The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-04-13
AWAKE TO YOUR INTERESTS.

CaIO1lId lS w OS= W = eetAA1S>e
throughout the State on Satur-
day, April 23rd, and for that
purpose the county chairman
has issued his call for the clubs
to assemble in this county. At
these club meetings, delegates
will be elected to a county con-
vention which meets May 2nd,
and also to elect a member of the
county executive committee. we
are peculiarly situated in this
State. there being only one par
ty, and that party has absolute
control of the government; every
officer from United States Sena-
tor down to constable is a mem
be1. of the Democratic party, AID
whatever issues arise must be
determined by the Democra nc
voters. These conditions make
it necessary for the members Of
the party to take an active inter-
est in it's organization, hence ev-
erv man should attend his club
meeting. and aid in having his
club well represented in the con-
vention, also on the executive
committee. There should be a
careful revision Of the rolls to
prevent double representation,
and there should also be care
taken in the selection of a coun-
ty chairman, a man who will
preside over party affairs with
impartiality, in order that every
candidate who offers himself be-
fore the people shall be. given
Justice which he is entitled to. In
our opinion, no man should be
chosen for the Office Of county
chairman who will be a candi-
date in the primary, nor do we
think it fair that a candidate
in the primary shall have a
membership on the executive
committee. If the executive
committee is made up of candi,
dates in the primary, and the
contest is so close that the com
mittee has to determine the cleo.
ton, these candidates who are
members of the committee are
Judges and jury Of the cases they
are personally interested in, and
naturally biased in their own ia
vor. The rules of the Democratic
party are silent upon this very
Important matter, but the county
convention can by resolution
adopt a rule which will prohibit
a candidate from being a member
of the executive committe; fair,
ness demands such action to be
taken by the convention.
We urge the Importance Of a
full attendance upon the club
meetings, because our political
system has become so lax that
the meetings are not attended
with the result, Indifference has
brought about a condition that
few outside of prospective can.
didates take any interest in
the party organization. 1t will
not do for the people to wait
until they have to face a condl'
ton of corruption before they
realize the Importance of then
political duties, they should act
now, and prevent if possible, EN-.
barrassing conditions. How Of
ten do we read in the newspapers
where a County Treasurer has
defaulted, take the recent cases
at Bamberg and Richland where
the defalcations run into the
Thousands of dollars, not alone
with treasurers, other officials
have also defaulted, and when
the bond is sued upon, the county
has a hard fight to recover, if il
recovers at all. These defalca
tions if not made good by the
bond must necessarily be made
good by the taxpayers, because
it takes money to run the govern
ment and that money must come
out Of the pockets of the people
by taxation. Clarendon has been
fortunate, the taxpayers have not
been called upon to make gooo
defalcations, but unless the peo
pie interest themselves to see tc
it that none but good men are
elected to Office, there is no tell.
ing what the future consequences
may be. Indifference is calculat
ed to open the political doors tc
incompetency and corruption:
and whenever the people by then
inaction condone corruption IL
our election methods, they can
not expect to reap other thar
they have sovn. The represen
tation in the convention two
years ago IS sufficient proof thai
there was corrupt methods EN-
ployed; just think Of it, a con
vention Of $500 voters, when i
is a known fact, Clarendon has
not over two-thirds Of the mum
Der: Notwithstanding this false
representation, a ballot in tha'
convention showed a vote in ex
cess Of the falsely enrolled dele
gates. Who is responsible TO,
such a condition.: The people
who do not seek to remedy it. Sc
far as that particular convention
is concerned, it resulted in coun
tenancing corruption in the pri
mary which gave vote thatmany