The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-02-17
A CONVENTION.

The Columbia State thinks that
the primary may be of benefit to the
people of the state still, n~otwithstand-
ing the experiences we have had in
the past. The argument now advanc-
ed in favor Of the primary is that 1t
will preserve white supremacy in the
state, and prevent any party from
looking to the negro vote for support.
We think the negro question in
this state now greatly over-estimated
as an issue or question to be consid-
cred. No party which had resort to-
the negro vote could succeed in
South Carolina, and non which
deserved to succeed would have re-
sort to that source. No party now
has resort to the negro vote. A few
individuals in South Carolina who
want political office for themselves
consort with negroes in matters po-
litical in order to further their W
ends, but they do not constitute a
party and never will. We doubt il
deed whether they desire to see any
more of a Republican party in this
state than is now here, because if
other men came into the party there
would be fewer positions to be filled
by those who now direct matters for
the so-called Republican party.
Be that as it may, and returning to
the suggestions of The State, we no
tice that the suggestion is made that
factions amongst the white people
might. with advantage to the state
nominate candidates for Office in con-
ventions, and then have all issues
settled in the white primary. In
other words the white primary is to
become q kind of general election
and the candidates Of the different
factions are to be preferred or re.
jected by it, and the nominee thus
insured the entire white vote of the
people of the state.
We have no objection to that. We
favor the plan if the proposition made
carried with it the idea that in the
white primary a candidate standing
on any platform, or advocating any
policy of government may run. But
if the candidates and other in the
white primary are to be required to
subscribe to an oath that they are
democrats, that they will support the
nominees of: the party state and Ma
TIONAL, whatever the platform and
whoever the candidate, with the nom
ination of which latter they have
nothing to do, we hardly think all
the white people of the state can be
kept within the party. If on the other
hand, we are to have a white mans
party and are not to be bound by
the platform of any other political
party o required to support its
nominees for national Offices, then We
think the whole of the white people
of the state may we'll come into the
party. We have a good many people
in this state, we imagine, who be-
lieve in a protective tariff of some
sort. The national democratic party
does not stand for a protective tariff,
its platform repudiates a protective
tariff, and the candidate which is
named for president is against a pro-
tective tariff. Now it is apparent that
if a man who is really for a protective
tariff is to vote consistently, he must
either have the right to advocate a
protective tariff in the primary, vote
for candidates who agree with him
on that issue, if it is an issue, or
he may not be a member of the party
in South Carolina.
We would like to know the views
of The State on these matters.
Should the primary in South Caro-
lima, according to its view, to be a
democratic primary ~(adhering to the
principles of the national demo-
cratic partly or is it to be a white
MANS primary in which all white men
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