The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-10-15
LET ALL VOTE.

of our primary laws to suggest
a practical solution OF the trou-
BILE. All of them disclaim
wanting to disfranchise white
citizens, at the same time they
admit we have plenty of law up
on the statute books to protect
the primary elections The ad.
vocates of changing the law
contend that while we have plen-
ty of law now upon the books
for the protection of the prim-
airy, it is not enforced, and
thereby frauds are perpetrated.
If'thls is true, we cannot see
how a change in the law would
help matters, because if the
present law is sufficient if en-
forced, no law the legislature
can make will be any better: if
not enforced.
Senator Christensen of Beau
fort has for the past two years
been advocating the reformation
of our primary laws, and in a
recent issue of his newspaper he
suggests, I. Enrolment 90 days
before the primary. 2. Enroll
ment in person, and only in one
club. 8. Identification of the vo-
ter at the polls. He says LET
every South Carolina Democrat
vote in the primary" There is
no objection to the suggestion,
except perhaps, that feature
where each voter is required to
enroll IN person. This may be
inconvenient, especially, where
the voter lives ata distance from
the enrolling place.
We do not agree with the Of
ten made assertion that frauds
are committed in our primaries.
but we are satisfied there are
many irregularities, If the pri-
mary system is as fraudulent as
some claim. it does seem strange
to US there has been no proof
brought forward to substantiate
the claim. The last general
primary was one of the most ex-
citing the people ever went
through. and the cry of fraud
went up from the newspapers
all over the State, a committee
was appointed by the State ex
ecutlve committee to investigate
but it only to discovered some ir-
regularities which did not affect
the election at all. It is easy
enough to cry fraud, but when it
comes to the proof it calls for
something more than the mere
assertion from a wrought up or
a disappointed imagination.
The primary rules may be i'm
proved upon in some particulars,
but so far as the State laws are
concerned we have never be
lieved the legislature has a right
to go any farther than to make
laws which will protect such
rules as a party promulgates,
but those who are wanting to
revolutionize our primary are
not content to let the party
make it's rules and regulations,
they must have the general as
sembly to enact laws more far
reaching than the party rules;
if left to them they would elimi-
nate from the electorate a large
portion of the citizenship; by
having property qualification,
and other means to disfranchlse
those who they think should not
have a voice in this government,
and, because of this disposition
on the part on some, there is a
general suspicion whenever it is
proposed to do ANYTHING with
the primary. We join the Beau
fort Senator in saying "Let
every South Carolina Democrat
vote in the primary, but do not
let him vote but once, and pun
ish him if he sells his vote" It
is against the law now for a
voter to repeat, and it is against
the law now for a voter to sell
his vote, it is also against the
law to buy votes; what we should
like to know is, if we have sufi-
cient laws now, how can more
laws help matters unless the
people will see to it that the
laws are enforced.
The legislature has no author
ity to make rules governing a po
l;tical party, any more than it
has the right to prohibit party
from making rules, but it is
within it's rights to make laws
that will protect a party's rules
from fraudulent practices, and
right now there are laws upon
the statute books which give
ample protection to every rule
and regulation a political party
may make: therefore we say
there is no necessity to do more
than to make a few improve
ments to the present rules,
which can be done by the party
in it's convention without the
need of Legislation.
Mrs. Emmaline Pankhurst is
about ready to start for Ameri
ca, bnt when she reaches this
side there may be objections