Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-07-10
cfor the nromotion of the DuGal Satal 9gritultura
salistellantuns 8eaaing.
CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Rather than Personalities.
From the Atlanta Constitution.
The rencounter between Senator
McLaurin and his rival, ex-senator
Irby, brings to the front once more
the nettlesome character of South Car
olina politics.
Perhaps in no other state of the
union have political campaigns been
conducted with so much rancor and
bitterness as they have in South Caro-
lima. For time almost out of mind
the public political meetings of that
state have been fraught with 80 much
excitement as to render breaches
of the peace almost inevitable. When
the dominant wing of the Democratic
party was first attacked by the Reform
element acting under the leadership
of Mr.. Tillman, there was 80 much of
hauteur and defiance thrown into the
campaign that the efficacy of debate
was destroyed, and enmities were
formed which will never be healed.
If there was roughness and boisterous-
ness on the part of Mr.. Tillman's fol-
lowers, there was equal contempt and
want of consideration betrayed by the
others. The result of all the cam
paigns which have followed has been
to exhibit South Carolina in a light
which conservative men must regret,
and which has bad influence abroad.
Now that Tillman, as an element of
factionalism, is passing away, it was to
be hoped that ensuing campaigns
would be conducted with as much
good humor as earnestness. But it
seems that this is not to be, and that
already all the worst features of pre-
vious campaigns are to be injected into
the present one.
1t is difficult to assign reason as to
why this state of things should exist.
The people of South Carolina are
among the most stable and conserva-
tive in the union. AS distinct COM
munity in the confederation of states,
the people of South Carolina have been
welded together by education, by COM
mon tradition and by united interest,
which should be to them cause of
pride. One element of the South Car
olina politicians nature, however, has
been developed somewhat beyond rea-
son-that is his self-assertiveness.
He does not court debate upon any
thing. He is dogmatic in nature, and
having made an assertion, stands or
falls by it. He has not been trained
in that school of debate which makes
the Georgian give and take. Hence,
when his word is crossed by rival, it
is regarded as personal, and the diff
Guilty to which we have alluded, fol-
lows.
Whatever the cause may be, the
time has certainly come when, for the
credit of their state, South Carolinians
should inaugurate such a change as
will divorce personalism from public
debate, and thus free the state from
such reports as those which must
spread over the union in relating such
scenes as took place the other day.
These rencounters do not take place
among the lowly and the ignorant,
but among those chivalric men who
are justly the pride of any state, but
who allow their nettlesomeness to get
the better of their prudence. We
have entered upon a new era, where
men can defend themselves by better
weapons than brawling in public, and
surely there are those in South Caro-
lima with influence enough and nerve
enough to put candidates upon notice
that if they cannot debate public mat
ters in a respectful manner the people
can find other candidates who will.