Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-01-22
OUR PRIMARY SYSTEM.

The Rock Hill Record in its issue OF
Monday, has the following interest
ing comments on the working Of the
existing primary system:
Now that the excitement Of the elec-
ton is over ana the wiling patriots
VINO asked the people to send them to
the legislature are now at Columbia
pouring Llms into the hopper, we nope
mat at least one MEMBER OF the YORK
county uelegation will have hardy
courage enough to introduce a bill
changing the laws governing the pri-
mary system in this state.
We note tnat petitions are being Cir
culated in North Carolina requesting
bill adopting the Australian ballot
system. 1t would be a hne thing for
this state.
AS conditions now are, the primary
in South Carolina is a farce-not only
that, but 1t leads to corruption among
peanut politicians. The primary Is
absolutely devoid Of any restrictions
ANY man VINO Is free, white and q,
who says he will support the primary
nominee at the general election, is al
lowed to vote at the primary-when
as matter of fact he Is in many in
stances not a qualified voter and OF
course does not figure in the general
election. And here Is where the pity
of it comes. Men are nominated al
the primary by men who cannot vote
at election-by men who cannot read
or write-by men who are not in any
sense qualified TO vote-by men who
cannot mark their own tickets. There
were men nominated at the last pri-
mary who would not now be holding
a
at the primary. The primary In Rock
Hill last summer was disgusting. The
editor Of the Record sat at his Office
window on the day Of the primary ano
saw scores of tickets marked for men
who could neither read nor write-and
this marking was In many instances
done by the candidates friends. II
was thoroughly disgusting. Loads OF
alleged voters were brought to the
polls in hacks, in direct violation OF
the law-but, of course, no one could
prove who paid for the hacks. The
politicians and their "heelers" stood
around the polls all day and voted
these alleged voters like a drove OF
sheep-men who could not have mark
ed their tickets If their lives had de-
pended on it.
The primary is really the main issue
in this state and settles the matter as
to who shall fill the offices. But as the
primary is now conducted, how car
you expect to get good men to run fol
office so long as these conditions ex-
ist? Some good men do offer them
selves, and sometimes are elected, but
as a rule they are defeated at the pri-
mary by the politician who knows how
to work the ropes and get the floaters
to the polls on the day Of the primary
If such rotten conditions were reme-
died and the same restrictions thrown
around the primary that safeguard the
general election-say the one last No
vember-there would have been an en-
tirely different lineup among the
York county delegation, now in the leg
islature.
We trust that some one member OF
the general assembly will introduce
and press for passage bill which will
enable our primaries to be conducted
along honest and legitimate lines-it
for no other purpose than to do away
with the cheap john" politicians who
are now posing as wise legislators
Then the time will come when citizens
of high standing and business ability
will be glad to serve the people In the
egislature-people who would be a
credit to the state.
There Is general dissatisfaction
certainly in Rock Hill-over the way
the peanut" politicians manipulate
our primaries. These men want Of
flee, no matter how they get it-and
these very men are holding office today
who would be private citizens If only
qualified, registered voters were al
lowed to vote in the primaries.
Is there a member of the York coun-
tv delegation who will introduce a bill
calling for a change in the method OF
conducting the primaries?