The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-05-20
ABOUT PRIMARY REFORM.

ABOUT PRIMARY REFORM.
The State Convention which will
meet in Columbia today is sure to
take up the question of primary re-
form; and there will be extremists
there who will advocate sweeping
changes.
1t is hoped that the good common
sense Of the average delegate will
save a majority of the convention
from adopting any extreme meas
ures.
No one can shut his eyes to the
fact that politics in this State are di-
vided strictly along factional lines
but after all the Democratic party is
aparty Of white people, one in blood,
one in interest and one in State pride.
The anti Blease faction will dominate
the convention and will be held re-
sponsible for its acts.
Both factions charged fraud in the
last election, and surely neither
would have this stigma remain on
the white people of the State. IT.
Irregularities were admitted by both
factions and really existed in every
county. Present club rolls through
sheer carelessness have names on
them that are entered on other rolls.
1t would seem then that the neces-
sity for making up new rolls is OBJ
vious. Again, to ayoid the suspicion
of fraud the new club rolls should be
completed at least thirty days before
the primary and fled in the Office of
the Clerk of Court, and left open for
inspection. If q man moves from
one county to another as late as five
days before the election, and wishes
to vote in the county into which he
has moved, let him present a certii-
cate from the Clerk of Court from
the county from which he has moved
that he was enrolled, and that his
name has been erased from the rolls
of that county and let him be en-
rolled in the county into which he
has moved. These simple changes
in the primary plan, any man can
comply with, and would not cut out
asipgle legal white voter in the State
who really wanted to vote. We
wound certainly be opposed TO any
haFsher or more cumbersome regula-
tons, An white men should be en-
conragged TO vote, and So long as they
comply with, reasonable restrictions,
intended to place our primary above
criticism, no. one can, or will object.
We believe there are loyal honest
men IN both factions and plenty of
them who for their State pride will
welcome such simple restrictions as
wall place the primary above re-
preach, just as we believe that there
are good men in both factions who
will resent any effort to restrict ,snf-
frage by requiring poll tax receipts,
registration certificates, ballot stamp
ing and the like, wholly unnecessary
and totally unfair on the eve of the
primary
With all due respect for Mr.. Nc.
Mahan, his scheme is cumbersome,
unjust and decidedly il-advised now,
and it is hoped that the convention
ENTHUSIASTICALLY consider it.
The primary should be what it is
intended to be-: an untrammelled
expression ofpublic opinion, without
restrictions further than will insure
honesty. From our observation of
'dispensary elections and: general cleo
tons in which the voter is required
to show histax receipt and his regis
tration certificate, suffrage is restrict
ed, and that, too, most decidedly.
The tendency of such primaries
would be as fruitful of ring rule as
the old convention plan, and we
hope that no such plan will prevail.