The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-05-10
THE STATE CIRCUIT.

yentionS OF the democraIie POI ~
which expressed themselves on the
subject. the vote was against dlscon-
tinuinp the county-to-county farce
and it is likely that the state conven-
ton in Columbia next week will favor
a continuance of it, though some
regulations may be proposed to cure
some OF its ills.
It takes a long time for the people
who manipulate the politics Of a
party to learn, and they are loath to
make changes even though they seem
desirable. But they will learn in the
long run that these joint meetings
have served their day, and it is a
matter of time until they 60. 1t
will be d waste of time to undertake
to regulate an institution which can
not be regulated. 1t would be a
hardship on bona 6de candidate Tor
a state office to require him to file a
pet;tion with five thousand names
endorsing his candidacy, and one who
was not a bona fide candidate could
as easily secure the endorsement as
one who was. We cannot conceive
how it will be determined who are
in fact the bona fide candidates for
an Office; except by asking them, and
in every case the result will be the
same.
Neither can rules of debate be
made which will regulate the conduct
of candidates and keep down the per-
sonal tits, and the mud-slinglng ana
personal abuse which always go along
with these debates. Any effort to
discipline a candidate will be met
with the claim that an attempt IS be-
ing made to suppress free speech, and
instead of marring the chances OF
such a candidate, his chances OF el-
ection Will be thereby increased. The
iudees of what is personal abuse and
what is legitimate argument will be
partisans of the one side or the other,
and their DEGREES will, therefore,
amount to nothing.
If the circus is to bept up we had
as well have wide open show, and
let the people become Disguised with
it, as they surely will be before many
more are inflicted on the state.
The claims that these joint debates
are educational institutions, how
ever, have met fiat denial in the
request of the recent convention of
state warehousemen, that Hon. John
L. McLaurin, who has announced as
a candidate for Lieutenant Governor
on the warehouse platform, be given
one hour in which to discuss the plans
and purposes of this institution. Mr..
McLaurin announces that he once
cared nothing for the Office, and in
reality does not desire election, but
he wishes to get the matter before
the people of the state, and thereby
further the movement.
Heretofore, candidates for this Of
flee have been given about ten min
utes to present their claims for the
office. The candidates for Cover
nor have been given usually about
twenty to thirty minutes. If it takes
one hour for Mr.. McLaurin to dis
cuss the warehouse system intelli-
gently, as it will, it becomes evident
that he does not believe that meet
ing which allows a candidate a much
shorter time is educational in its get
up.
And the request that the ware
housemen in convention have made,
but emphasizes the point which we
have been making heretofore, that
no man can properly discuss the is
sues in an important matter in the
time allotted, and for that reason
every candidate should be allowed
to make his own canvass and address
the voters according to his own
wishes, and make known his views on
the issues which he wishes to discuss
The people should be fully informed
on the warehouse movement. They
are entitled to full and fair discus
sion of it's merits and demerits. But
they will not be informed unless time
is given to it's advocates, and those
opposed to it, to discuss it intelligent.
ly. A meeting in each congressional
district, or a few speeches delivered
in the state by Mr.. McLaurin, favor,
ing the system and an equal number
delivered by the opponents of the
measure would give the people the
arguments for and against the sys,
tenn. But a campaign in which a
candidate is given twenty minutes
will have the effect of entirely cut,
ting off intelligent discussion on this
and every other issue in which the