The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-05-27
AFTERMATH OF THE CON
MENTION.

"a
VENTION.
The feature of the recent State Con.
vention that was most gratifying
was that while every delegate SEEM
ed to desire to put the primary above
reproach, he seemed equally anxious
that no cumbersome restrictions be
placed about the primary. The new
primary rules provide that new rolls
be made up and the necessity for this
is apparent. Here in Abbeville tor
instance, there are scores Of names of
persons ON both Club No. l and Club
No. 2, and there are scores of other
names on one roll or the other of
parties who have long since moved
to the country or out of the county.
The platform as adopted was OBJ
jected to in only two sections. One
section required residence in the
State two years, in the county one
year and at the polling precinct six
'ty days. BY agreement this was
amended in the convention so as to
require residence in the county only
six months.
While we favored one years resi-
depce in the State as outlined in an
editorial ante-dating the convention,
and while he urged friends in the
convention to adopt the one year
rule, residence in the State was left
at two years, mainly for the reason
that the General Statutes provide
that a qualified elector must have
had residence in the State for two
years. The voter takes an oath that
he is qualified to vote in the pri-
mary, and as qualification under the
Statute law requires two years resi-
dence in the State. it was thought to
be ill-advised, if not a nullity, to set
up a rule in the primary at variance
with the rule of the general election
under the Statute Law of the State.
This point was compromised be-
tween contending advocates, and was
settled as stated.
Again, we advocated a plan by
which q voter enrolled in one county
and moving to another, say ten days
before the primary, might erase his
name from the roll in the county left
and on certificate from the Clerk OF
Court of the county left, that he had
been enrolled and his name erased,
might be reenrolled in the county
moved to, and permitted to vote.
Instead of adopting this provision
the convention thought to meet the
difficulty by allowing the voter who
had changed his residence to go back
to the county from which he had
moved and cast his vote there.
The other item objected to was per-
sopal enrolment, the minority con-
tending for the privilege of register
ing by letter or certificate. The con-
vention would willingly have grant
ed this provision also but for known
conditions ip Charleston. Charles
ton has this law now by act of the
Legislature, and yet it has opened up
the avenues offraud wider than ever.
There are normally about $500 or
1900 votes in Charleston, and yet it
was stated by men whom you could
not doubt, that at one time there
were over ten thousand signed appli-
cations for enrolment. These appli-
cations contained the names of dead
men, of men who had long since
moved away, and even fictitious
names. The convention has acted
fairly, and for the best interest of the
State and for the primary.
The rules adopted will shut out no
white man who wants to vote and
they must be satisfactory to any man
who would honestly place the pri-
mary above reproach. To have done
less would have been to have done
nothing.