The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-04-27
INVESTIGATE THE CLUB ROLLS.

convention LII. L. VI. WOOuS q
delegate from New Zion made
an earnest effort for the appoint
ment Of a committee on creden-
tials to ascertain and report to
the convention the representa-
ton each club was entitled to, in
order that justice might be done
all clubs. Dr.. Woods remarks
were treated with derision by
the controlling majority, but
nevertheless what he said to the
convention was the truth, and
he only asked that Clarendons 5
Democracy be not converted into
an engine of fraud and oppres-
sion. and we say, unless the
present system Of obtaining a
large delegation based upon a
stuffed club roll is stopped, our
political affairs might as well be
turned over to a small coterie at
the county seat, and relieve the
the people of any part or parcel
in them. A continuation OF
methods to get into convention
with so large a delegation from
the county seat as to control,
will become so distasteful that it
will be difficult to get desirable
men to accept public office, be-
cause. man with a proper re-
gard for his manhood will not
care to become the beneficiary of
clique, who by a padded club
roll have captured the party
machinery and thereby become
the political referees whereby
none can obtain position without
the approval of the clique. It
was to prevent such a condition
that DR.. Woods was striving for,
and when the country clubs
which send delegations based
upon an actual membership get
into convention. and find them
selves confronted with an over
whelming force from a club at
the county seat, they will real
ize the Importance of DR.. Woods
contention at the last conven-
ton, especially when they see
no decrease in the delegations
from country clubs; the question
will occur to them, how is it that
this club is entitled to such a
large represention? If it is not
based upon genuine member
ship it is an unjust advantage
taken of the country clubs for
the purpose of obtaining control
of the party machinery. If the
club roll from which this great
big delegation was elected, con-
tains names which should not be
there. either dead. moved away,
or belong to other clubs, it is a
cheat, and naturally it will be
thought there is a purpose in it.
The duty of the convention is
plain, and every fair minded
member Of that body must real
ize the danger of permitting such
a condition to exist, The mat
ter resolves itself to whether or
not the convention is willing to
surrender the rights of the peo-
pie into the control of a few
power seeking politicians, that
they might become a close cor
poration as it were. so that none
but their favorites can commune
at the political altar: place such
power in their hands and they
can say '.He who does our bid
ding shall have Joy and place,
but he who will not shall be
damned, !" a dangerous power to
coltser, and we caution the peo-
pie against tit is all we can
do. the convention is all power
ful and can remedy this evil if
there is a sincere effort made,
but if the few who do want to
give justice permit themselves
hoodwinked by the sophistry of
professional politicians then
there is no hope, and we caution
the convention to not permit
themselves misled by any one
seeking to prevent cutting
down of delegations.
It is unfortunate for condl-
ton to exist which make people
feel that az unjust advantage is
being taken of them, and it was
just such a condition which be-
gun the revolution of 1890. The
politicians through the apathy
of the people had become SO en-
boldened in their control that it
became burdensome, and it only
needed a leader to step to the
front. The leader came in the
person of B. R. Tillman and the
people followed him blindly be-
cause they were dissatisfied with
the then conditions. Tillman
termed the politicians in control
;:An Oligarchy," and he smash
ed it, and their methods into
smithereens. That "Oligarchy"
was close corporation, made so
by few politicians who secured
control by manipulation of
clubs and conventions, and by it
became the dictators Of our pollt
ical affairs. Again the people
have become apathetic, and
again have our political affairs
become stagnant, so much so
that our methods are worse than
existed when Tillman aroused
the people.
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