The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1913-01-15

1ILlMlk OUTLINES Remedies.
Points Out That Voting Should be Re.
s!ricfea to Those Who Can Support
the Hominfs; o., in Other Words,
the Senator Advocates That the
Ri ht of Suffrage be Denied Those
Who Neglect to Pay Their Poll Tax.
Special to The State
Washington, Jan. S-With a view
to the preservation of the Democratic
party and white supremacy in South
Carolina, B. B. Tillman, senior Sena-
tor from that State, has issued state
ment calling on the legislature to
take immediate action to safeguard
the primary. He urges, among other
things, that the right of voting in the
primary be restricted to those who by
their votes can support the nominees
of the party in the general election.
Senator Tillman cites his fear that
the negroes may "be modified and led
to the polls by white men" as one
reason for calling on the legislature
to prevent high offices being made
"pawns in the game of politics, to be
bought by the highest bidders.''
Senator TillmanIatjures any selfish
motive. saying that he does not ex-
pect ever again to ask the people to
vote for him in the primary, and
therefore he speaks because he
knows..the danger.
Feels II a Duty.
81 dislike to have the appearance
even of assuming the right to dictate
to the general assembly, and such is
not my purpose now. But for rea~
sons unnecessary to enum merate, I
feel that have duty to perform in
the present instance.
''The sangry passions aroused last
summer in the State campaign for
governor have in a..measure subsided,
and the lpeople have cooled off. To
my MIND there was great ianger to
white supremacy and Democratic
unity which is now happily passed.
But unless every possible safeguard is
thrown around the primary system
by law-rules and regulations made
so plain and of such a just and rea.
sonable nature as to compel honesty
and fair play in the primary-the
system is doomed and the people of
the; State will settle their political
difference at the polls in November
just as they do now in all border and
Northern States.
There are many people in South
Carolina who would be glad to see
wo white parties in the State. We're
conditions different, I myself would
like to have two white parties. But
as things are now it would mean the
mobilization of the negro and his ac-
tive and aggressive return to State
politics under white leadership. I
know of no calamity greater than
this that could overtake our people.
1 speak advisedly, for I went through
the Reconstruction period and know
the degradation to which our people
sank. the rottenness and corruption
that were in our politics and made
our government a by-word and hiss
ing; and know how hard it was to
get tho white uen to line up shoulder
to shoulder and throw off the yoke.
From 1868 to 1876 we had the vilest
and most corrupt government in
South Carolina that has ever existed
in any State of the Union, except
Louisiana.
Fears the Negro.
''The negroes outnumber us in
South Carolina by more than 10000
and large number of them are either
registered or eligible for registration.
If they should ever be modified and
led to the polls by white men, in the
struggle for mastery and control.
then we can never save the State
from repetition of even greater cor
ruption than we have already endured.
The State corporations and Standard
Oil, to say nothing of the railroads,
would use money lavishly and the
governorship and the United States
senatorships. to say nothing of the
congressional delegation, would be-
come pawns in the game of politics
to be bought by the highest bidder.
"The Democratic party of South
Carolina when it meets again in con-