The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-06-08
PROHIBITION CONVENTION NGHI'
NEES CANNOT RUN AS SUCH IN
THE THE PRIMARY.

Executive Committee, and under tue
ruling OF that body those candidates
who were suggested by the Prohlbl-
ton convention cannot as such run
ir the Democratic primary, but they
can as individual Democrats run IN
the primary. The difference IS this;
the constitution of the Democratic
party prohibits the running OF FAC
tional candidates and before man is
permitted to run he must file pledge
which reads 'she is not nor will he
become the candidate of any faction,
either privately or publicly sugses-
ted, other than the regular Democrat
ic nomination. The Prohibitlonlsts
are an organized body, and as such
placed a full ticket into the field to be
voted for in the primary; this says
the highest authority OF the party
is directly in violation OF the spirit
and intent OF tie party's constitution,
and the. present constitution forbid
ding factional suggestions or nomi-
nations was not made in the recent
State convention, it was made in 1894,
reiterated in 1896 and again il 1898.
There was a reason and good one
too, for putting into the party law
this very thing. In 1890 the consti-
tuition of the Democratic party did
not forbid the holding Of factlonal
conventions and this condition per
mitted the famous March convention;
we all remember what furore 1t oc-
casioned, the Democracy becahe dl-
vided into two distinct factions and
they made their fight for the nomlna-
tions with much bitterness, and it
resulted in the election OF 1illmaD
and the putting of the Reform fac
ton in control.
Two years after, the Conservative
faction held convention and put
forward ticket headed by Hon. John
C. Sheppard, that ticket failed of
election, then in 1891 when the Re
formers had everything their own way
what was called the "Cc)!eton Plan"
was conceived; this vas not a conten-
ton between the Reformer and Con
servatiye factions, but it was con,
tention within the reform ranks to
the exclusion of the Conservatives;
it was done to weed out the Reform
candidates. to a stand that they
could move soidly ii case the Con-
servatises put up ticket.
The March convention was not in
violation of the Constitution OF the
Democratic party, neither WAS the
Sheppard convention of 1892 nor the
factional primary of 1894, but they
all created heart burnings, strife, dis
sentioD, and bitterness with a great
tendency to an ultimate disruption of
the party At the September State
convention, these matters were taken
into serious consideration and it was
agreed by all factions that these pre-
Eminary conventions and primaries
should stop; the result was, that IN the
convention of 1894 constitution was
adopted forbidding in future these
preliminary suggestions or nomina-
tions by an organized force, and
since the adoption there bas not been
any convention or primary outside OF
the ones called by the constituted au-
thorities of the Democratic party.
This year, however, the Prohibition
party, for It is a distinct party, with
all the elements Of a political party,
held a convention, nominated tick
ct, elected an executive committee
and did such things as organized pol
isical parties do. Their convention
announced that the ticket suggested
By it, was subject to the action Of the
Democratic party. Before putting
their candidates into the field con-
vention was called of those who fa-
vored putting ont the ticket and when
the late Democratic Executive Com
nittee met, tie Prohibitionists ap-
peared before them, laid their case
before that boav, and that committee
instead Of giving them Il positive re-
ply which would leave no room
for misunderstanding, told the
Prohibitionists that if they com
piled with the constitution OF the
party they would be permitted to rau
in the primary The Prohibiionists
construed this to mean that if they
were willing e 60 into the primary
and rot afterwards put up ticket in
opposition to the primary nominees
i ,vnnld be q cnmnlianre with the