Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-04-04
alistsllansuns 8eaaing.
TILLMAN AND The CANVASS.
The Doubtful Advantages of the Require

The Doubtful Advantages of the Require
ment of the Party Constitution.
Mr.. J. T. Parks, of Orangeburg,
wrote TO Senator Tillman recently to
get his views on the question of amend
ing or abrogating the section of the par
ty constitution which requires the from
county to county canvass by candi.
dates for state offices. Mr.. Parks is
of opinion that this arrangement is of
doubtful value, and Senator Tillman
also sees disadvantages. The senator's
reply is as follows:
WASHINGTON, D. c., March %.
J. T. Parks, Orangeburg, S. c.:
DEAR SIR have your letter of
March and the importance of the
matter presented therein must be ap-
parent to every one. II is perplex-
ing question and has been subject of
serious thought with me long time,
because have foreseen that the pri-
mary system was being jeopardized by
the abuses to which it has been sub
iected. Political conditions in our
state forced the joint discussions be-
fore the people of the issues, because
the newspapers were so unfair and
partisan and any abrogation of the
system now in vogue would, in all
probability, result in the return to the
old conditions, when it was in the
power of two or three leading newspa.
pers to make and unmake men, and to
largely control our state politics. The
necessity of freedom of speech and the
presentation by the candidates of their
views, directly to the voters, without
having them tinged or distorted or
suppressed by different newspapers,
will make the people unwilling to give
up the present plan unless ''something
better" can be substituted for it. You
have stated the defects in the present
system none too strongly, and there
are others which occur 10 me, which
you have not mentioned. For instance,
it was never conceived possible that q
man would offer as a candidate for
high position simply because of vanity
or his being a crank, still less that
anyone would enter such race with
no hopes of being elected, but simply
with the view of defeating another
man. There can be no limitation as
to the number of persons who shall
run for any Office if they comply with
the prerequisites. The joint discussion
was intended to give the people an
opportunity of hearing both sides and
of allowing the candidates to present
their views directly to the voters. The
great mistake that has been made was
the attempt to divide the time pro
rata, or apportion it out among alithe
candidates. Thus as you have said,
there was no chance for candidate TO
make speech or do himself any cred.
it, and the people were disgusted to
that extent that they refused to turn
out to the meetings. l canvassed the
state three times and there was never
any limitations on any speaker. The
arrangement was, in the race for gov
ernor, to have the speakers alternate
and in the race for the senate to invert
the order of speaking, so that the
minor candidates could every other
day begin and have their say in full
while the crowds were fresh and not be
forced to take the leavings of the au-
dience tired out by previous speakers.
Whatever else may be done, there
should never have been in the past,
and should never be in the future, any
limitation on time. 1t would be bet
ter to have some candidates miss
speaking at every meeting than follow
such a plan of gagging them. The
question now is either the continuance
of the present system, with such limi-
tution as l have indicated, or changing
it, as you suggest, and leaving the
counties to determine what men they
want 10 hear and extend invitations to
such, it being, of course, always per.
missible for u candidate to announce
independently the places at which he
will speak, and to invite his opponent
for the office TO joint discussion. The
state committee cannot discriminate as
among candidates, who comply with
the rule, but the county committee
having control of the meetings could
refuse to invite those men who were
not wanted, and if it should ever occur,
which is hardly possible, that candi-
date would be unjustly treated, he
could then make arrangements for a
separate meeting, TO which his oppo-
nent could be invited. 1t is no light
thing to canvass the entire state and
attend meetings in 40 counties and it
entails a heavy expense besides. Many
of our people do not even take their