Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-29
EFFECT OF PRIMARY PLEDGE
Discussion as to Whether It contem-
plates Support Of Presidential Nom
inees.

plates Support OF Presidential Nom
; inees.
Editorial in Columbia State. Oct. 1S.
|, The supporters Of the candidacy o
Mr.. Roosevelt for third term are bus
in South Carolina. II they are few Il
numbers they are full Of energy, and
apparently, have money. Their endeav
or is to convince Democrats who nomi
mated a ticket from governor to coro
ner in Democratic primaries that the.
are under no obligation, moral or 9th
erwise, to vote the Democratic ticke
for president and vice president. The.
are posting the primary pledge In no
tel windows and, with 1t, printed ar
gument under that a man may be
Democrat until the primary has beel
held and desert the Democratic part.
next day. They are telling the peopl
that they. may be Democrats and no
Democrats at the same time-that the!
may vote as Democrats for a candidat
4 for governor and state senator, re
serving the privilege to vote for a Re
publican for president in the genera
election. For Colonel Roosevelt is {
Republican, always has been Repub
lican, holds to the Republican view O
the tariff and bolted the Republican
party only when 1t failed to nominate
him for third term.
Whose business Is 1t to defend tht
Democratic party, in South Carolina
Whose duty is 1t to oppose and prevent
Whose duty is 1t to oppose and prevent
sion starts?
/ What are the standard bearers, the
candidates Of the Democratic party ir
South Carolina doing to stop the pro-
gress of the so-called "Progreasives"
Why was a Democratic ticket nomi.
mated?
Among the officers and leaders Of
the Roosevelt organization in this state
are men who voted for Jones for gov
ernor and men who supported Blease
for governor. Are they to be allowed tc
step quietly out Of the Democratic
ranks and 60 over to the same enemy
without word of rebuke from the
standard bearers Of the state Democ.
racy?
| II the Bull Moose" should poll sc
many as 10000 or $4,000 votes in the
election for president, who will be able
to say that the majority Of the sue
cessful Democratic candidates In the
recent primary was not given by MEM
bers Of the Bull Moose party disguised
as Democrats?
The candidates Of the Democratic
party in South Carolina owe 1t to the
party which has trusted and honored
them to rebuke the deserters and pub
licly and aggressively to brand them
as deserters.
Shall Bull Moose" party be born
in South Carolina with the men placed
on guard by the Democrats standing
by in silence-deaf and blind to what
Is going on?
Reply Of w. p. Beard.
[From Columbia State, October 1871
II
To the Editor Of the State:
In an editorial in this mornings
paper you attempt to make it appear
that those who participated In the
late primary are morally II not legal
ly bound to support the Democratic
electoral ticket. That is the merest
twaddle and the editor Of the State
is too intelligent to believe any such
nonsense himself. In the days gone by,
as I remember 1t, the primary oath
did cover the whole ticket by insert
ing the words land support the nomi-
nees Of the Democratic party, both
state and national" The oath was
changed, as have always understood
for the express purpose Of allowing
those who accepted our state politi-
cal status but disagreed with US ma
tionally, a voice in local government
That was and is now a wise pro-
vision for it unites the white people
in the state for white supremacy
while at the same time 1t allows
healthy division on national AFFAIRS
where the negro question Is not sc
acute. submit that, looking at this
matter from a standpoint Of reason,
rather than expediency, 1t Is rather
farfetched and wholly immaterial to
bring such baby talk as an implied
pledge" into this discussion, and the
proposition that the Progressives are
| "knifing' the Democratic candidate
for the presidency is not only untrue
but absurd. AS everyone with common
sense knows our primary is not now,
and never has been a strictly Demo-
cratic primary-it Is now and ever has
been a white primary, and the only
requirement necessary to join 1t Is
that one be a white man or negro
who voted for Wade Hampton In
lists.
There has never been any Intention
either expressed or implied. to prevent
the participants therein from voting
for whom they pleased for president,
as long as they conform to the letter
Oh C0elT OdlH " oupPoAS eAAS e~S
ticket so nominated. Now after allow
ing Republicans to vote in the state
primaries for years, and nothing said
about it, why all this fuss-and-feath-
ers about an implied pledge" when
old line Democratic voters decided
that for the good Of their country
they will do likewise
Have they not as much right to do
so as Republicans? Or is the State
and other Wilson organs more afraid
of this new party than they are OF
the Republicans? Which?
1t does not matter when Col. Roose-
welt was nominated, the right to vote
for whom he pleases resides In the
individual participant in the primary,
as far as the national ticket is con-
cerned and has always been so rec
ognized That argument falls Of its
own weight, for there Is absolutely
nothing to sustain It either in fact or
fancy.
The States fine point Of honor Is