The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-05-11


No Communication 0: personal character
win DC published excep: as N advertisement
Entered a. the Pos:oscc q: Manning as Sec
ood C,ass matter.
WHITTIER ARE We DRIFTING.
We have had our attention
called to a letter in The State OF
last Saturday signed s;Sam NJ.
G-;st, and dated from Yorkyille,
S. c., May 9Th, 1910. The letter
is q long one and we cannot spare
the space to reproduce it, but it
advocates revolutionizing our pri-
mary and jury system, the very
thing we discussed in the last IS.
sue of The TINES. We take is
sue with Mr.. Grist whom we hap
pen to know pleasantly, there Is
no need to tamper with our pri-
mary system for the purpose OF
curtaling the vote, none what
ever. and there is no need to
change our jury system for the
purpose Of securing convictions.
Mr.. Grist argues for the enact
ment OF a law that will throw
every restriction around a pri.
mary election = State county,
township, city or town-that now
applies to a general election TO
back np his contention for this
change he Illustrates the recent
Columbia election. he says 'son!y
about 1878 votes were polled,
and it is quite likely that had not
the ballot been restricted to quail,
iied voters not less than $500
would have been recorded. and
Mr.. Gibbes showed under -
QThe idea then, is to prevent a
certainclassof people from voting
unless it is certain their vote can
be controlled, according to MIR.
Griss had the full citizenship Of
Columbia been registered, and
voted. the result would have been
different: this in confession that
a new scheme had to be adopted
to get clear of over one half OF
She white vote of that city, in or
der to elect q man who is not the
choice of the people that must be
governed by him, and, who must
bear their proportion of the taxes
to run that city's government.
Would Mr.. Grist advocate a tax
exemption for these people thus
disfranchised by the registration
requirement.? Remember the
election referred to was a city pri-
mary, and tits conceded that not
ever one-half. of the white people
were permitted TO vote, it IS a
reasonable supposition to con-
clude, the disfranchised ones
were the laboring classes, men
who were in the employ OF 9th
ers, and whose time was not their
own, aud who could not afford to
lose the time to go to the regis
tration officer for a certificate, but
should the ticket nominated IN
that curtailed primary, be oppos-
ed by an independent ticket, we
ask would Mr.. Grist, and those
who commend his views not ap-
peal to the disfranchised ones 20
get registered and rush to the
polls to save the ticket IN the
name of democracy? No. this
class that Mr.. Grist would elimi-
nate from the privilege OF voting
would not be refused to do their
share of work upon the public
roads. nor would they have one
nickle Of their taxes discounted
By reason that their highest priv
Hege has been taken away from
them. The country becomes in
volved in war, no registration
certificate is sequired to SHOULDER
a mnsket. possible to take the
place too. Of one higher up n the
social scale. as a substitute. We
regard the agitation Of thus ques-
ton as unfortunate, the tendency
is towards injustice, is the reason
We oppose any such attempt to
disfranchise the votes Of the
white man.
The jury system to be disturbed
too, a system that has stood ever
since the foundation of this couu-
try; it has served well aud good,
then why disturb it now? True
there has been some miscarriageS
Of justice, some men have escap-
ed punishment, but we are rot so
sure that the jury system was to
blame, for these escapes The
technical lawyer who for price,
manufactured c :.idence for the
man that hired him, is more to
blame than the jury, for jurors
are sworn to go by the law and
the evidence, and when a lawyer
presents to the jury evidence,
false though it is, the jury has
that to frame a verdict upon.
Then too, it IS the fault Of the
people when they les so many
lawyers get into the law making
bodies, they confuse and befuddle
the law so that instead of it being