The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-06-11
NEEDED REFORMS
POINTED OUT AND URGED BY
JOHN J. A1'MAHAN.

POINTED OUT AND URGED BY
JOHN J. A1'MAHAN.
Legal Safeguarding Of Primary and
Protection of Ballot Principle One
to be Considered.
All other political reforms wait On
the legal safeguarding of the primary
election. The protection of the bal
lot is the foundation of free govern
ment. A fraud, or an error, knocks
somebody out of his vote. Using a
club roll containing names Of absen-
tees or dead men, affords oppor.tun-
ity for false voting and repeating"
sometimes pursued by professionals
hired for the purpose. Dishonest or
careless preparation of the club rolls
may disfranchise voters by errors OF
initials or spelling or by entire omis-
sion OF names. There is no safety in
depending on messages to see that
your name is put on the roll. The
only certain method is to go person
ally. Allowing votes to be cast by
minors and non-residents may change
the result. AS long as the rules per-
NIT these practices, there is no as
surances of the will of the majority
the rule Of the people. Democra-
cy is turned into farce.
People learn little except by exper-
ienee. The man who before an evil
is upon the country perceived the
tendencies that will bring it, and
urges changes from the prevailing
system while yet there is time, can
arouse no following. Noah foresaw
the food but could prevail on no
body to join his family in being saw
ed. Most people see only the imme-
diate present and are deaf to the
appeals of the pioneer reformer,
Hence most of the sufferings of man
kind, most of the horrors Of history
-affording ample lessons if we
would but apply them.
Thomas Jefferson advocated grad
ually freeing the negroes and trans
porting them to Africa. The race
prcblem was then generally unsee-
able and unbelievable. In their en-
joyment of the negro as slave the
people could not see the misfortune
of thus excluding the development
Of a sturdy laboring white popula-
ton, nor could they foresee the in.
evitable final emancipation with its
attendant train Of dangers, including
the menace of social equality and ul-
innate amalgamation.
After the primary last August
there was a general realization Of the
prevalence of irregularities in the
voting and of opportunities for fraud
and the probability that there had
been serious frauds. Whether or not
there had been enough frauds to
change the result or whether frauds
on one side had been Offset by frauds
on the other may be merely matter
of personal opinion or bias. Wheth-
er the irregularities and frauds had
been more numerous than in pre-
vious primary elections or whether
they were simply more closely criti-
cised because Of the greater interest
is likewise matter not beyond con-
troversy. But certain it is that the
unusual interest throughout the
State concentrated attention upon
the laxity of our primary rules and
methods and the need Of reforming
them. Never before had the weak
ness of the voting system, the abb
sence of safeguards, been so brought
home to the people. They now saw
the danger of repeated" ballots,
with padded rolls, duplicate enroll
ment and no restriction of the voter
to his locality. Suddenly waking to
these things, tley may have magni-
fed in their minds the extent of the
actual practice of the frauds which
were so possible under the rules.
Yet the same situation had been
previously apparent in spots in the
State in heated and close contests
over an important county Office and
in warm races for township commits
sioner or for magistrate. How often
has magistrate been elected by vot-
ers from an adjoining district? The
candidates and their supporters have
been frequently alert and active to
place on the club roll the names of
friendly neighbors across the line.
The rules of the party have not for
bidden it. Similarly, many a voter
has his name habitually on two or
three or four club rolls and can take
his option as to the one at which he
will vote-he may be dishonest
enough to vote at all these boxes or
his name may be used by others who
repeat" in voting. These are plain
frauds, but are facilitated by the
rules permitting the duplication Of
names on the rolls.
These things have stirred neigh
borhoods and counties, but the re-
ports had made no impression on the
mass of our citizenship because the
evil seemed too remote. Last sum-
mer the whole State became aroused.
Even those on the winning side ad-
mitted the appearance of evil and the
necessity of avoiding it in future. A
reform of the primary seemed at last
in sight-the good that comes out of
evil, natures compensation in the
long run. But by the time the legis-
lature met the keenness of public in
terest had worn off. The bills for
the remedial legislation we're post
Doned TO the next session unOn the