The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-02-03
The Primary and its Fruits.
News and Courier.

The Richmond News-Leader, replying. to
The News n Courier. avoids the proposition
which II laid dow q few days & and whicn
The News AMI Courier e~hallenged-thst tne
South was returning to it's ancient habit o.
electing men OF the stamp OF Wade Hamdton
to high offices. 1t shifts the argument to the
contention that the primary system ID q oepe'
faction to the human race here In America,
that it is educatIve. improving. salutary and
medicinal 10 morals and politics.. hat Is 8
position that Is intelligently tenabie. Plent!
OF san men here In SOUTH Carolina agLee
with the News-Leader that the primary, plaI
ia superior to the con vention method anc
our % porary has wholly mislnterpreteo
The News and Courier's comments Wnen II
| accepts them as an assault on primary elect
Whatever the virtues Of the primary sys
tenn. IL liz mathematically true that In the
long run the person elected Will be the resuI.
tanI OF the icombined judgment, cneraoiel
and intelligence OF the electorate. A conVen.
ton OF one hundred men is, "a q rule, com;
posed of the one hundred better educated anc
ADLER men OF a county OF 5000 voters.the re.
spective wards and townships navlng sen
their leaders 10 the convention. This oooJ
of comparative experts will choose with shar
| per prosecutions OF ability and worth In CAD
didates than will the whole voting .popu
latiop.. The News-Leader, may reply mat 9
con vention Is more easily manipulate O.
more conveniently bought than is the whole
| BODY OF electors OF a Common wealth, ano
that we are not here dlsputing. put ~ ooe'
| not touch our assertion that a small numoei
of electors, who are themselves the resu It's Of
one or two strings. are less likely to be sway
ed by passion and iprP1udlce Lnat are wv
great mass. In the course OF Inc cenluIies
ali the electors may become trained experts
and the primary s~ystemsnlay hasten the CON
ling Of that day. but meapt1me, the aooption
OF the primary inevitably produces a lower
ing in the grade of bubble of1cials. :,
While the News Leader 10 Corree. Wnep 10.
passed In thlsS State, and that lone neeo no.
be a "coat tail swinger" 10 be elected 10 once
| the facts do nos point to q return TO the haoll
Of choosing men OF the type HSso OF he aaI lived Ii 11
south Carolina. Good men, many OF them
have been elected 10 ONCE, and the inen'
| lions OF the people are to elect them always
but the judgment OF lthe people is ,oiten a
lor would he invincible in q South Carolins
primary. lust as the joking and Jtngline
statesman Ia invincible In tennessee, ana 9
J John G. Calhoun would be unable 20 aeIea'
tatives now In Congress-. This Is q necessary
evil of the primary system, but IT by nc
means establishes that the syBtem's merits
do not outweigh those Of the Convention
plan. ~,
Were our contemporary familiar With the
South Carolina iof to-day We fear That pc
would discover that some or those VINO are
peculiarly the representatives. Of the gentie
men b adorned tne pn1no i1,sS ads bave
Iesrned to accommodate themselves to the
whim of the masses, and II there be among
fonr conspicuous political figures many whc
form their wi conclusions witt no ear oen,
te ho.murmaring or 1.-THE shouting OF the
l~populaoe, we are not acquainted with them
No, we are not predicting that Sosth Caro-
| lima and the South will be barren OF brilliant
| and strong representatives in the politica
life of the future, but the day was, when every
man aspiring to public ofice was either {
gentleman or else was compelled by thos'
who act the standards to initiate the manner
those who have acquired the tricks OF th'
clown have q decided advantage over-mer'
Finally, the News Leader should know
| that "Tillmanism" was an incident, q "ntfu
| feyer,n hut the substitution OF the prtmar.
| Tor the Con veniion plan which became a.
lsured before ITillman's advent and whicl
lTlllmah e%ndeavored to postpone, wal arevo
LUTON.