Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-08

10 Nay rlemus and supporters:
A due sense Of gratitude and thanks
| to you lor your confidence and sup
port, as well as feeling Of propriety
| upon my part, Impels me to make TO
| you a statement. as briefly as / can,
| with regard to the late primary elec-
ton Tor the United States senate.
AS you know, two years ago l made
the nghL TOR reelection for governor,
| IMI,noul having any financial means to
maintain any organized management
| III my benalf in that campaign, and
| had TO rely entirely upon the volun-
| ,aIy expression or the Will OF the peo-
pie in casting their votes at the polls.
1 was opposed by the organized efforts
and the resources Of the bankers, man
uIt.cluI ers anu corporations with sub
s,.",.ahy The entire press Of the state
.I.eu up against me with the determl-
nalIon 20 show neither fairness nor
.usuce, nor to abate a single effort TO
...sI epresent the true state OF the
campaign as it progressed, but on the
| Coliuary to dislort and villify me in
every respect. With this mbination
uI press and capital against me, re-
celveu i2,043 votes, lead Of 5,4S5
over a man who had been enlisted
from has early entrance into public
life with the Tlllmanite movement and
VINO mad been trained as the candidate
| in whom the senior senator from
| south Carolina and the press placed
all or their hope Of de1eating me.
mis- gentleman had been speaker Of
the house of representatives, had been
an associate justice upon the supreme
| uen.n, and had been chief justice up
to the time he resigned for the purpose
OF carrying the standard OF the
trusts, capitalists, corporations, and the
press, who had conspired with the de-
termination at all events and under all
circumstances to try to perpetuate
their control over the politics OF South
Carolina, and select her state officers.
Immediately after that election 1t was
announced by the partisan and un-
s.rupulous majority Of the state exc
cutive committee that there were
Irduus and wilful irregularities COM
mItted IN the election which was held
unuer their own management and aus
pices. l quietly then submitted to the
indlgnitles and injustice which were
attempted to be perpetuated upon me
ana the majority Of the people OF the
| state.
There were cast in that election for
state officers, 140,757 votes 1t was
vehemently asserted by the newspa-
pers and by the members of the exc
cutive committee who were trying to
nullify that primary election, that
there were not that many qualihed
white Democratic voters in the state.
The proceedings in the nature OF a
contest which were inaugurated Dy
opponents, under the advice and aus
pices of the partisan executive COM
mittee, however, showed concluslVeiy,
even by the one-sided and partial ex-
animation made there, that sucn
the contest resulted in a ridiculous
farce.
There was evinced in the present
election the greatest interest In any
election held within the last twenty
years or more, and yet the total num-
ber Of votes cast for the office OF unit
ed States senator, as reported py my
opponents in control of the count, was
only 132,SO1-about 5000 less than
were cast in the election OF 1917. Inc
iniauitous and unfair rules passed py
the state Democratic convention Oh
lasr MAY, which was entirely in con-
troll of my adversaries, were intended
to distranchise the uneducated put
poor and honest white men who were
supposed to be, and l believe were, 10
a very large extent, my friends ana
supporters. These rules made II not
only difficult and inconvenient, put
humiliating, for them to enroll their
names upon the club lists TO which
they belonged. Yet there were en-
rolled upon the club lists OF the state
l54.3ll qualified voters, as reported
under the management or my oppo
nents. Out Of that number at the last
urinary the returning boards for the
several counties, nearly all OF wnom
were under the absolute control or my
opponents who did not permit or al
low any representative or adnerehls
of mine to be appointed or to engage
in the conduct Of this election, return
ed only 132,S01 votes, being Zl,oIo
votes less than the quallned Vot-
ers enrolled and appearing upon tne
club lists. After such a campaign as
we had, how Is the absence OF THESE
votes TO be accounted for? In TWO
wears time many young men became
entitled to vote and in my opinion ulu
vote. / ask, how can these results pe
explained? Certainly not by any ac-
tion of my friends and supporters IN
counting the votes. ..
ANY fair minded person desiring u
know the truth cannot fail to recos-
niZe that there is something "rons'
Eyamine the votes Of Charleston, Co
Iumhia and other towns, and 1t Is evi-
dent who controlled and obtained the
votes of the blind tigers and the as
nensary followers. With this vote l
was taunted throughout the state py
the law and order gang, and yet Wneh
the count came who was seen to nave
pocketed the vote?
The primary was intended tor the
free expression Of the white Demo,
cratic voters wishes as to VINO shouiu
be their candidate. 1t was INTENDED 10
make easy and afford facility Tor the
free expression Of their will, and not
intended to circumscribe their rgnt,
and certainly not substantially to de-
stroy il. These rules and the machln-
cry inaugurated under them ana the
effort given to them were intended 10
hamper and make inconVenlent tnls
expression Of the will or the whlte
Democrats, especially the very people
that the party should have protected
and aided in the exercise OF their man
hood suffrage. l was aware, at the
| beginning, of this purpose and inten-
| ton upon the part Of my opponents. L
fOreca sted il upon all occasions-that
the machinery Of conducting this elec-
| ton was taken out of your hands, my
adherents, friends and supporters, and
placed wholly within the hands OF my
|adyersarieS and bitter opponents.
| While | believe, and even knew, so
far as one could know, that | would
receive a majority Of the ballots cast
for the office for which l was running,
insisted that, unless the vote which
was cast was safeguarded and the true
returns made, and a proper count had,
that | would not be declared the nomi-
nee, | implored my friends to see that
the ballots were counted. Unfortu-
nately it now appears from advices
that | have had from all sources that
| too much reliance was placed upon
perfidiOus adversaries.
| felt no apprehension from any OF
the attacks made by two men who
came into the race and made their en-
tire campaign one of abuse. Their po-
sitiOn was peculiar. They declared
that Senator Smith was not entitled to
be reelected to the office Of senator;
that his claim for reelection, in the
| light Of his actions in the senate, did
hot entitle him to succeed himself. and
that his pretensions were without
foundation. At the same time, If | was
unfit, and Senator Smith was not fit,
whom then should the people elect out