The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-08-06
FOR PURITY
IN THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS IN
this STATE
letter FROM TILLMAN

of Protecting and Safeguarding
the White Primary to Save the
State From Being Controlled by
Bad White Men and Negroes.
The following open letter from
Senator Tillman to the editor of the
Walterboro Press and Standard will
be read with interest by all Caro-
linians who love their State:
Washington, July 81, 1913.
Mr.. R. NJ. Jeffries, Editor Press and
Standard, Walterboro, S. C.
Mr.. Dear Sir:-I have just receiv-
ed your valued favor of July 80 and
have read it with great care. After
citing my recent interview about the
purity of elections in our State anc
defending and safeguarding the pri-
mary, you say: eve take the liberty
of asking you for a statement con-
cerning the recent election in the
First Congressional District to name
a successor to the late Hon. George
S. Legare." You go on to say, There
has been much said concerning the
use of money in the First District,
and We are writing this to ask wheth-
er this matter has been presented to
YOU" Furthr, you ask whether this
matther has been officially brought
to my attention, and whether l am IN
position and intend to do anything IN
the premises. In other words, 1t
seems that you desire me to discuss
the conditions in the First Congress
sional District brought about during
the recent primary.
You close by saying, 1--WE are con-
vinced that the last election in this
District was a disgrace to our elec-
ton system" etc.
Briefly l can not go into details or
cover all the points your letter "onlo
suggest, but 1 have this to say
Not being a member of the House
of Representatives I can not with any
show Of reason be expected to active
" enter into the matter in that body.
would regret exceedingly If any OF
the members from South Carolina
should feel called upon to press Tor
an investigation of the conditions and
charges of bribery which obtained in
the recent primary. There are bet
ter ways to safeguard our primary
than to ventilate that election here.
No one knows better than I do that
unless we do purify it and make Its
verdict more trustworthy and reliable,
the people will have nothing to DO
with it. 1t will be destroyed as 1t
should be, and those who want high
office in South Carolina will be left to
fight it out at the polls when the
legal election comes off in November
This wound inevitably result in
bringing the negroes back into our
politics. All of them that could reg
ister would be registered and carried
to the polls, led by white men and
protected by white men. Unless we
reform the entire system of crlmlnai
procedure so as to guarantee conVlc-
ton and punishment for violations OF
law. as we'll as guarantee freedom
from oromiscuous pardoning OF GRIM
inals. the State would soon grow Sc
corrupt and debased and its politics
so debauched that there would be no
living in it. Whatever else happens
let us see to it that the white people
continue as they now do to be the
only arbiters in our'politics. we can
not afford-it would be crime II we
should do ito have the negroes
mobilized and become the controlling
factor in our elections. Even II we
are not able to stamp out the use OF
money altogether-which we Will
never be able to do if the negroes &c.
control of our State government
again-we can purify our elections
and safeguard them, if the Leglsla-
ture of South Carolina will only &c
its duty when it meets again in jan
nary Men are at work now as
happen to know, preparing a Dill
which will do this according TO lhe
law and Constitution. This bill Will
safeguard the ballot Of every "nlte
man entitled to vote. No good cltl-
zen wants to disfranchise any wnlte
man. at the same time no good cl1l-
zen wants white men not entitled 10
vote to have anything to do WITH ou'
elections.
T am enlisted in this fight for tne
balance of my life, and will do all !
nossihlv can to bring about such a
law and the creation of a public sentl-
mont behind it that will compel It's
enforcement.
This generation of younger Sou1n
carolinians knows nothing about the
horrors of negro domination ana ne
gro political activity. ! passed d!
through it from 1863, the hrs; yea
in which they voted, to 1915 IN
wear in which we overthrew the ca:
pet bag government.
If the Legislature will do its du,!
We will never have any more trouoie
in our primaries such as we haa las'
summer. If it does not do It's duty
then all good Democrats must see ''
II that a convention of the Democrat
ic party shall be called earl! heA'
wear to make such changes IN th'
of the party as Will SAFE
gard and purify the primary.
You say, I'VE do not propose 10 lei
ont few editorials printed immediate
" after the election be all we nave 'o
saw concerning the matter l peg
do MT LOT that be all you