The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-06-26
HOW ABOUT TAMPERING WITH THE
PLEDGE?

HOW ABOUT TAMPER1NG WITH THE
PLEDGE?
1t is gratifying to learn that
State Chairman Jones is opposed
to ruling McLaurin out of the
primary, and it is extremely
gratifying that he gives US the
same assurance for Senator Till
man, but if our kind hearted and
unanimous friend thinks his
magnanimity or generosity will
fool anybody, his trolley needs
repairs. Colonel Jones is a most
excellent gentleman, a man we
have a very high regard for, but
close confinement in his bank,
makes him oblivious to the out
side world, therefore his declar-
alton of opposition to ruling Nc
Laurin out amounts to nothing
but a toy balloon. No one but
an idiot would, in a Democratic
convention, offer a resolution to
rule white man out of the pri-
mary; that is, the resolution
would not say so in words, but if
the set of political body-snatch-
Ners who will try to control the
majority, succeed, they will dig
up corpse, and, to make a man
eligible to participate in their
organization, they will force him
to cuddle the skeleton to his bo-
som.
The Chicago platform was
knocked senseless in 1896, drag
ged to Kansas Cityin 1900, where
it received it's death stroke, and
it is now a cold, inanimate corpse,
notwithstanding Billy Bryan's
heroic efforts to resuscitate it,
by pumping hot wind into its
nostrils-it is dead, as dead as
the Democratic platform upon
which Horace Greely stood, But
as a means to an end, the body
snatchers will make every effort
to obtain control of the May con-
vention. If they succeed, they
will perform their shell game in
this way.
To become eligible for candi-
dacy in the primary, a candidate
mast lay his right hand upon his
heart, his left upon skull and
cross bones taken from the Kan
sas City corpse, and with eyes
uplifted to the portrait which
hangs over the speakers desk in
the hall of the House of Repre-
sentatives, solemnly swear that
the corpse has life, and his heart
is overtiowing with devotion for
it. After taking the oath he will
be conducted to the Censor
General who will be within call,
and if he approves of the candi-
date, he will supply him with a
pass. While the pass is being
prepared the candidate must
Stand with uncovered head and
swear his allegiance to the Cen
sor-General. Then when the
card of approval is given, the
candidate makes a low curtsy and
is taken before the Sexton who
admitted the snatchers into the
political cemetery where they
dug up the Kansas City corpse,
and here he planks down his
good American coin as an assess
ment fee to become a candidate
in an election where free, intelii-
gent white men are to render a
decision.
No, Chairman Jones and Sena-
tor Tillman do not approve of
ruling McLaurin out of the pri-
mary, but neither one of them
have put their stamp of disap-
proval on the "damnable doc
trine" enunciated in an editorial
in the Columbia State, in which
it was proposed to amend the
party pledge to make candidate
swear that he endorses a plat
form which has been repudiated
by the people, if not by some
politicians.
At the last May convention it
was suggested that a dispensary
plank be put in the State plat
form, and that the pledge be so
amended as to require a candi-
date to swear that he endorsed
the platform before he could go
into the primary. Senator Till
man was opposed to it, so was
Colonel Jones and others. Sen
ator Tillman was at that time
prospective candidate for re-elec-
ton and Colonel Jones felt some
thing buzzing in his bonnet: nei-
ther cared to offend the Prohibi-
tionists. Now, will Senator Till
man and Chairman Jones sin
cerely use their influence to-
wards keeping our party pledge
as it is at present, and has been
since 1894? This is the question
they shonld answer. They
should throw off anything which
has the semblance of hypocrisy,
and not give it out they are op-
posed to ruling "a man" out of
the primary, when they are will
ing for the party pledge to be so
manipulated that the man.!
cannot with self-respect take the
manipulated pledge. Senator
Tillman and Chairman Jones
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