The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-30
TALK WITH TILLMAN
What the Old Leader Says About New
State Questions.
BRIBERY The GREAT DANGER
That Threatens the Primary and
Urges Strong Action Against
Those Who Resort to
the Practice.

T Those Who Resort to
the Practice.
The protest in Greenville County
against the primary system and tht
election Of Supervisor Walker agains1
Mr.. Spsegle has naturally attracted {
great deal OF interest. Its, perhaps
: the hardest blow that the primary
syste m has received since it has beer
in vogue In this State. Senator Till
man, however, does not appear to at
tach very much Importance to the
Greenville incident, and in talk witt
Mr.. Kohn OF the News and Couri.
er staff about that matter a day OF
TWO ago at his home he said that the
whole trouble arose from toe partisan
} ship and blindness OF the county ex.
ecutive committee to their duty tc
the people who had selected them.
He is convinced that, if the c@m nit
tee had ordered another primary and
the people settle the contention at a
regular Democratic primary, there
would have been no trouble, and that
the voters would have been satisfied,
but the difficulty was that the people
thought that they had been cheated,
OF in other words had not been fairly
treated, and that the result was large.
ly accomplished by trick. This
may or may not have been 50, but The
people all the same got the impression
that there was trick about the mat
ter, and they would not consent to
any such business, aad they took the
Bit in their t.eth and showed their
disapprcval If the work Of the COM
mittee and elected Walker.
BAD EFFECT OF GREENvILLE BOLT.
Teen he went on to talk about the
effect Of this lection Of Mr.. Walker
would have upon the primary system,
aud said that in bis opinion it would
encourage incepen6entism wherever
there is any ort Of an'excuse for it.
It would tend to relax tie discipline
Ct the party; ald in the Piedmont Sec
tion, where the negroes are 50 scarce,
the only salvation for the primary is
to have it 50 honestly and so fairly
and openly conducted that no man
can complain. These people in the
Piedmont section never suffered as did
those in the balance Of the State dur
irg the Reconstruction era and the
days OF good stealing. They never
bad negro domination nor carpet
bagisn except as to the State Govern
u eot, and therefore they are less
tolerant OF abuse in the primary than
the people in the tide water secticn,
who know that the possibilities OF the
negro vote really are. The people in
the tide water section are going to
hold steadfast to the primary system
and keep it absolutely intact, because
they have greater reason to do so, as
they are very much like the burnt
child As q matter IF fact Senator
Tillman thought that In nearly all
OF the counties Of the Sta e the pri-
mary system was conductel with ab-
solute Integrity and honesty. Then
be went on to talk about the necessity
Of keeping the primary system above
su .picion, and preventing tie use OF
money in connection with the direct
or indirect purchase OF votes. he
suggested that be had seen that the
Law and Order League, OF Aiken, had
| organized, and that one Of the COM
mendable features Of its work is to
cleanse the Augean stables IN connec-
tion with the primary system.
DANGER OF BRIBERY.
Senator Tillman remarked that he
had beeu told by well-informed men
from the Horse Creek Valley section
that there were at least six hundred
votes in the Horse Creek Valley that
we're absolutely for sale In TIE last
election in that territory. He knew
OF his own knowledge very many Of
the old time residents OF Vaucluse,
Langley, G-aniteville and the older
mill communities, and he was salts
fed, IN his own mind, that this &C.
noralization and corruption does not
| lie at the door Of these self-respecting
citizsns WHO have lived in that com
munity for very many years. The
''foauers' from the Horse Creek Val
ley, who were most in evidence, must,
ne thought, be new comers, who have
gone there to run the DeT mills or to
20 iuto ether E01k. He has cever
thought that any considerable proper
ton Of home people we're purchasable.
If these sta!eu ents as to the number
Of votes that were tffered in Aiken
County are true, aud il the reports
from other parts OF the State are so,
il Is a horrible condition OF affairs,
AID the General Assembly, be thinks,
ought to meet the condition by pass
irg d law imposing heavy penalty
bota upon the man who cf2rs bribe
and upon the nan VITO receives it
In addition to this penalty by law,
public opinion must be aroused SC
that convictions can be obtained, be-
cause without the cultivation Of pub
lie opinion upon this line absolutely
40 good can come from such statute.
He vas 7ervglad to Sc that the Law
and Order League OF Aiken had un-
dertaken tU purify the elections, anc
to build up the moral tone OF the peo'
pie. and il this is Succ ssfully done II
will accomplish much good.
BRIBERY SHOULD BE PUNISHED.
Seaator Tillnan and this CORES
pon5ent had quite l0g discussion
as 10 the possibilities OF stepping this
practice, and Of Information that hao
been received Of where candidates ha1
, been asked t pay for the time of mtl
!, while they We're at work in the inter
; ss!S Of these candidates and very many
, other indirect ways Of getting at The
( rurse strings OF candidates. Senator
Tillman said that in his opinion any