The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-09-11
some Plain FACTS
WHICH SHOW THAT THERE WERE
TOO MANY VOTERS
IN TUESDAYS PRIMARY

IN IUESDAYS pRlMAkl
To Have Gotten the Vote That Was
Claimed to Have Been Cast Every
White Man Who Lives in South
Carolina Must have 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 1880 the
white population OF South Carolina
was A62,0OS. Estimating one white
voter for five persons, the usual rate,
the white voting population in 1890
should have been 92,401. Estimat-
Ing that the rate OF increase was 2.2
per cent. a year, approximately the
rate of gain between 1900 and 1912
the white voting population in lSS2,
the year OF the contest between Ill
man and Sheppard, was se,2e6. Inc
number Of votes cast was S!,ooo.
Probably. says the Columbia state
IN 70 other contest ever helo II eoutn
Carolina were lines between factlons
50 sharply drawn and interest SO
intense, vet the total vote was about
800 under the number Of white
men Of voting age in the State. Be-
sides. 1882 was only Is years after
1875 anG considerable number OF
negroes voted in that primary.
81 the census Of 1900 the white
population Of the State was 557,SQI
and the white voting population on
taa basis Of one in FIVE was III, 81.
Adding 1872 for the two years in
crease the voting population in 1902,
the year Of the election OF Heyward
as Governor, Talbert and various
others being candidates, and six can
didates including Evans, and the late
Mr. Latimer being in the field for
United States senator, the voting
population that year was 116,4l3.
The number of votes cast in the first
primary was 95,367 or 21,l06 short
Of the white voting population.
In 1910, the white population was
eT9,l62 and using the same basis OF
one in FIVE the voting population was
1882. The number Of votes cast
In the larger Of the two primaries OF
1910 was 1o7,231, or 26,601 less
than the voting population.
Allowing 2.2 increase for the last
two years. the Toting population is
now l41,SO9. Estimating 81 scat
ter.ng boxes not reported, the total
vote alleged to have been cast last
Tuesday was 142,l04. IN other words
the State Is supposed to have polled
2e5 more ballots than there are pre-
suued to be white men OF voting age
in the State.
TIE increase in the vote in two
years INST be set down as 34.S73 as
shown on the face Of the returns,
The vote IN 1910 was, meantime, the
largest that up to that time had ever
been cast in South Carolina prim-
arE.
Allowing again % per cent. an
oual Increase the vote to have been
expected this year was 1913. Elk,
traordinary interest might posstbl!
have accounted for a vote between
that figure and 10000.
In no State primary does every
nan qualified cast his ballot. In 1892
when Tillman and Sheppard were
candidates, when the proportion was
higher than IN any other year unit
the present, about eleven or twelve
per cent. OF the white Democrats die
not vote. Ten per cent, not votins
would reduce the vote Of 1912 tc
12S,ooO and usually t,.ose not voting
have been far more than ten pei
cent Of the voting population.
Who IN primary 60 not vote?
A physician said that one-half oi
one per cent are usually sick IN bee
or have bereavements in their fam.
lies on any day in the year. So zoe
would be absent from the polls.
The polls are open eight hours
Railroad trains operate for practical
ly q hours in the day and the mum
ber OF conductors, engineers, fremen
trai1nea. and other travelling rail
road men must be $500 or 1000 tc
say the least. At least one-half 0!
these do not vote. There are al
least 1000 Uo1aturaIized foreigners
IL tie State.
We 90 not know the number ot
white Republicans and Socialists in
the State but 5000 would not be
an extraragant estimate.
The white insane males and imbe-
Giles number several hundred.
There are some hundred white
convicts. There are another hun.
dred or more men il the jails and
station houses On election day.
Granting that the number Of the
Indifferent in the State and absen-
,ees from the State was less than
usual tbs year, their numbers al
ways aggregate some thousands. Any
man who will think moment can
bring to mind friends or acguaint-
aoces who were in New York, North
Carolina or elsewhere on election
day.
There are always number Of men
whose business engagements are too
pressing TO allow them to vote There
are others who I've in places remote
from the polls and there are aged
men and cripples who can rot con-
vertently reach the polling places.
Perhaps two thousand have chang
ed their residences Immediately be-
fore the primary or nave rot HTed
IN the State year.
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-