Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-04-20

AT the campaign meeting last week
at Aiken Chairman ID. S. Henderson
suggested that the Congressional can
didates might find it opportune to
talk about available Presidential can
didates, and to give the audience
their views upon the choice of can
didate. The suggegstion was not ac-
cepted and the choice of Presidential
material was left to others.
The four candidates for Congress
wisely have nothing to say on topic
that has no bearing upon their race.
The fact of the mater is they, like
most other folks, are very much at
sea as to who can best lead the
Democrats to success.
1t has been my lot to 60 out into
the State a good deal within the last
few weeks. l have visited the
eastern as well as the western part of
the Stat, and talked with many
persons about the choice of Presi-
dental candidate by the Democratic
party. There is unquestionably a
very strong sentiment in South Caro-
lima in favor of the nomination of
Grover Cleveland as the Democratic
candidate. "Ratsw some may
suggest, who remain cooped up in
their offices aud who have not been
out in "a State, and who have not
taken the trouble to make proper
inquiry.
The people of this State are des-
perately in earnest in their desire to
defeat Mr.. Roosevelt, and they be.
lieve that Grover Cleveland is the
man to defeat Roosevelt. 1t is not
that the white people love Mr.. Cleve-
land or his type so much, but that
they love Roosevelt less and they
want winner. The Bryan wing Of
the Democratic party many years ago
denounced Mr.. Cleveland in the
State Democratic Convention, and
they sent delegation to the Nomina-
ting Convention that would have
bolted in all probability had Mr..
Cleveland or any of his friends been
nominated. Things have changed!
Why have they changed 80 wonder
fully? The whole explanation, to
my mind, is in the little dinner party
between President Roosevelt and
Booker II. Washington, and the ap-
pointment of DR.. Crum as collector
of Charleston against the protest of
the people of Charleston.
1t is primarily the Booker w ashing-
ton incident that has worked the peo-
pie of this State, as | see it., to the
pitch of accepting Mr.. Cleveland if
need be to accomplish the defeat, not
of Mr.. Roosevelt, not of the Repub-
licans, but of the man who wined
and dined with colored man. That
is the whole situation.
THE PARKERAND HEARST ADVOCATES.
The people think well of Judge
Parker, and it is mistake to suggest
that Mr. Hearst is without his friends
and admirers, but there is not the
same reliance in their winning quail.
ties as in Cleveland. Mr.. Cleveland's
views ale still obnoxious to many in
this State, but his crowning glory to
these same people is that he has no
Booker Washington incident, and he
has "knocked the spots" out of such
talk in his recent card relative to
Thomas Watson, and he is looked
upon as a winner just at this time.
The Democratic party in South
Carolina will vote for the nominee of
the party, regardless of whom it may
be. This State will go for Parker,
or German, or Cleveland, or Hearst,
or X. Y. H., should any one of them
be nominated at the Democratic Con-
vention. 1t might not have done 80
in the nineties, but it will do so now
that Mr.. Roosevelt's negro policy is
fixed. There are many in this State
who have all along believed in and
admired Mr.. Cleveland, but they
have been in minority in the con-
troll of the party. They are to-day
as enthusiastic admirers of Mr.. Cleve-
land as they have ever been, and,
added to this leaven are those who
look upon Mr.. Cleveland as the most
hopeful candidate against Mr.. Roose-
welt.
If the Democratic Convention
were held tomorrow instead of in
the middle of May, my impression is
that the delegation from South Caro-
lima to the ST. Louis Convention
would 60 without instructions, to do
the very best it could when it reaches
the Convention. 1t is quite likely
that such will be the programme
when the State Convention is held,
as the disposition seems to be strongly
in favor of making sacrifices 80 as to
get a winner and to place the negro
question above ali others.
THE RACE QUESTION PARAMOUNT.
The outside world has but little
idea of the intensity Of the feeling
on the race question in this State.
There are those who insist that there
is no race question those who urge
that things will settle themselves.
They might do so and there might
be no race question if Mr.. Roosevelt
were not President, and others who
believe like him did not stir things
up. If left alone, there is no danger,
but if stirred up from the outside
there is danger to both sides and
those who have most to do with the
colored man are the ones who are
mostly impressed with this idea.
There is no purpose in this to
boom Mr.. Cleveland or to suggest
that he would get the vote of the
delegation from this State, but the
point is to show how greatly the
feeling against him has subsidized, and
why there are many who want him
nominated-men who, years ago
would have rather voted for the devil
than to have voted for Grover Cleve-
land.
Ip all of my talk | heard jnst one