Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-02-27
VIEWS OF
VIEWS OF
w. C. MORAGNE, ESQ.,
ON THE
ELECTORAL QUESTION.
Continued from last week.
10 THE PEOPLE OF EDGEFIELD DISTRICT

celve, weaken the safeguards 10 properly
within the State, and must seriousl y affecJ
the political peace and happiness of ou'
people.
But, they will introduce a train of Other
positive evils, against which as.patriots and
good citizens, we should sternly struggle
They cannot fail to create within our limits
strong Federal Goucrnment party, with
all its evil and corruptng tendencies. This
of itself should be sufficient to deter US from
the change. Who would wish to see enact
| ed in our State those unnatural scenes oil
excitement, that wretched system of cleo.
tioneering, that corruptiug strife among Po'
ltical aspirants--all those shameless, licen.
tous party scrambles SO common in many
of our sister States during Presidential
canvass! Can we fail to perceive the ill.
effects of such scenes upon the tone and
character of our peoples And what field
will be opened for demagogues and willy
politicians Where this party exists, how
many prominent men have been led astray
by the seductive influences of the powerful
government at Washington, or by the tempt.
ing offers Of gain and promotion held out
by the successful party in the great political
struggles of the country. Is it not, also, a
notorious fact, that when great issues have
arisen, involving the honor, rights and liber.
ties of our section, libations have been freely
poured upon the altar Of party to the sacri.
flee of the real interests of the countrye
If experience is worth anything at all, it
must have taught the American statesman,
that systematic party organizations, under the
influence Of a large government patronage,
are no schools for either patriotism or intel
ligence. They promote neither truth nor
morals, but are rather hot.beds of political
corruption, in which the plants of patriotism
and knowledge do not and cannot flourish.
Can we covet this order of thingsa Could
we be willing to see our people lose that
fond attachment to their native soil, that
noble State pride, which has so long char.
acterized them, by transferring their affec.
tons to the "vulgar tyranny" of the Federal
Government by becoming slares to peo.
pie, who delight to abuse and villify them :
and who are seeking by the lowest means of
faction and fanaticism to dissolve their rei.
gious and political union with thems Make
this change so much desired by some, and
these results will follow as naturally as the
waters seek the ocean.
Nor is this all. In making this change,
you will destroy, in measure, the moral
power OF the State in the Union, and in the
Federal Congress. Territorily and numeri.
calIy small, our only hope Of exerting any
controlling influence in Federal politics rests
upon the moral and intellectual character of
our people: upon the proud political virtues
they may bring to bear before the public
eye: upon the 6xedness Of their political
principles: upou the stability of their political
conduct And can these be secured except
by proper development Of our moral and
intellectual energies :! by inculcatng strong
devotion to the interests and character OF
the State by preserving, so far as practica.
BILE, healthlul unity of sentiment and OF
action7 in a word, by avoiding the bitter
animosities, the disgusting strife, the evil
passions reused by the two great parties ol
the Union during Presidential canvass
Weakened by dissension, demoralized by
the corrupting spirit of heated party contests,
no chance would be left to us for influence in
the Union except as a small fraction of q
great party within the limits Of little Com.
monweath. The State would thus bring
upon itself all the evils Of corrupt party
organization without any Of its benefits
without the Offices, the woalth, the power it
has at command to distribute among its ia.
voriles
Look at the picture as it truly presents
itself Nop, we hold respectable position
in this Confederacy. Our public men are
reputed to be honest, independent, intelli'
gent. A fair share of the public honors
await them Our people still proudly stand
up for the Constitution, and for the rights
of the States, untrammelled by the party
shackles with which most Of our sister States
are mischievously beset. The fire of patri.
otsm still burns in their bosoms with a
steady, bright flame, throwing its clear
rays into the mists of party sel6shness, and
serving as sort of beacon light on the
watchlower of Federal liberty.
But effect this change: make US fractional
portions of the great parties of the Union
and our place in the table Of Federal power
will become mere decimal. The moral
and intellectual superiority of our public
men, being no longer the index of our
strength in the Union, our political impor'
tance will be determined by the quantum
of numerical force we may be able to bring
into the Electoral College. What then will
be our future hopess A mere handful o
voters, with slight prospect of future rapid
increase, we should be doomed to mise.
rable iuferiority. unable for want of size
and numbers, to make ourselves respected
and felt in tho Government, and with the
influence Of our public men greatly weakened
bv the corrupting associations Of party strife
The distinctive features, which now mark us
as South Carolinians would be gone. anc
gone forever; and we would, in future. be
deemed a mere small party hack to serve
the great hydra,headed majority of the Union
in the dirty work of making Presidents and
acquiring Territory.
But further. By this change you will SCI
elements at work in our State polity that vii
gradually uproot and destroy all our wise
and time honored institutions. This, an
aware, is much desired by some, who un
derstand little of the true theory and prac
tical working Of our State Government. Tc
them, the cry Of change brings no apprehen