The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-07-07
MEETINGS.

has come when joint political de-
bates should end in campaigns IN
this state. These joint debates
were arranged for the purpose of
giving the people of each county an
opportunity to see each and every
candidate offering for office IN the
state, and of hearing his views on
all public questions, an object praise
worthy enough in itself. But the
Joint debates have failed of their
object.
In the first place, the fitness OF
candidates for most of the state
offices cannot be judged by listening
to a speech of five minutes, or ten,
the time generally allowed to candl-
dates other than for Governor, nor
by the ability of a candidate to tell
a threadbare joke, to the discomfort
of the audience many times. At
least some of the offices of the state
demand men of business ability,
coupled with proved integrity, and
men who will attend to business.
How shall the people be able to
Judge of the fitness of men for such
offices from a five minutes speech.
1t is a reflection on the people of
the state that we try to judge men
for every position by the one stand
ard of speech-making.
But there are other offices which
must be filled by men whose fitness
must be determined largely from
their public utterances. These men
have a right to be heard, and to be
given such time as shall be necessary
to discuss the issues in which the
people are interested, and the meas
ures which they propose. Just now
n of the questions which must be
determined by the people is whether
or not the state shall 60 into the
warehouse business. We must con-
fess that we have little sympathy
with the state entering any kind of
business, yet many able men are ad-
vocating this measure as the only
means of taking are of the princi-
pal crop of the south, and saving the
farmers. In this state we have an
able champion of the measure in
Commissioner McLaurin. 1t is stated
that he may be a candidate for Gov
ernor on this issue. If he shall be,
what information will he be able to
give the people as to the measure in
the space of the twenty minutes
which shall be assigned him at the
campaign meeting. Mr.. McLau-
rim is an able debater. He is
a man of thought, and can make his
views known on any subject, with
a proper exposition of his reasons;
but he will have no opportunity to
educate the people of the state on
this issue, O. proposed measure, if
he is allowed to speak in every coun-
ty in the state only twenty minutes.
And if he is required to make the
circuit with the other candidates he
will have no opportunity to speak at
other times and in other places.
For the reasons stated the joint
debates by candidates have devel-
oped into nothing short of unlawful
assemblages in which the principal
thing to do is to sling mud, and in
lost cases n sida has keel. rs
much to blame as the .,.her. We
had a sickening spectacle last sum
mer. We had four men of recog-
nized ability running for The United
States Senate. Either hal tho
ability to make a senator, and either
could have discussed with intel.j-
gence the principles enunciated by
the two great parties of the coun-
try, and could have given the people
light on the tariff, currency, and
other questions which we all need
to know about. But the time of
the candidates, on account of the
abuses which have crept into these
meetings, vas taken up in ridicule
of each other, in attacks on each
other, with no discussion of merit
for the enlightenment of the peo-
pie. Nobody was wiser after the
speeches were made than before. So