Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-09-29
THE STATE PRIMARY.
One Who Has Seen More Of Its Evils Than
anyone Else Say. It Should Go.


Anyone Else Says It Should Go.
News and Courier.
There can be no question about the
disgust and dissatisfaction with the
primary system as at present in effect
In this state. . There will have to be
radical changes in the system or 1t
will 60 to pieces. If 1t is to be kept up
as at present, it ought to go into dis
repute and oblivion. It is a humbug
and farce to have candidates go
around, the state abusing each other,
and not discussing issues. During the
last campaign the speakers consumed
seven long and weary hours day after
day, and there was but one song, self
or liquor. The campaigns have been
thought to be Instituted for the dis
cussion Of political and industrial is-
sues, and not for abuse and the dis
cussion of one issue. Day after day
the candidates generally made the
same speeches. Many Of them did not
so much as change the dotting Of an
i" or the crossing Of a It," and yet
it is urged that this Is a campaign Of
education. It is not 80. These
same speeches could have been printed
and circulated through the mails, If
the newspapers were not good enough
mediums, and have reached more vot-
ers, and gone more directly to the
voters interested. It may be said that
all voters cannot read; that may be 80,
but those who do not read generally fol-
low others who can read, anyway, and
the proportion is small.
One great trouble is that substar-
tial, good business men, such as ought
to be elected officers in this state, are
not coming out for Office. That is gen.
orally speaking. They are naturally
annoyed by the tedious campaign.
They know that II they want a state
office, or even county Office, they
have to plod along from stump to
stump, and in addition to making the
sacrifice of serving the people, they
have to lose from two to three months
in canvassing the state for a state
office. This Is valuable time to a
business man. It makes little difference
to the political hacks, who have moth
ing else to do. Then there is the cost,
which is never less than from $3.50
to $500 for a state campaign, not count
ing the expenses Of literature, church
funds and the like. Then, above all,
when a man nowadays goes into q
state campaign for state office he
has to leave his feelings at home and
pe willing to stand almost any amount
Of mud singing. It does not follow
that there will be any truth in the
charges and insinuations; but the po-
litical atmosphere seems to be such
that the greater the number Of oppo-
nents the more the certainty that some
Of the candidates will throw mud
against whoever may be regarded as
the leading man, and II a substan-
tial business man should enter the field
would 1t not be almost certain, tudg-
ing by precedent, that the mud sling
ers would get in their work on him?
The question the business man asks
himself, when he is approached to run,
say, for railroad commissioner, is:
Will it pay to make such race?
Will it pay to have my character and
reputation assailed by some irrespon-
sible candidate, who has the protec-
ton Of the State committee, and then
with the questions and insinuations
go down in defeat?
It is the same way all along the
line, and the question now is, whether
the tendency is not for good business
men, successful men, to keep out OF
the political mess that seems to be so
perennial in this State, when 1t ought
to be SO different.
There were about twenty-seven can
didates this time for the various offices.
In the next campaign there are
likely to be more, unless the oppos-
ing interests hold conventions and nom
mate full state tickets, as has been
indicated in Senator Tillman's inter-
view.
The general expectation is that there
will be a full line Of candidates for
pretty much every Office in the state
house, as all Of the incumbents, with
the exception of Captain Jennings, will
have served two terms, and that gen.
orally means a full line Of opposition,
and with that condition there Is ev-
cry reason to expect twice the number
Of candidates that were in the field this
year. And this does not include the
array of candidates that are sure to
be after the senatorial toga Of Sem
ator McLaurin.
Then, Of course, there are the stock
candidates, such as Mr.. Whitman,
whose chief virtue Is that he can make
pretty good speech. He can never