The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-23
SEES DANGER AHEAD.
Senator Tiilman Says the White Pri.
mary Must be Preserved.

! Senator Tillman has written a let.
ter to the Greenville Mountaineer il
regard to the Walker election on an
independent ticket at the recent elec.
tion, as follows:
I reached home Monday from In
diana, and I have been absent from
home nearly the entire month Of Oc
tc Der and a part Of September, there
fore have not kept posted on mat
ters in the state. I see in your issue
ofiNovember 9Th an editorial, Till
mau's Interference, "upon which de.
sire to comment brie fly.
The fact that the elections ov. }
and the result Of the contest for super
visor in Greenvjlle Is known, in no
WIS, changes my attitude. My tele.
gram from InGiana to the gentlemen
who asked my opinion and advice can
not De tortured into interference; last
of all into dictaticn. The p opie of
G.fenvil!e, OF course, know their OVID
minds and it is none of my affair that
they have elected Mr.. Walker instead
Of tie regularly declared nominee OF
the Democratic party, but mark my
wor!s, II the Democratic primary is
not lifted above suspicious, (" to quote
ny telegram, in Green7ille and the
other counties 1t is only a question Of
time when the primary system will
fall into disuse and all political con
tess will be settled at the legal elec.
tion in November. When that time ar
rives we will inevitably have the ne
sroas come ia as the balance Of power
between contending white factions.
do not know either MI. Speeg!e or
Mr.. Walker, and I have learned since
reached hone from letters that Mr.
Walkers friends are my friends, OF
have been in the past, but that has
not Influenced me Ia the least. My at
tjtude is in no sense a personal one.
The regularly declared rominee Of the
Democratic party has been defeated
the first and only tire I can recall.
The precedent has beea established.
The point OF the wedge has been driV-
into the log. That is the issue and
that is the only reason why perSume
il it was presumption to answer the
tIel' gram sent to me at,Corydon, Ind,
and to express an opinion on the sub
j CT. The voters OF Greenvllle have
ceDsued their county executive com
mittee. They have at the same time
broken the cath they took at the pri-
mary election. The clubs which have
voted contrary to the oath taken
should remove those committeeman
who are responsible fer lot having
ordered another primary. Will they dc
it? Will there be any Independents i1
GTeenville at the next election? These
are the points to be considered, and
to these alone I addressed myself.
The recent overwhelming victory in
the North, making that. section solid,
and with a president who is in favor
OF social equality with negroes, should
warn US Of the dangers ahead. I am
CID enough to remember the recon.
struction era. The present editor OF
The Mountaineer knows nothing about
it. There are few negroes in Green
vile, relatively speaking. Iu two
thi1ds Of the counties, however, they
outnunber the whites 2, 8 and to l,
and every DAY adds to the number who
can read and write and therefore vote.
1 close by saying again we must
keep the primary above suspicion, and
ne can not preserve Democratic soli-
dity by electing Independents. ut
is the first step that counts" and the
first step in GreenVille has been taken.
Gcd forbid that there should be any
more such steps either there or else.
where, for it means untold trouble
and misery for the people Of this
state. Yours truly.
B. B. Tillman.