The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-02-21
NO PRIMARY REFORM
AT this SESSION.
House Kills Senate Judiciary
Committee Bill BY One
Vote. 81 to 81.
PRESENT SYSTEM NDORSEiD--PRACTCAILY
OPPOSITION OF 1912 WAS ABOVE s,spyC
ION AND WHAT ENOUGH THEN Is GOOD ENOUGH


Columbia. Feb. 1S.--For lack Of
one vote, almost all hope of the pas
sage of legislation by the general as
sembly To safeguard the primary elec-
tion system vanished into thin air last
night. when the mouse by a vote OF
% to 90 refused to pass to third
reading the primary election reform
bill now pending I'm the senate. The
senate bill was substituted for the
house bill by a voto OF 54 to SO on
the motion OF Mr.. Stevenson of Chcs-
terheld. who led the fight to enact
legislation which would guarantee
to South Carolina honest primary
elections.
The bill which the house killed last
night did not throw any restrictions
around enrolling for primary cleo
uons other than those now required
under the rules Of the Democratic
party. IL would not have disfran-
chised single white man had 1t been
enacted into law. The members who
urged Its passage claimed. though,
that II would eliminate repeating
and other forms of illegal and
fraudulent voting. said to have been
practiced in the primary election of
1912, and whose occurrence i'm some
counties at least was admitted on the
floor OF the house last night. The
-opponents CO the biii. hard -purtto and
arguments against its passage. con-
tented themselves in the main with
claiming that the present system was
above suspicion and that the primary
election OF 1912 was fair and square.
Although the Miley and Nicholson
primary election reform bills are now
pending on the calendar of the house
on second reading. there Is little like
lihood that at this stage OF the ses-
sion. should either OF them be pass
ed. the senate will ratify the action
OF the house. MIR. Stevenson explain
ed To the house last night that prac-
tioally the only chance OF enactins
legislation at this session To safe
guard the primary was for the house
to substitute for the bill by It's judic-
iary committee the measure now
pending i'm the senate, which would
be almost the same in effect. ON the
motion OF Mr.. Stevenson the house
agreed to amend the bill by substi-
tuting the senate bill for the judiciary
committees bill by a vote of "a to
50. and then promptly refused to pass
the bill as amended by vote OF 81
TO 50. None OF the members of the
house changed their votes. The tie
was brought about by the failure OF
MIR. Rittenberg OF Charleston to vote
on the at ,stion of substituting the
senate bill for the house bill and
then voting against the passage of the
amended house bill. Mr.. RittcnbcrG
introduced hill i'm the house this
session proposing To reform the phi
mary election system in Charleston
by much more drastic provisions than
those proposed in the bill which he
voted against last night. Mr.. Milcy
Of Bambcrg VINO has "a primary clcc-
tion reform bill on the calendar of the
house now. also voted To Kill the pri-
mary reform bill last night.
In view of the fact that thcrc IS
little possibility OF the passage of leg
islatlon To reform the primary cleo
tfon system. the Democratic conv,n .
tion next May will take on new inn
portancc. The convention will have
In It's power To amend or not to
amend the rules OF the party SO as To-
safeguard the primary election gys-
TEN. The administration forces az the
May convention will doubtless Gsc the
argument that the rules adopted hy
the last convention. which was anti
administration ty an overwhelming
majority. ought to pc good enough to
govern tho primary in August. 1911.
The members of the house who
voted in favor of passing the primary
reform bill To- third reading were the
following
Aycs-Atkinson. I}arnwcll. I;clscr.
Bolt. Boyd. Bowers. Ert.c. Bur
CESS. Charles. Courtney. pau,z-
Ter. Dclaughtcr, Dick, Eppy.
fsvUus FIipp, Friday. Greer.
Harper. IInyasworth. Iliott. Ilutchin-
son. Hutson, Johnston. Killer. Kirk.
Lies. Lumpkin. McCravcy. Mellon
aid. McMastcr. Mcmillan. Mcqueen.
Malpass. Means. Mitchell Mower.
Nicholson, Pate, Pcgucs. Pyatt, Ready.