The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-07-22
Truly Embarrassing.

The Sumter Item quotes the remark
we made afew d.ys ago, "a good mauy
Democrats would know what TO do III
this crisis if the other party were not
unhappily the most corrupt aud corrupt
ing political organization on the face Of
the earth" aud says BY way Of comment:
at is easy to see 10 what direction
The News and Courier would go did it
dare follow it's inclination. Tak,ug
the above paragraph as an expression
Of the opinion DOW entertained by The
News and Courier, We should put that
paper down as supporter of Mckinley
and the Republican platform. but is
deferred from going over bodily aud
openly to the Republican party, 'if it
we're not the most corrupt and corrupt
ing political organization on the face of
the earth S,oce this is 'uubappily'
true, The News aud Courier dare not
openly defy the public sentiment of the
State aud become a Republican organ.
We presume that the predicament in
which The News and Courier finds 1t
self at this jancsure in lis checkered po-
litical career is, uohappily, most EN-
barrassing. The sympathetic may pro
ceed to sympa.hize."
The Item seems to have gathered the
meaning of what we said, which We be-
lieve was not said ambiguously. We
did not include The News and
Courier among the good many Demo-
Gratis" who would 60 over to the Re-
publican party 10 this orisis-if Only it
we're not the Republican party; but We
San do SO now. .'Unhappily" as We
suggested, there is no retreat or relief
in that direction from the present en-
barrasing position in which honest and
true Democrats have been put BY the
leaders of their Own party. The fire is
no way of escape from the frying pan.
We do not care to swap bad company
for worse. We have always dared' to
..follow oar inclination in political
matter, even at the cost Of the displeas-
ure of many of our fellow citizens. We
have not hesitated to "defy" for several
years 1.-THE public sentiment" Of which
the Item is one of the expouents, and
We are rot as all subject to is.now, but
we cannot counsel any good Democrat to
'.go over bodily and openly" or secretly
or otherwise. to the Republican party.
We cannot advise any Democrat, good
or bad, to identify himself. even tenn
porarily. with that corrupt and corrupt
ing, hypocritical aud sectional organi-
cation.
The Item is wholly right when i; pre-.
sumes that The News and Courier
finds itself in most embarrassing
predicamant at this juneture :" 1t is
most embarrassing to every paper and
every citizen that is a democrat 90
principle, and the worst of it is that we
owe our embarrassment to meo Of our
own political hoeseofd, to leaders who
have taken advantage of their tempo
rary authority TO put the whole paftys
in false position, and to- endauger its
future usefulness aud perhaps its very.
life as an organization. It is not ne
cessary to 60 into the subject very
deeply here, on so slight occasion, but
if Prescriptions are 10 order the Item
will excuse us we hope if We add only
that We presume that our present pre-
dacament will appear very triaing in
deed to that in which It and its fellow
partisans will 6nd themselves after the
election in November as the result of
the action of a "good many Democrats"
outside of South Carolina News and
Courier.