The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-04-09
MAY CONVENTION.


besides electing officers and a
county executive committee,
elect delegates to the county
convention which will be held
the--day of May. The coun-
ty convention besides choosing a
county chairman will elect eight
delegates to the State convention
which meets in Columbia on the
day of May, and member
of the State Democratic Execu-
tive Committee.
This is what is known as an
off year in politics, and under
our party system there would not
be any excitement or uneasiness,
but for some extremists, who
want to rule Or ruin; if things
cannot 60 exactlyas they wantit,
they would throw the fat into
the fire" 4 United States Sena-
tor is to be chosen in the primary,
and it being a very juicy plum,
it is natural that there are a
number of men who would like
to capture it, and as an excuse,
the questions which have arisen
out of conditions growing out Of
the Spanish-American war will
be taken as texts for campaign
thunder.
We welcome into the field for
United States Senator as many
of the brainiest men in the State
as will come, it is healthy sign;
it shows that men of brain recog-
nize that the people do not care
to fill such an exalted place with
a pigmy, and therefore when a
number of learned men come for
ward the people can make a good
selection.
The State convention will
have the power to alter the Con-
stitution and rules which govern
the Democratic party, and here
is the danger if the people send
extremists to that convention.
There is an element who are
clamoring for revision of the
party pledge; this element want
to adopt a platform embodying
those things which they know
beforehand is not deemed wise
by many Democrats, and they
also want to fix it so that one
who will not pledge to support
or endorse cannot participate in
the primary. Under our present
Constitution and rules one to
participate in the primary is
pledged to abide the result
and support the nominees of the
primary which has been the rule
of the Democratic party since
1S9O-it was good enough then
and all along, it should be good
enough now. We are unalterably
opposed to keeping white men
out of a Democratic primary,
and if we change our party
pledge we will drive good men
away.
If a candidate advocates theo-
ries which do not meet with the
peoples approval, they will vote
against him in the primary cleo
tions, but if politicians are al
lowed to shut men out Of the
primary, because they do not
agree, then the primary becomes
a machine of oppression and cor
ruption.
The main object of the prlma-
ry system was to do away with
the manipulations. and wire-pul-
ling of conventions, and so as to
allow the people to exercise their
own free will in the selection of
officers; now the politicians are
going to be permitted to say
what a man must advocate be-
fore he can enter a primary, it
does not need much study to see
that it is tending towards max
ing the primary system a politi-
cal delusion and a snare, and in
stead of the people voting for
whom they please, they will sim
ply be voting for whom the rings
and cliques will permit to come
before them; that this condition
will lead on to corruption is as
sure as the sun shines. Take a
look at some of our large cities
where the officers are the crea-
lures of the rings, and You find
their governments reeking with
the vilest of corruption: no man
can be elected to Office without
the sanction of the ring, and the
ring will not have him unless
they can use him as merchandise.
The newspapers are full of the
grand jury presentment in the
city of St. Louis, where it is
shown, men held Office in the
council at a salary of $500 a
year and made $4,000 a year in
bribes, and on account of this
fearful condition the city is
groaning under a load Of debt.
This is the result Of being placed
in position to permit the poll
ticians to have unlimited power
with our franchise, as it were,
power of attorney to act for Us
and barter away our rights.
The Columbia State is an ad-
vocate of extreme action on the
part Of the State convention, and
in its issue of 5th inst, it says.
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