The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-09-27
THE HISTORY OF
THE PRIMARY.

1t is q singular SORT OIL nailucild-
tion that caused Senator Tillman to
repeat that che gave the primary to
the Democrats of South Carolina"
The truth is that Senator Tillman's
entrance into political life was subse-
quent to the entrance of the primary
and that his interest and influence
worked to postpone its adoption for
the nomination of State officers. what
ever his expressions may have been.
The primary was inevitable in
South Carolina. 1t made its appear
ance eight or ten years before the
Senator was candidate for Governor.
First, in 1880 or 1882 it displaced
the county nominating conventions in
some of the Northwestern counties.
AS early as 1886 and 1888 it was
adopted in the two Piedmont con-
gressional districts having pre-
ponderant white vote and also in
their judicial districts. Senator Till
man lived outside of that section
wherein the primary idea had taken
strong hold on the popular mind and
from which it could not but spread
over the State. The idea had begun
to make progress from these Up
country counties before Senator Till
man delivered his initial public speech
in Bennettsville in 1885. To say that
any single man is responsible for its
extension to State offices after 1t had
been adopted in the congressional dis
tricts containing very nearly a ma
jority of the Democratic voters is pal
pably ridiculous.
Senator Tillman WAS nominated for
Governor first in 1890 by a conven-
ton of farmers held in March-not
by a primary Of farmers. Meanwhile,
in the counties having small white
population there was opposition to
the primary system. They feared,
naturally, that the extension of the
primary to the State would establish
the Up-country in complete control of
the State. On August 13, 1890, a
State Democratic convention, called
for the specific purpose of consider
ing the question of ordering a State
primary, met in Columbia. 1t was
called by the Conservative faction, as
it was in control of the party machin-
cry, but the Tillmanites controlled the
delegates from all save six counties
in the convention. They took over the
party machinery and refused to or
der primary. Then in a second
State convention a few weeks later
they nominated Mr.. Tillman. In the
August convention of 1890 the party
Constitution was amended to provide
for the election of delegates to State
conventions by primary in 1892.
In 1892 the "Tillmanites" gained
control Of the May State convention.
After the counties had elected their
delegates but before the State con-
vention met the conservatives" held
a factional convention and the ques-
tion of demanding State primary
arose. Among the Low-country "Con-
servatives" there was opposition to
the primary as there was opposition
to it among the Low-country Tillman-
ties but the Conservatives, after de-
batting the question in a caucus (of
which the writer was member de-
cidd demand a State primary of
the State Democratic convention and
were moved to that decision by the
fear that the Tillmanites would nomi-
nate State ticket in the May con-
vention of which, as we have already
said, they were in control. When the
May convention met the Tillmanites
were confronted with this demand
and, as it was popular with both fac
tions in the Up-country and had been
indorsed by the whole Conservative
convention, they did not dare to re-
fuse it. The issue was rammed down
the throat of Captain Tillman by his
Conservative opponents, and, if the
conservative demand had not been
pressed, it is likely that the party
Constitution would have been amend
ed and the primary again postponed.
The Tillmanites, in the convention
of 1882 were too much afraid of the
State primary to adopt it in it's pres
ent form. They ordered a primary in
each county for the election of dele
gates to the nominating convention.
The people did not vote directly in
1892 for Governor but for "Reform"
and conservative" State convention
delegates. In this way, Beaufort
county with 600 Democratic voters,
elected in a primary eight delegates
to the State convention-as many as
York and Laurens county had-and