The Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1843-1852, 1844-09-25


of their highest political privileges. But it is
all false and deusive; az false in practice, as in
theory il Is specous and plauAible Every voter
in the State will recognise, what is the fact in re-
lation to the Governors election, that at the time
OF the State Legislative elections. there is never
candidate known to them fo the os4ice Of Cover
nor. How, then, is it possible or practicable for
them to instruct, when-sh have no available
candidate in whose favor they can instruct2 They
compelled, from this very circumstance to
make their elections to the Legislature regardless
OF any individual preferences the candidate for
the Legislature may have for the Governors app
pointment their candidates, then give no pledges
to the people. The people can give no instruc-
tions to the members, nor do they ever ask any
pledges; and the first THAI they are permitted to
know of the Governors ehction, they learn it from
the ballotngs for that Office, among the proceed
ings of the Legislature. No one will deny but
that the Legislature make heir own choice Of the
Governor, nn,rNmmellcd Hy their pledges, or any
instructions by the people But admitting that it
were practicable for the ltople Instruct, does it
follow that the Lcgslatuse se is the most safe and
suitable body through whth to make that appoint
ment! The Committee think not. The Legis-
laturc and Executive are both equal. They are
both equal departments Of thc Same Govcrnmcnt
Their functions and duties specifically tlilTcrent-
the one Executive, the other Legislative; the
creative el.ctorei, control over both residing in
alone 1t can be nalntancd IN its ,lri,y and Re-
publican sirThcity,.e, Ia }S3tE
Our State GovernryFtt is organized into three
distinct departments, Legislative, Executive, and
Judicial, each endowed with separate and spcci-
he'd powers And u their declaration of rights,
many OF the States t'declare that these shall be
JU'rrr Kept s"r"rgf r,d distinct from each
other But IN. Sodh Carolina. they not Sc
pirate ana distlrct-fhe Executive Is appointed
by the Legislature. The Executive in South
Carolina is practically dependent for its existence
upon the Legislature. The one is cffectually
merged into the othef. Now if the Legislature
may go to absorb the Legislative department
OF the State Government may it not the other
Is the Judicial now safe under its encroach-
ments! Is the tenure of the Judges left quiet
| Is there no danger tha: the judiciary NAV sink
under their curtailmcnt? Where then, will he
the guarantees for the liberties of the people, whcr
all the departments Of the State Government are
centred in the Legislature? The work of cen
trn!izatsn, much deaded by Republicans, is
then completed, and TIL people are left as they
ever have been, in all distances Of usurpation, the
name, only, of their Gtrernment, while they are
living under a Legislative despotism. May it not
be so now ! Is that boly not essentially om-
'Pote"t-omnpotcnt through the extent and in
tiuences of its appointing patronage? 1t is fash
| Ionahle tor politicansNto fall into paroxysms of
dread of such monsters rs Executive power and
Executive patronage. But there are no such
monsters to bc dreaded, as Legislative powers
| and Legislative patronage? Is one tyrant more
| to be dreaded than one hundred and sixty y-nne T?
| But neither OF them are monsters nor tyrants nor
to be dreaded, when the appointing patronage is
held and controlled by the people.
! 81" before the Committee closeftl,cir Report,
they VIII 'e'urn more % tic Argument Ut tie
right Q. s'ructioH, as this bysnany, is regarded
as .be !'.suticient guarantee OF popular suffrage
se sioss 'sisels, IT,: v.h"r sppos,,ito so1an
! Admir-. then, forf,e sakcsof argument that all
the calculates, Tor Ithc Offices of President and
Vsce President of tht u. S. and c,, Governor of
the State, were knoSts - the pes,ole before tbc;r
elections to the Stap Legisaturu the Committee
can easily demonstrate the fact, that not even them
is 1t practicable for lhem to attain their full suf
frage for all these different appointments 1t be-
comes so, from the vfry diversified character of
,he functions and dufes OF the members of the
LcgIslature-there beng no kind of conoruitv in
| The functions OF laN%making, and the selecting
'hoSe high olilccrs; ldls made their duty TO ap-
point 1t Is most EVIDENT that it would rarely
ever happen, that thelgreat mass of the voters OF
the state could lind IN the same set of candidates
Tor the Legislature, Fitness and qualifications for
Legislator, whose views and preferences for all
these appointments WOULD coincide with their own.
Every voter who Would voe upon principle, and
aim to secure his full suffrage, would meet with
this difficulty. He w0srd be forced by this very
circumstance, to give up some one Of his own
preferences, to secure another that he might deem
OF higher importance.
The Committee therefore conclude by repeat
'n!g' IN part, the language Of one of the Resolu-
tons: THAT this mode Of elections in South Ca
roIIna is incompatible with the rights of suffrage
that 1t has operated, and must from the nature Of
the system continue so to operate. to deprive
the people of their own unbiased choice of some
on" OF their highly responsible officers of the Ge-
nera or State Government, and therefore ought
to be char@od.'
Alter the Rcport had been read, discussed and
adopted, Major PERI offered the following Reso-
ln''o" which was passed by almost unanimous
vote OF the meetings
Ihrr"i"re fesolud, That this address he pub
lIshcd III the Grecn'illc Mountainccr, and that CO.
pes OF 1t he presented to each braieh of our Le-
g'slaturc by the mcpbers Of the House and the
Senator from this District, and that lhcv he re-
9uesed to do all they eau to effect the object of
the same.
j. KILGORE, Chairman.
}. CHOICE, Secretary