Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-21
THE FIELD OF POLITICS.

Now that farm work has begun TO
slack up somewhat, with good crop
prospects on every hand, fruit and
vegetables in abundance and water
melons almost ready, the people Of
the outlying districts are beginning
to consider local politics, and If this
writer, who has been in more or less
close touch with the subject for a
great many years, is any judge, the
matter is receiving more discriminate
ing attention than ever before.
Back in 1876 the one great ques-
and If a man was all right on that
question it made little difference
what he was otherwise. Then came
a long period of political dry rot dur
ing which the politics of the county
was run by few people and the gen.
eral public seemed content to let 1t
go at that. Next came the Tillman
movement with a protracted reign of
factionalism during which the fitness
of men was judged by the bitter
ness Of their offensive partisanship,
and now for a number Of years we
have been emerging into a season of
sanity when the great majority Of
the voters seem to be trying to settle
on the wisest policies and the most
capable men Of carrying them out.
OF late the writer has been with a
number of farmer citizens in their
homes, he has talked with farmers
and others from different parts Of the
county, and he has also talked with
number of candidates who have been
circulating into every nook and cor
ner of the county. Through these
sources he has learned several things.
In the first place the people general
ly, and the farmers especially, are be-
ginning to show quite lively interest
n local politics. In the second place,
efforts to stir up factional partisan
ship meet with scant success and Ill
the third and most Important place,
it is doubtful If the people generally,
or so many Of them, have ever been
more serious or discriminating In try
ing to do the best thing for themselves
and the country in political way.
Most Of the campaigns during the
last half dozen years have been
fought out on the basis of the demer-
it's of the respective contestants, and
along the lines Of personal partisan
ship. Only a few candidates have
been willing to stand openly for any
thing. Some have been fair and man
ly in their positions, but fair and
manly fighting on both sides has not
been the rule. Dodging and under
hand bushwhacking has been the
more common. The politics of the
county has not been on very high
plane. There is some of this same
underhand bushwhacking going on
now, but the voters, majority OF the
voters, are giving the situation the
most intelligent attention they have
ever given. This is true unless ap-
pearances are deceiving.
The road question has figured in
every campaign since the war and
during a good many campaigns be-
fore the war 1t has never been con-
sidered seriously. 1t has merely served
as something to talk about in the alb
sence of anything else to say. A cam
didate for the legislature for instance
would vociferouSly declare that he
was in favor of better roads, and
that if sent to Columbia he would do
something to get them. What that
something was he would not try to
explain, and after he would come
back from Columbia he would sell
dom have anything to say on the
subject except that he might after
ward see proper to make another
empty promise along the same line.
The explanation was that when he
began to look seriously into the mat
he fInt I,n i'm
prove the roads was by spending
money on them and as money could
not be raised except by taxation, and
as he did not have enough confidence
in the people to believe that they
would submit to this method, he did
nothing But now the road question
is figuring seriously. A road law has
been passed. 1t provides for the rails
ing of money to build roads, and it is
up to the people to say whether they
really want what so many Of them
have been saying they want.
If any man does not believe that
the people are considering the road
question let him go out and sound
the average voter along that line. He
will find all kind of views. He will
find some people who don't pay
any tax except poll, talking
wildly about the burden that the new
law seeks to impose. He will find
others who do not pay much tax say
ing that the new law is the very thing.
He will find still other heavy taxpay-
ers enthusiastic for it and he will find
pretty good sized taxpayers opposed.
He will find practically all the Oppo-
sition argument based upon consider
ations other than the cost but he will
be unable to escape the impression
that the real trouble with nine oppo-