The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-04-30

Ine number OF negroes eligible to vol
does not exceed $4,000, but it is cor
stantly increasing and there may be
good many thousand who are not res
J. istered who would be eligible to regi,
tration. There have been in the recer
past evidences of Republicanism croI
ping out in South Carolina in variou
!, directions. There is no doubt we shal
soon have a white Republican part
appealing to these negro voters.
The action of one of our Unite
o States Senators IN advocating Republi
: can doctrines and voting with tina
: party on all essential measures, cor
tending all the whlle that he is a Dem
ocrat and that he has the right t.
define what Democracy means, ha
: brought things to a focus. The Dem
| ocratic party in South Carolina, and it i
well understood that the State is over
} whelmingly Democratic, has a right tt
} be honestly represented in the Senat,
and IN the House, and in fact, l do no
believe the Democrats of the State
would Intentionally and willingly cleo
any man to any office whose Democracy
was unsound if they knew it.
Our present danger Is Republican
ism in the guise of Democracy. The
fore the question has been raised Id
1T Ia now an issue, and 1t must be set,
tied as to what constitutes Democracy
and who shall define it. II is con.
tended that we should leave the PR.
mary just as it is and make no new
rules and regulations to prevent a re.
currence of the election of a man or
men whose Democracy does not tally
with that of the national party. We
are urged to permit every man to vote
who will take the pledge, and not to
require of the candidate any other
pledge than the one now in force. To
the first proposition there can be no
serious objection. We need not be
solicitous about the rank and file; at
least l do not think the time has yet
come when we must drive out of the
party individuals who will pledge them
selves to support the nominees, State
and national, though they may be dis
loyal. 1t would be manifestly unfair to
permit Republicans to vote in a Demo-
cratic primary, thereby endangering,
if they were in sufficient numbers, the
election of a genuine Democrat as
against some mugwump or traitor. 1
do not think, however there are
enough avowed Republicans who will
take the oath to make it necessary to
trace their records back to the preced-
ing November election and sec wheth-
er they voted as they pledged them
selves.
1t may in time become necessary to
use the registration lists at the legal
election to purify the club lists, but we
cannot well make the rules 80 txacting
that we will bar out men who want to
act Independently in merely local mat
tiers. The fact that our fight is IN the
and hardly half of the Democratic
votes are ever polled at the legal cleo
ton, would make il difficult to devise a
scheme to prove who or who had not
supported the "nominees of the
party" L will not, therefore, discuss
that phase of the subject, but it is a
matter of vital necessity that we should
make candidates define their attitude
and give explicit pledges as to their ac-
tons while in office.
Senator McLaurin was charged with
Republicanism in his race lin the
primary of '97, but he denied il bitter
ly, and L thought he was honest. He
denies it still, but his utterances now
are all in endorsement of the Republi-
can policy, and his votes tally with his
speeches. We must have q revision
of the pledge given by candidates
which will make it impossible for any
honorable man not q Democrat to Sc
cure the nomination, if we are to keep
the party from being stabbed in the
back and not have a repetition of the
present disgraceful state of affairs.
AT this time South Carolina really
has no volce In shaping public mat
tiers in The Senate, and if she has a
voice the votes of the two Senators are
nearly always on opposite sides Of any
given proposition. This is something
that does not obtain in any other Dem
ocratic State, and / know of no way by
which we can guard against a recur-
renee of this condition, except to re-
quire all candidates for the Senate,
State officers, Congressman and other
positions of honor and trust to pledge
faith and loyalty to the doctrines and
principles of the party as announced in
State and nationil conventions. This
will leave their status as far as it can
be devised in words as absolutely
Known.
Senator McLaurin is no longer a
factor in dealing with this question.
He is simply an illustration of what
might happen again under the present
loose regulations. While his actions
have shown the necessity for a revision
OF the pledge to be given by candi-
dates, the party can act without con-
sidering his case at all. 1t is even de-
sirable that be be given an opporta-
ity to go before the people and let
them show him how they feel about
his %treachery. The revised pledge can
be required Of all other Democrats
without charge of persecution or per-
sonal application. This is important
for the future welfare of the party.
Let him run if he desires to face the
people and be elected if he can get The
votes. If he can win in the primary
after his record is set before the PEG.
pie he can Win much easier as an indie.
pendent If he is denied admission.
We do not want to be unjust to him
or to his followers.
If the Democracy of South Caro-.
lima wants to put none but Democrats
on guard it must decide the Democ.
racy of each candidate by requiring a
4 Dleloe I'm writing that will deHna cina.