The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-11
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
ADVERTISING RATES:
POLITICAL FREEDOM DAWNING.

pie to inform themselves on pub
lie questions, which is very
gratifying, as it points to a time
when selfish politicians will
have to seek other employment.
Whenever the people of any
country make a study of public
questions, intolerance soon loses
it's place, and independent
thought and action is the result.
It is such a condition that pro
fessional politicians do not want;
the making of issues-mountalns
out of mole hills, is one of the
tricks Of the politicians trade,
and they are always on the alert
to adopt some hue and cry for
the campaign. That this is true,
only needs verifcation by think
ing how little we hear of 1.-The
platform" after the candidates
are elected; the thing becomes as
silent as the tomb, until the
opening of the next campaign,
and then it Is ''stick to the plat
form" at nearly every breath.
It has been said that party plat
forms are made to ride into Of
fee on, and it is true.
We hear politicians mouth a
great deal about "the platform"
and party principles" and most
of them know no more about el-
ther, than goat knows about
the causes which produce elec-
tricity; yet whenever they wish
to impress a constituent with
their own Importance, they tell
him that the ':party platform"
and the party principles" must
be jealousy guarded, if not, the
country will go to the bow-wows,
and they are the men to save it.
The Office for which they are
candidates does not come in for
consideration; the fellow may be
a candidate for coroner, or for
congress, he must be voted for,
because he says that he worships
at the shrine of Democracy, and
vet, he does not know what
Democracy is. The heather Chi
nese worship at the Joss houses
the wooden images therein, and
to strike from their eyes the
scales of ignorance, we are dal-
ly contributing money for the
maintenance of missionaries; the
Chinese may bereligiously blind,
and because of their ignorance
and superstition they resent
any and every attempt made to
enlighten them. The recent
troubles in China were brought
or by the attempt to teach them
that idol worship is wrong, and
their leaders will not permit the
enlightening influences of civil
zation to reach their people; be.
cause, it will result in the loss OF
their influence and leadership.
The politicians of this country
compare every favorably with
the leaders of Cinnamon, they
do not want anything like politi-
cial theories to reach the people,
other than those promulgated by
themselves, and when an indepen-
dentcharacter goes forth preach
ing a political doctrine, calcula-
ted to break the hold those in
control have on the people,
there is war declared against
him, and he is denounced as a
hereto. The professional polit-
ician acts on the principle ''to
praise the bridge that carried
you over safely" and if he sue
ceeded in getting into Office by
one method, he regards changes
dangerous and he will resist
such with ali the ingenuity he
can command, regardless of con-
ditions, and the interests Of the
people.
The recent campaign meetings
held in this State indicate a de-
sire on the part of the people to
pay little heed to the political
hawkers who are going about
the State hawking their political
stocks-in-trade. These meetings
were poorly attended, the Union
meeting was fat failure, Spar
tanburg accommodatedit's crowd
in the Court house, Greenville
did likewise, Walhalla greeted
the speakers with an audience of
about 200. These slimly attend
ed meetings point to the fact
that the people are reading and
thinking, and are not losing time
running after politicians. New
issues have been sprung and
abuse, vituperation, sarcasm and
ridicule, may entertain tempor-
arily, but the people want logic
and proof, reason and argu-
ment, and for that reason they
are reading more now than ever
before, and the coming primary
election will show the largest in
dependent vote ever polled in
South Carolina. The people
will go to the primaries and cast
their votes for such men and
measures as in their judgment
will be for the best interests Of
the country, regardless of what
politician it hurts, whether he is
a United States Senator or
township constable.
The day for political dictation
has ,assaS and mono raa1iZe this