea is carried through.
A leading Reformer of Marion County in
a card advocates free primary, stating
frankly that the Conservatives have no
idea of putting any one mum in. Others
are suggesting a Reform primary election
in place of the Convention to make
nominations for all State officers from the
Reform party.
Another plan suggested is to have all
Reform voters when they. deposit their
ballots in the primary TO be held on the
1lth to elect delegates vote also as to
their preference for State officers; the
State committee finally canvassing the
returns and declaring the result, thus
doing away with any nominating State
convention, and serving all the purposes
Of regular Reform primary election.
One thing seems to be certain, and that
is that the Convention will not stand.
It is said that some of the men Who
fought 80 hard at the recent meeti.-. Of
the committee for the Convention have
since changed their minds, and now wish
to do everything possible to heal the
breach in the ranks caused by the con-
vsntion idea.
Chairman Sligh's call indicates very
clearly that there is much more disrup-
ton inside the ranks than any one be-
Iieved, and also that everything possible
is to be done to heal the breach. What
the result will be no one of course can
foretell. It looks as If Evans's chances,
however, are not quite so good as they
were, for the Ellerbe people do not make
any bones about saying that they are not
afraid of primary, general or Reform.
One OF Ellerbe's strongest friends told
me to-day that before the people, with all
Reformers having the right to express
their preference, Ellerbe had no fear of
being defeated.