Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-09-06
Time for Prudence.

Tnere are tHOuSduuS dIiu thouoohus
of good people all over South Carolina
whose principal concern over the re-
cent gubernatorial campaign was the
hope that one way or the other every
thing would be settled on the result OF
the primary Of August 81, but from
proceedings of the state executive COM
mittee at its meeting in Columbia
Wednesday It. appears that this hope
is still hanging in the balance and In
serious danger of coming to naught.
That no upright citizen can afford
to stand for anything but absolute
fairness in elections goes without say
ing, and the cry Of clean and fair" Is
one that every good man must en-
dorse. There is but one way about
that. But it takes more than mere
words to convince people along this
line and the fact that every man worthy
of the name Is bound to stand for
"clean and fair" Is not going to settle
all the complications that are now be-
ginning to threaten.
II there Is any one political condi-
ton that we desire above another. 1t
Is the free ballot and fair count We
do not know of anything that will be
worth more to our state and to all the
people, and we can conceive Of no sac
rifice that would be too great to Sc
cure such a boon. But how anything
like this is to arise out Of the present
situation we fail to see. If the possi-
bility is there, it Is beyond our COM
prehension.
We would like to say that we believe
the recent election was absolutely de-
void of unfairness; but we cannot. AL
though without proofs that convince
we are reasonably certain that all kinds
of irregularities were committed. not
only in York but in other counties.
These Irregularities include repeating,
ballot box stuff1ng, intimidation, de-
ception, vote buying, and other sub
terfuges that We do not think Of. But
we have no reason to believe that there
were any more Irregularities of this
kind committed on one side than on
the other, and we have no reason eth
er to believe that the election was any
more irregular in any of these re-
spects than any other election previ-
ously held under the present primary
system.
OF course we recognize full well
that irregularities Of whatever nature
in a previous election do not justify
irregularities in this election. We re-
cognize also that If irregularities are
being practiced and it Is desirable to
stop them, it Is impossible to COM
mence any sooner. But notwithstand-
ing our recognition of these things es-
pecially taking into consideration the
conditions under which the last elec-
ton was held, with most Of the ma
chinery in the hands of one side and
each side watching the other with
hawk like vigilance, we fail to see how
any different result Is to be expected
from another election under the same
conditions. Or suppose another elec-
ton under the same conditions should
give different result what guarantee
is there that the result would be any
more acceptable?
II 1t can not only be shown that
wholesale Irregularities have been
committed, but that the victor has been
the beneficiary of all those irregulari-
ties, while the loser has peen absolute
ly clean in every particular the people
of South Carolina will not stand for
that election. They will repudiate 1t
so overwhelmingly and 80 unmistak-
ably as to leave not the shadow Of a
doubt as to their attitude. But 1t is
just as we'll not to forget that to en-
sure anything like this the evidence
must be clear and convincing. The
presumption now Is that the election
was as fair on one side as the other
and under this condition all the ad-
vantage lies with the winner.
Let justice be done though the heav-
ems fall" was an axiom Of one of the
Roman emperors, and it was right. If
it shall appear beyond question that
this election has been accomplished by
fraud, the fraud should not be tolerat-
ed under any circumstances; but If 1t
shall be made to appear that the elec-
tion is nullified by the executive COM
mittee on other than absolutely justi-
fable grounds; the thing is not likely
to stop there. The Democratic party
organization will be in danger Of i'm
mediate disintegration. The people
who may feel outraged at what they
will consider fragrant injustice will at
once repudiate everything that has
been done in the primary In the name
of the Democratic party and the whole
campaign will be taken up again to be
fought out at the general election all
down the line from governor and con-
gressmen down to coroner. There may
be those who would like to see this,
but we are not of them-not unless 1t
shall be made to appear that the elec-
ton has been won by the most fla
grant one-sided fraud.
The Enquirer is not at all pleased
with existing political machinery. 1t
thinks that the primary laws and vot-
ing rules need to be very much i'm
proved; but it does not look for any
permanent improvement through un-
necessary rashness. 1t thinks that II
there has ever been a time for the eX-
ercise of political prudence. that time
Is right now.
New Regulations as to Mail.-A law
went into effect Sunday morning that
every young woman who calls for her
IL h. H., hn,, f1,n