The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-02-27
The 'Tillman Plan.
A Logical Analysis Of its
Operation---It Won't Do.

- Let u suppose oosu 'oos'ooo aos''.
and accept this proposition. and see
how it will work.
We will have a primary election in
Greenville county, let us say. A eau
Gus of Conservatives will put up three
men. A caucus of Reformers will put
ND three men. Their nomination in
the primary will be a mere form. The
peope-tbe organized Democrats-will
have no choice as to vino will repre-
sent them in a convention in which
their rights as citizens and their 10
terests aud the interests of their chill
dren will be finally settled. Every
thing will be cut and dried aud set
tied. The delegates will be chosen
and pledged. The primary will be a
form and farce.
Suppose, however, there are no eau
cuses. Suppose Conservatives and Re-
formers are candidates before the PEG
ple on their merits? Who is to
guarantee that the county will not
elect six Reformers or six Conserva.
tives? What does an agreement be-
tween Tillman and Evans on one side
aud Barnwell. Hemphill, MCGOWAN
and Sloan on the other amount to in a
popular election 2 Who can give a bond
on one side or the other for the faithful
ful6llment of these, agreements. and
guarantee that there will be no .'fudg-
ing
But suppose all the agreements can
be carried ont exactly r Suppose all
the Reformers obey Tillman aud all
the Conservatives obey Baruwell :?
Then we will have peace. will We?
We will have a Constitutional con-
veution pledged to perpetuate fraud
in u elections and make perjury a
patriotic duty.
We are to have an educational quail
6cation which will disfraucbise no
white man. Everybody knows that
is impossible without fraud aud per-
Jury, and ever worse things.
It is to be the Mississippi plan. Un-
der that three men in each county will
determine the qualifications of each
voter, will say whether be does or does
not read and explain intelligently a
clause of the State Constitution. Ii
these election commissioners do their
duty honestly. as they will take an cath
to do. they will disqualify thousands of
whi,e men and qualify thousands of
negroes. If they are appointed not to
~disfrauchise a white man aud to dis
franchise all the negroes they will per-
lure themselves a hundred times a day.
And that thing will be in the Con-
s,itutiou, remember. We are to leave
for our children's children a system
which will require at least three
respectable men 10 every county to per-
jure themselves frequently every year,
which will make false swearing-the
ISOLATION of an oath-a regular, per-
mauent, recognized, necessary and
respected department of politics.
We will do eveo worse. We will
tx and have a system under which any
party OF faction or man 10 power may
s,ias the people forever. Under that
system the election commissioners
appointed. mark you, by the man in
power-wiil say who shall or who shall
not vote-will make the poll lis's as
long or as short as they please
II that system had been here in 1890
John Peter Richardson, taen Governor
could have appointed commissioners
who could have elected a. C. Haskell
Govearor ever B. R. Tillmau in the
face of a majority Of 4 $1,000.
1t is all very we'll to argue that cniy
negroes are TO be %disfrauchised by the
practical working Of the system Of er-
jury, but We know how that is. From
sHindliug negroes we soon learn to
swindle each other. We have seen
Democrats swindle each other iu Demo
cratic primaries. Reformers swiodle
each other in Reform primaries.
We cannot establish a system of fraud
aud perjury and say '.i' must stop
hsre.o We cannot teach men that If
i: is right for them to swear falsely
TO cheat negroes ii is wrong to swear
falsely to cheat white men. We have
sseb ,ha. IN the operations of the cleo
ton law We have. 1t was used success
fully to disfrancLise negroes. At the
last election it was used successfully
to disfranchise thousands Of white men
1ho vau:ea to vote no against this
very conveotion.
The total OF the agreement is that
the Conservatives are to have not quite
half the convention il they will agree
TO obey Tillman's viii, to give The State
the Mississippi election law, which he
has been s%chemiog for all the time and
which will enable Evans to name his
" successor and Tillmau to carry the
State in his brooches pocket andsuse it