The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-08-03

Entered at the PoStonlce At Manning as sec,
ono Class matter.
THIS IS NOT AN IssUELEss CAMPAIGN.
This newspaper is not a vehl-
Gle for favoritism or revenge,
and whatever we shall have to
say with regard to our political
affairs, is not with a view Of ad-
yocatlng any individual, but
solely for the purpose Of giving
our views upon current subjects
as they appear to US, with the
hope that such views may be
considered by our readers. Our
conception of an editors duty, is
to keep posted upon public af-
fairs, and by his reasoning draw
conclusions. that he may have
fixed views of his own, and not
have them fixed for him by
others. Then after a careful
study of conditions he arrives at
conclusions. it is his duty to
present them fearlessly and
honestly to his readers.
We have a peculiar political
system in this State, which
makes it absolutely impossible
for the people to seek out a man
to bestow upon him political
honors, and in our opinion, this
condition is fast putting our
government in unsafe, and IN
competent hands; if our present
methods continue it will be next
to impossible to even induce
competent men to seek Office, for
under our system, in order for a
man to obtain Office he must seek
it by announcing his candidacy,
fling his pledge, and paying an
entrance fee. The consequence
is, that men are encouraged to
seek office, when it should be that
official honors should seek the
man, which, by our present
methods is forbidden.
We think it is all right for a
man to seeka county Office where
a living salary is attached, just
like it is proper for him to seek
a clerkship in store, or any
other honorable bread-winning
employment, but when it comes
to legislative honors, patriotism
should be the only consideration.
The motive prompting a candl-
date should be solely to repre-
sent the wishes of his constit-
uents. This cannot be done by
adopting deceptive methods, or
by Withholding views from the
people, that are calculated to be
unpopular. To use a slang
phrase, no man should seek leg
islative honors by adopting
gum-shoe methods. He should
come square out, openly, fear
lessly and candidly, make known
his position upon such matters
as he knows the people are in
terested in, and if his ideas do
not coincide with his people
they have an opportunity to say
so with their ballots.
Some contend that this is an
issueless campaign, but we do
not think so. Candidates may
prate about their solicitude for
the public schools, pensions, and
lower taxation if they will: but
to our mind these things are not
matters of contention, we are all
agreed upon them; the issue,
and it is an issue, is the liquor
problem. How to get rid Of the
LIQUOR traffic in our State? OBJ
scure it by other questions as
seekers for Office might by in
iecting schools, pensions. and
taxation, the liquor traffic under
lies the whole, and it is this the
people should keep foremost in
consideration. Mr.. Joel b.
Brunson has a letter in the
South Carolina Baptist which to
our mind sounds the key note OF
this campaign. Nh. r.Brunson says:
IF a mans life before he be-
came a candidate shows him op-
posed to the liquor traffic, you
may rely upon his voling against
it." We construe this to mean
that a sincere Prohibitionist will
not accept the liquor traffic as a
Settled question, because it is a
religious principle, and a rell-
gious principle cannot be COM
promised, and when ever we
ind a candidate who has es-
poused the cause of prohibition,
now proposing to accept the
dispensary in any form, we put
put him down as one whose pro-
fessions can not conscientiously
appeal to either Prohibitionists
or D]spensarites, and the safest
plan would be to leave him at
home.
Mr.. Brunson is right and
comes out like an honest man
for the cause he advocates when
he says: "How are you going to
get the men? Only one way I
know of. Organize and select
them, then combine and elect
them.