The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-07-23
WANT CLEAN PRIMARY
PEOPLE WITH A RIGHT TO VOTE
SHOULD HAVE EDUCATION.

SHOULD HAVE EDUCATION.
John J. McMahan Discusses the Dis
enfranchisement Of the Unfit and
Advocates Beneficient Work.
"The primary Is the real election"
In discussing the principles that
should regulate the suffrage We must
recognize that what is right for the
general election is right for the pri-
maryland far more important, be-
cause the primary is the whole thing.
In most States an error In the pri-
mary may be corrected in the gen.
eral election. Not so with US. In a
State with two real parties, If a par
ty falls below a certain standard to
the quality of its nominees it risks
defeat at the polls; the primary is
but preliminary for the real con-
test in the final (general) election.
With US there has been no such nee
essity or stimulus to offer only our
best at the general election, and a
mistake in the primary is beyond re-
pair. Hence proper regulations of
the right to vote and proper safe
guards and corruption are more
needed in our primary than in our
general election. Yet there are men
among US with such perverted views
as to think that the constitution and
laws of the State can have no rela-
ton to the primary.
In arguing the merit Of the "lit-
eracy" with alternative property test
we have seen that the men who are
excluded can not complain. They are
offered free education, and are urged
to learn to read, for their own good
and for the good of the State. The
only fault to be found with this test
is that it admits too many-it does
not bar all the undeserv1ng. The
vicious are sometimes very intelli-
gent, and in high places. Among the
legal, and the Democratic, voters may
be skulkers and deserters of the time
OF war and scalawags Of the period
of the "prostrate" State. Even the
constitutional exclusion Of all con-
victed of Infamous crimes fails to cut
out all of the Infamous. Many have
escaped the law, though as guilty as
if convicted, and many who do not
violate the law are nevertheless of
bad hearts, hostile to the public wei
fare-many that sit in the seats of
the mighty. No rule can be framed
by which all such can be disfranchis-
ed. Every human device Is imper-
feet.
The constitution Of 1895 enume-
rates certain crimes Including
Grimes against the election laws")
and provides that persons convicted
of any of them shall be disqualified
from registering and voting. But our
primary welcomes all such-if white.
This proh;oitory provision should be
enforced in the primary and the list
of disfranchising crimes enlarged. It
was made with special reference to
NEGRO crimes" and includes crude
and primitive crimes and will catch
few of the bad white men. We now
have some laws against bribery and
corrupt practices in the primary, but
how few prosecutions! Even a mod
crate enforcement of these laws with
exclusion of the convicts from the
primary, would have ridded the State
of thousands of voters that now are
bought every two years or oftener
But we need more far-reaching pro-
visions to catch all professional cor
ruptionists, a new code Of criminal
laws to provide adequate punishment
including disfranchisement for
crimes that have attained new signi-
fcance in their bearing as a part OF
organized evil. There is no worse in
luence than that of keepers OF gam
bling dives and blind tigers. These
make politics an essential element OF
their business and would be hit in
the vitals If disfranchised upon con-
viction, or upon second conviction.
Higher up there is need Of similar
penalties for improper lobbying and
corrupt control of publicity and 9TH
er more refined methods Of modern
wrong-doing more pernicious than
the plain old crimes.
But every uplifting agency should
be utilized by the State to cure all
such sores on the body politic. Even
if the line of demarcation between
voter and non-voter could be drawn
perfectly to coincide with the line be-
tween the fit and the unfit, it would
still be the duty of the State by all
possible remedial measure to seek to
save the deficient from themselves
to remove those defects of knowledge
and of character which are obstacles
to universal suffrage, and blot on
civilization-a mar to that general
welfare which Is tho object of gov
ernment. 1t should be the fixed pol
icy of a democracy to eradicate the
shortcomings which call for the dis
franchisement Of any man and to
train all to higher fitness for the SOW
ereign power and responsibility OF
sharing in the government.
All the forces of civilization, all the
agencies of enlightened government
should be directed toward removing
the causes of crime and of low morals
and raising the average Of worth and
eficiency-making all citizens better
men and women. In a monarchy the
hear-apparent to the throne is edu-
Gated with the greatest care to fit him
TO rule. His mental and moral train