Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-01-15
PURIFY PRIMARY. SAYS BEN.
Safeguards and Restrictions Alone
Can Save It--Some Remedies.

statement 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 nomi-
nees OF the party in the general cleo
ton. 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 Leg
islature to prevent high offices being
made "pawns in the game of politics,
to be bought by the highest bidders"
The statement follows:
Feels 1t 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 enumerate, l feel
that / have a duty to perform in the
present instance.
''The angry passions aroused last
summer in the State campaign for
Governor have in measure subsid-
ed, and the people have cooled off. To
my mind there was great danger 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
n1oin and Of Cnnh inc nd
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
differences 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
two white parties in the State. Were
| 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.
that could overtake our people. +
speak adyisedly, for 1 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 a hiss.
ing; and l know how hard it wa 10
get the white men to line up shouldyr
| to shoulder and throw off the yoke.
From 1868 to 1876 we had the yiIsaJ
and most corrupt government IN
South Carolina that has ever existed
| in any State Of the Union except Lou
isiana.
Fears the Negro.
"The negroes outnumber us IN
South Carolina by more than 150, 900
and large number of them are Ell
ther registered or eligible for regis
tration. If they should ever be mo-
bilized and led to the polls by white
men in the struggle for mastery and
control, then we could never save the
State from a repetition of even great
er corruption 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 Senatorship, to say nothing of
the Congressional delegation, would
become pawns in the game Of poll
tics to be bought by the highest bid
der.
"The Democratic party of South
Carolina when it meets again in con-
Vention will no doubt deal with this
question, but the Legislature ought
| to deal with 1t now, at this coming
session, while the memory Is fresh,
and knowledge OF the intensity of
feeling has not faded away.
II cannot and will not indicate just
what sort of a law the Legislature
ought to pass. The details must be
worked out in committee. But I can
and will outline the general policy
which should govern us in this crisis.
Should Be Honest.
First: The primary ought to be
honest and fair and above all suspi-
cion.
Second: No man ought to object
to whatever expense and trouble are
necessary to secure such registration
and preparation Of the Democratic
elm III role ao will ipcura bonocI,y ond