The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-08-06
Wednesday, August 6, 1902.
Factionalism Not Dead.

cnmes the seductive news that faction
alism is des6; that the hstchet has been
buried; the wounds and the sores and
scars received in the political battles
of the past decade have all been
healed and the lines which divided
the party into factions hsVe'sll been
obliterated by one great wave OF
brotherly love that has swept the
State from the mountains to the sea.
Alas for the truth of history, this is
not the case. Factionalism not dead
it is only sleeping; the Ratchet has
not been buried so deeply that it can
not be resurrected at a moments no
tice at more rropitious time; the
wounds and sores and scars of politi-
cal battle are only covered by the
fimsy deception of self interest and
as soon as that is assured they will
open again and bleed more profusely
than ever before; the white wings of
the angel of peace is not permanently
over the Democratic camp-oply the
shadow of those wings are seen and
that 80 dimly that the mist will be
brushed aside at the first approach of
strife.
This article Is written with no in
tention OF stirring up strife, but only
with a view cf showing that sll this
hue and cry about s'peace, peace,
when there is no peace" is raised for
the purpose of lulling to sleep that
elem lent formerly known as Reform
ers in the hope of electing the men in
sympathy with those known as Con-
servatives.
These is no individual or newspa-
per in the .State that has labored
more honestly and more zealously to
reconcile the differences between the
warring elements in the party and
bring genuine peace and harmony
out Of bitterness and discord than
we have done. For the return of
these blessings to our party ranks
we have labored both in and out of
season; we have made concessions
that under no other circumstances
and for no other object would we
feel justified in doing, and have sup
ported pronounced Conservatives
solely upon the principle of doing evil
that good might come of it. = But
when we see the assassins' knife time
after time plunged into the back of a
leading Reformer while in the act of
grssping the extended olive branch,
we very much fear that we will reap
the bitter fruits of loves labor lost
as reward.
There are evidences in the past and
signs in the future which makes clear
that this cry of fractional lines are OBJ
liberated" is hollow mockery-a delu-
sion and q snare. Every election
since the Waterloo of 1890, the Con-
servatives have stood together almost
to a man for q Conservative csndi-
date ss against a Reformer. This
is evidenced in the case of Moses
against Stokes for Congress; Butler
against Tillman for Unitsd States
Senator; Earle against Evans for the
same Office; Featherstone ageinst
Ellerbe for Governor, and Eoyt
sgsist McSweeney. Osher instances
could be cited but these are sufficient
to show that while apparently disor-
garized the erstwhile Conservatives
are in reality Thoroughly organized.
All the signs leads to the conclu-
sion that one candidate for Gov
ernor and one for United States Sen
ator will practically be given the SOL
id support Of that element in the ap-
preaching primary. This is IS GER
tain ss ia the trnism thst coming