The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-09-11
THE MISCHIEF MAKER SHIRKS.

Sumter is the author of the res
olution adopted by the State Ex-
ecutive Committee. to turn over
to a subcommittee the matter of
probing into the recent primary
to ascertain whether or not there
was fraud. and. which had the
effect of delaying the holding of
the second State primary, but
we notice that after he created
the mischief he asked to be ex-
cused from serving on the com.
mittee, this no doubt was to
avoid responsibility. It is not
the first time we have heard of
men urging war with phrases of
high sounding patriotism, but
when war is declared they hid
behind a substitute.
Mr.. Manning comes from a
county that polled nearly fifty
per cent more votes than ever
before, but it went for Judge
Jones, of course the Sumter vote
vas without any Irregularities
it went for Jones. He claims to
be in for the square deal and
wishes an honest investigation
free from partisanship, if he is
sincere in this, he should not
have shirked the responsibility
of serving as one of the investl
gators, but instead, after start.
ing the blaze he leaves it to
others, notably the Hon. W. F.
Stevenson, the leader of the
House opposition to Governor
Blease, to spread the confagra.
ton and make confusion worse
confounded. A cold footed poll
clan can never climb the State
House stairs.
This executive committee OBJ
jected to a proposition to have
three Blease and three Jones
men with a seventh man appoint
ed by the chair as the sub
committee on the ground that
they were opposed to giving the
committee a factional appear
ance, but it proceeded through
Chairman Evans to make it fac
tional by appointing four Jones
and three Blease men with the
head of the committee a bitter
partisan against Blease-the Hon
W. F. Stevenson. Under these
conditions, to expect the masses
to have faith in the sub-commit-
tee would be expecting too much.
This cry about preserving the
primary system does not go
with the average reading man;
it is we'll known that there is
opposition to the primary sys-
TEN, and has been ever since its
Inauguration, the clamor for a
restricted primary has come
from those who are now crying
fraud. Two years ago Mr..
Manning's county adopted a res
olution urging a restricted pri
mary, the idea being to cut down
the vote, and we all know who
they expected to be cut out
this cry comes from an element
who imagine they alone have
the right to rule. but as long as
the common herd has a voice,
this element cannot come into
what they think is their birth
right; their only hope of reach
ing the political flesh pots is by
destroying the primary system
entirely, return to the old con.
vention plan. or have the pri
mary restricted so the common
citizen will find it difficult to
have a voice in the election.
They prefer the convention
system, believing they can con-
troll it easy, just as they did the
last May convention, but when
the masses have the primary
system taken away from them,
or obstacles are placed in their
way for the exercise Of their
franchise, they will prepare
themselves to stand up for their
rights under any circumstances;
the only way these NAL contents
can get control of the govern
ment is to make a new constitu-
ton which will disfranchise the
majority of white men in the
State, but this will not be at
tempted. The white majority
shall continue to rule, and those
who object may as we'll content
themselves, for it is fixed.