The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-04-25
PURIFYING THE PRIMARY.
Candidates Must Swear Not to Use
Money or Liquor and Must Render
an Itemized Statement.

Columbia, April 17.-An act passed
bv the legislature of 1905, affects, in
an important way, candidates in the
coming Democratic club meetings,
comfy and state conventions, primary
elections.
This act forbids any person by
threats. or any other form Of intimida-
ton, or by the payment, delivery or
promise of money, or other article of
value, to induce another to vote for
or against any particular candidate
in such election
Section of the act requires every
| candidate before he shall enter upon
his campaign" to file a pledge that he
| will not give nor spend money or use
| intoxicating liquors for the purpose Of
obtaining or influencing votes" the
| pledge requiring him Immediately af-
ter the primary to file an itemized
statement which "shall be open to
public Inspection showing under
oath "all further moneys spent or pro-
vided by me in said election
The act makes null the election Of
any one who fails to comply with its
provisions.
Though his duties do not require
him to do so, State Chairman Jones'
out of the interest he feels in the par
| ty, and exercising characteristic care
to save his friends and acquaintances
from the consequences of neglect or
oversight, is taking great pains to get
| this act under the eye of everyone
intending to become a candidate in
the coming election. He is having sew
eral hundred copies Of the act printed
| in order to distribute them himself
and send others out to the county
chairmen with a request that they
personally see that the candidates
comply with the law in time. County
candidates file these pledges with the
clerk OF court while candidates in
more than one county, such as would
| be solicitors, congressman, staff Off
GERS and the like, are required to file
the pledge with the secretary Of state.
Following is a copy Of the act:
Section l. At or before every po-
Ilitical primary, election held by any
political party, organization OR asso-
citation. for the purpose of choosing
candidates for Office or the election of
delegates to conventions in this state,
any person who shall, by threats or
any other form Of intimidation, or by
the payment, delivery or promise Of
money, or any other article Of value,
procure or offer, promise or endeavoT
to procure another vote for or against
anv particular candidate in such cleo
ton, or who shall for any such consid-
Grafton, offer to SO vote, shall be gull
ty of misdemeanor.
Sec. 2. Every candidate offering for
election, under the provisions Of Sec
ton 1. shall make the following pledge
and file the same with the clerk OF the
court of common pleas for the coun-
ty in which he is a candidate, unless
he should. be a candidate in more than
one county, i'll which case he shall
file same with the secretary Of state,
before he shall enter upon his cam
|.paign, to wit: I, the undersigned
-- of the county Of
the state of South Carolina, candidate
for the Office Of ----, hereby
pledge that I will not give nor spend
money, or use intoxicating liquors for
the purpose Of obtaining or influenc-
| ing votes, and that I shall, at the con-
clusion Of the campaign and before
the primary election, render to the
clerk Of the court, Cor secretary of
state as hereinafter provided) under
| oath, an itemized statement Of all
moneys spent or provided by me dur
ing the campaign for campaign pur-
poses up to that time, and further
pledge that I will, Immediately after
the primary election or elections that
I am candidate in, render an itemized
| statement, under oath, showing all
further moneys spent or provided by
me in said election: Provided, That
g failure to comply with this provision
shall render such election null and
void, in so far as the candidate who
fails to file the statement herein re-
| CURED, but shall not affect the validity
! Of the election Of any candidate COM
plying with this section: And. pro-
vided, further That such itemized
statement and pledge shall be open to
public inspection at all times.
Sec. 8. That any violation Of the
| ~ cLo1 ho ,r,ic6P-