Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-16
COUNTY POLITICS.

people in York county who are well on
to the political game as conducted IN
these parts, there is in what the aver
age voter does not know enough to
fill Volumes And if the average voter
the man who has never been can
didate and who never expects to be
candidate only knew a great deal more,
it would be much better for all con-
cerned.
The knowledge of the average man
in politics is confined to the idea that
every voter makes more or less care
full survey of the field, decides upon the
men who come nearest to conforming
to his notions as to character, ability.
PLATFORM etc, and casts his ballots ac-
cordingly. This idea is very well war
ranted by the surroundings in which
the average citizen finds himself, for as
applicable to his class it is strictly
true; but to politics there is a great
deal more than that There is more
than can be told in a brief newspaper
article. There is more than any one
man can tell in any kind of an article,
for no one man can get to the bottom
of it all.
Out of the thirty five hundred voters
in York county, there are perhaps as
many as two thousand who can be de-
BY those who vote their convictions is
meant men who use all reasonable
means to correctly inform themselves
and having arrived at conclusion as
to what they should do, do it. OF these
possibly as many as two thirds un-
dertake to convince others IF their way
of thinking, and exercise influence be-
yond their own votes. The remaining
fifteen hundred know but little of the
candidates under consideration or the
issues at stake and care less. They
have some appreciation of their priv
ilege of voting to be sure: but they get
more pleasure and satisfaction out OF
putting their votes at the disposal or
others than in casting those votes to
their own notion.
The considerations that influence the
individual in the casting of his vote
are so many and varied that to emu
merate them all is next to impossible
The first and highest consideration, OF
course, is the desire to discharge the
most important duty of a good citizen.
But this does not always control cleo
tiOnS There are as many who vote
with the purpose of furnishing enemies
as who vote with the purpose OF re-
warding friends, and the number OF
votes that are cast with various pur-
poses more or less selfish would loom
up large if there was any way of dis
closing the exact facts.
In an election like that between Mr..
Blease and Mr.. Featherstone, for in
stance, where the contention involved
both men and issues the lines of di-
vision were sharp. There had been
enough agitation to crystalline prefer
ences if not opinions, and 80 per cent
of the voters went To the polls with
their minds fully made up as to what
they would do. But few votes were
changed at the polls.
In an election like that between
Moore and Richardson, the general
public knew little about either and
cared less. Moore had the benefit of
the military organization all over the
state, and with comparatively little
work it was easy for that organization
to do all that was necessary to give
him an overwhelming majority. When
the railroad commission race had
narrowed down to Hampton and Can
sler, ii was only necessary to sound
again the once magic name of Hamp-
ION. and while ii did not work in the
home county Of Cansler, throughout
the state thousands and thousands
voted for Hampton for no other reason.
If there had been opportunity for in
formation and discussion. the result
may have been very different.
Various considerations figured in the
race for supervisor as in the race for
auditor. There were hundreds who
considered nothing but the candidates
in either race. There were other hun
dreds who considered many other side
issues, and still many other hundreds.
who were induced at the last minute
to vote for or against one or the other
candidates on the strength of rumorS
and telephone messages that the
friends of one had combined with the
enemies of the other and vice versa.
In every election there is more or
less talk about the cotton mill vote,
and this vote generally cuts an i'm
portant figure. Although the common
idea of those who do not know is To
the contrary, the cotton mill vote is
not different from any other The cot
ton mill people are human just like
other people There ar" intelligent
folks among them and ignorant folks
among them. There are among them
people who are intensely interested
and people who do not care. There are
among them men who lead and men
who follow. They are as approaCha-
BILE as any other class. They are in
nuenced 10y what they conceive To be
their own interests just as is any oth-
cr class. Their votes are not for sale
any more than are the votes of other
people. Their interest and support are
secured exactly on the same basis as
are the interest and support of other
people. Sometimes they are deceived
by shrcwd outsiders and made to vote
against their best interests just as 9TH
cr people are, and many a candidate
loses the cotton mill vote just because
he fails To go after it as did the other
fellow.
1t is a common thing. for instance,
to hear that Mr. Blcasc got the cotton
mill vote over the state. 1t is a fact,
that he got most of it; but he did
not get ii all. He got most of it in
York county; hut he did not get it all.
Mr. Blease got what he did get 10y 60
ing after it in the right way. In most