The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-07-02
Wednesday, July 2, 1902.
CAMPAIGN DAY.

Next Saturday the candidates for
the various State Offices to be filled
this fall will make their profoundest
bow before a Lexington audience.
This county, more SO perhaps than
any other county in the State, should
give these visitors large audience
and an attentive hearing by reason OF
the presence of its representatives
among the candidates.
At previous meetings held through
out the State the complaint has gone
out that they were ccnspicious only
for the absence of the voter. We
don't want this said of the Lexington
meeting on next Saturday. It is the
patriotic duty of every qualified elec
tor in the State to give obedient
ear to the call, and respond to the
necessities of the times by giving some
of his time at least to the public dis
cussion of political matters as the
settlement of which has an influence
for good or evil upon the destiny of
the State for the next two years at
least. While it is true that this year
much of the interest in these meet
ings have been taken away by the
narrow minded, arbitrary and un-
statesmanlike policy of the leaders,
and the liberal minded people are un-
quastionably absenting themselves
from the meetings in order to mani
fest their disapproval of such gag
ruling methods, yet enough interest
remains to be an incentive, at least,
to draw the people away from their
work and their homes to give atten-
tion to political questions, chief
among which we might mention in
passing, the primary system of max
ing nominations. The enemies Of
this system are using this lukewarm-
ness on the part of the people con-
eerning the attendance upon the cam
paign meetings as an argument for
its abolition. They contend, with
apparent force, we admit, that the
people are becoming weary with the
campaign meeting, and, therefore
return to the convention system Of
nominating officers was the only rem
edy and by which ring rule and exact
ing bossism will be restablished conse-
quently it becomes the duty of every
friend of the primary system to turn
out in full force and demonstrate to
it's enemies that they are not yet
quite ready to destroy their individu-
ality, and are yet unwilling to dele
gate their Inherent power to any set
of delegates to say behind the closed
doors of caucuses, in which only the
favored few are permitted to enter in
to the holy Of the holiest and say who
shall be the officers of the grand old
commonwealth.
For this reason as well through
respect for the candidates themselves
let the people Of Lexington county
give those who are seeking political
preferment at the hands of the
people OF South Carolina, grand
reception, on next Saturday. Let it
be said of the meeting that it was
the largest, the quietest and the
most attentive one held in the State
during the present campaign.
Our Lever, our Zimmerman, our
Sharpe, our Gunter, our Caughman
and others who have stood by Lex
ington in her time of need will be
present and see toit that each individ-
ual voter who can possibly do so
even at little inconvenience to him
self, as we'll as the fsir sex, will also
be present.
While the Attorney General and
his Assistanf are ont on the hnsfinps