The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-02-11
S0L0NS SEEK PRIMARY REFORM
THIS WILL BE CHIEF TOPIC TO
BE DISCUSSED FOR WEEK.
Several Bills Have Been Introduced
and Effort Will be Made to Pass
House Judiciary Bill-Partisan
Fight Probable Oh Bill.


primary election laws is the big ques-
tion confronting the house at pres
ent. There is a possibility that a fac
ional fight will be prepicitated over
the passage Of one of the four bills
pending in the house, whose object is
to change the law so that in future
primary elections may be above sus-
picion. The sentiment in the house
that something must be done to meet
the general demand on the part of
the people for q change in the pri-
mary system seemed to be almost uni
versal when the session began. Since
the house has actually begun the
consideration Of the bills to this end,
the indications are from the trend
the debate has taken that the admins
tration members Of the house will op-
pose primary reform almost to a man,
contending that there was no fraud
in the last primary election and that
the primary system does well enough
as it stands.
The debate on the primary election
bills was started in the house Thurs
day morning and continued Thursday
night. 1t will be resumed Monday
night unless the house orders other
wise.
1T Is quite probable that the mem
bers Of the house will agree to the
passage Of the primary reform bill in
troduced last year by the judiciary
committee as q substitute for the
Nicholson and Miley bills The Ritten-
berg bill is the fourth primary reform
measure before the house. 1t applies
particularly to Charleston. The ju-
dietary committees bill does not lay
any restrictions on the voting Of white
men in the primaries, either OF 4
property or educational nature. 1t
simply provides for the appointment
Of q board Of three men in each
county to register the voters in du-
plicate books. One of these books
Is to serve as the club roll and be
turned over to the pr cinct managers
on or before election day. The other
book is 10 be filled in the Office Of the
clerk Of court of the county thirty
days before the election.
The committee to investigate
the alleged fraud in the last primary
election found that the failure and re-
iLsal of precinct managers to return
poll lists was an obstacle which could
not be surmounted. 1t is claimed for
the substitute bill Of the judiciary
committee that it will provide an alb
solute check on the results Of the
vote at every precinct by having the
duplicate club rolls filed with the
clerks OF court.
1t was said on the floor Of the house
by Mr. Stevenson of Chesterfield that
he drew the judiciary committees pri-
mary reform bill in conjunction with
cry idea advanced by the chief cxecu-
tive had been incorporated in the bill.
Mr.. Lilies OF Orangcburg, advocating
primary reform. also said on the floor
OF the house that while he himself
would not t2ke the responsibility for
the statement he had been told that
the governor had declared in speech
from the State Hor .,e steps that 20,-
900 fraudulent votes were cast in the
last primary election.
In the face OF the declaration Of
Mr.. Stevenson ana the uncontradict-
ed assertion Of Mr.. Lilies. it is diff
cult to understand the motives impell-
Ing men. who hitherto obeyed tho
slightest wish of the administration in
regard TO sustaining vctoeS and sup
porting administration measures, to
oppose the judiciary committees pri-
mary reform bill drawn by Mr.
Stevenson to incorporate the ideas of
the governor. 1t is hard, too. to COM
prehend how the administration mem
bcrs can declare that the present pri-
mary system is all right when the gov
ernor himself in his speech from the
State House steps soon aSter the cleo
ton said that 10000 illegal votes had
been cast in it.
The opponents of primary election
reform cannot claim that the judiciary
committees bill will disfranchisc any