The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-06-27

In yesterdays daily neWSpa-
pers Senator Tillman issues a
letter to the public in which he
defes the mandates of the Dem
ocratic party of this State by re-
fusing to attend the campaign
meetings as arranged by the
State Executive Committee, and
says he will have a campaign itin-
eracy of his own, beginning at
Sandy Flat in Greenville county,
July I, and at Elloree July 14th.
Then he wants picnics gotten up
and invitations extended to him,
for him talk in his own interests.
Hewill publish itineracy which
will be independent Of the rega-
lar Democratic meetings, The
Senator is wrong in this, if he is
unwilling to attend the regular
meetings fixed by the head of
the Democratic party, he should
remain at home and not conflict
with those arrangements. The
entire speaking system is a farce
it is true, but if we are loyal to
the party mandates no man high
or low has a right to kick out of
party harness because the load
does not pull to his liking. If any
other man than Ben Tillman had
said he will pay no attention to
the requirements of the State
Executive Committee, and will
conduct a campaign separate and
distinct, Tillman himself would
want him disciplined.
In our opinion, Senator Till
mans letter is setting a bad pre-.
cedent, and nnless the chairman
of the party calls him down, which
we have no idea he will do, the
Tillman letter will be the wedge
to party disruption. What the
Senator says is true, that the
short time allowed candidates to
speak is not sufficient; in fact,
the campaign meetings are a
farce. but we have an Executive
Committee to arrange this sort
of thing. and if the meetings are
not serving a good purpose, let
the committee act, not an lndl-
vidual.
If Senator Tillman can defy
the party rules. others have the
same right, and then how long
can we expect unity? No, it is
the duty Of the State chairman
to check the Senator before he
goes too far, and make him COM
ply with the party demands just
as if he were a candidate for
some minor position, and just as
if he was a plain EdgeIeld
farmer, instead of a great United
States Senator. If the Senator
adheres to his independent cam
paign idea, the State campaign
ers will be as much overshadow-
ed as Barnum and Bailey's cir
Gus would overshadow one-ring
ten-cent show. He would draw
the crowds, and the other place
hunters would have very few to
make their little speechs to.
We heartily agree with Sena-
tor Tillman that no man with
ideas to express, or rather whose
speeches are of any educational
value, can do justice to himself
or his hearers in the time allow
ance, but then the press has in
the past given the public men of
this State much valuable space
free of charge, and we think it
will do so again, whenever any
one of them hassomething to say
of interest or benefit to the
public, but to fill the columns of
the newspapers up with such
speeches as are usually made at
our campaign meetings would be
a waste of valuable space for
no good.
We have no objection to Sena-
tor Tillman having his own cam
paign, nor do we object to the
people getting up picnics in his
behalf, and if they choose to,
they can pass around the hat to
raise money to pay him for max
ing the speech, but we do object
to his arrogantly defying the
State Democratic Executive
Committees party rules.