The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-09-04
sonE Plain FACTS
WHICH SHOW THAT THERE we're
TOO MANY VOTERS

i'm TUESDAYS PRIMARY
To Fave Gstten the Vote That Was
Claimed TO Have Been Cast Every
White Man Who Lives in South
Carolins Must Hare Voted Besides
Hundreds Of Others.
It Is hard to say where the $4,000
white men who voted in the primary
election on Tuesday came from. Ac-
cording to the census Of 1890 the
white population OF South Carolina
was. 4s2,eoS. Estimating one white
voter for Ave persons, the usual rate,
the white voting population in 1890
ahould have been 92,401. Estimat-
Ing that the rate OF increase was 2.2
per cent. g year, approximately the
rate OF gain between 1900 and 1870
the white voting population In 1882
the year OF the contest between TIL
man and Sheppard, was 1926. Tne
number OF votes cast was $4,000.
Probably, says the Columbia State
In no other contest ever held In South
Carolina were lines between factions
SO sharply drawn and interest so
intense, yet the total vote was about
800 under the number OF white
men Of voting age In the State. Be-
sides. 1892 was only Is years after
1876 and considerable number OF
negroes voted in that primary.
By the census Of 1900 the white
population Of the State was 557,S07
and the white voting population on
the basis Of one In Eve was 111,561.
Adding 1912 Tor the TWO years in
crease the voting population IN 1902,
the year Of the election Of Hayward
as Governor, Talbert and various
others being candidates, and six can
didates including Evans, and the late
afr. Latimer being in the field for
United States senator, the voting
population that year was 116,473.
The number OF votes east in the first
primary was S5,367 or 21,1os short
$of the white voting population.
IN 1910, the white population was
67S,i62 and using the same basis OF
one In i've the voting population was
is5,s32. The number Of votes cast
In the larger Of the two primaries OF
1910 was 1e7,231, or 26,601 less
than the voting population.
Allowing 2.2 increase for the last
two years, the voting population is
now 141,S Estimating "a scat
tertng boxes not reported. the total
vote alleged to have been cast last
Tuesday was 142,104. In other words
the State is supposed to have polled
2s5 more ballots than there are pre-
sumed to be white men Of voting age
{ In the State.
The Increase In the vote in two
years INST be set down as ;;4,S7S as
shown on the face OF the returns.
The vote IN 1910 was, meantime, the
largest that Up to that tinle had ever
been cast in South Carolina prim-
ary.
Allowing again 2.2 per cent. an
nral Increase the vote. to have been
; expected this year was 11,91s. E-
traordinary interest might possibly
have accounted for q vote between
that figure and 100000.
In no State primary does every
man qualiied cast his ballot. In 1892
when Tillman and Sheppard were
candidates, when the proportion was
higher than In any other year until
the present, about eleven or twelve
Ger cent. Of the white Democrats did
not vote. Ten per cent, not voting
would reduce the vote Of 1912 to
123,000 and usually those not voting
have been far more than ten pei
cent Of the voting population.
Who In a primary do not vote?
a physician said that ene-half OF
one per cent are usually sick in bed
or have bereavements in their fam
Iies ON any day IN the year. So zoo
would be absent from the polls.
The polls are open eight hours
; Railroad trains operate for practical
sIy "a hours in the day and the mum
sbsr OF conductors, engineers, fremen.
trainmesa, and other travelling rail
road men must be 1900 or 1000 tc
5Ssay the least. At least one-half OF
these do not vote. There are at
least i,9e0 unnaturalized foreigners
IN the State.
We do not know the number OF
wdite Republicans and Socialists in
the State but 5000 would not be
an extravagant estimate.
The white insane males and imbe-
Giles number several hundred.
There are some hundred white
convicts. There are another hun
dred 1or more men In the jails and
station houses on election day.
Granting that the number Of the
Indifferent In the State and absen-
tees from the State was less than
usual this year, their numbers al
ways aggregate some thousands. ANY
man who Will think 3 moment can
bring to mind friends or acquaint-
auces who were in New York, North
Carolina or elsewhere on election
day.
There are always number Of men
whose business engagements are too
pressing tto allow them to vote. There
are others who live in places remote
from the polls and there ere aged
men and cripples who can not con-
yenient1y reach the polling places.
Perhaps two thousand have chang
ed their residences Immediately be-
fore the primary or have not lived
IN the State a year.
a. a. still larger class who do not vote
are those who neglect or through
mistake fail TO have their names en-
rolled FIVE days before the primary.
Who does not remember an acquaint-
ance who failed to be enrolled?
Sometimes. through mistake or the
loss OF books a club may have its en-
roilment greatly reduced.
AS general proposition it may be
said that the polling of so per cent.
OF the possible ballots would be call