Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-01-09
yos. xx.y.-:N0!asa...,, !,

b1tlon, 30 eOnfctIn9 IN local interests, tnat Uut
few members are Reelected. ThM constant rfi
tation in ! up-country representation, virtually
leaves the parishe. in pussession Of most OF tbs
experience and tact pf the legislature. Again,
the up.country .is always divided, becauss
having four times Ms many candidates for
Office, the parishes can select with which Uf them
to cooperate IN elections, or with what faction
to unite in legsla1ion. Parties, factions. clubs.
juntas, ciques, and rOtefies, unite or divids'ih
voting 70, or men measures. Al),indiyidu,lity
of the representative il forgotten, and a. tho
stakes, the spoil., tie honors, the salaries 9r6
the leading object with each individual member
more than the good Of his counVy, tue ferrs;
sentative is thus corrupted BY the ordingry ope.
ration of our government. There Gnre sextfaof.
dinary occasinns when amy government may
produce corruption in its lrg.latec officers but
that government which by, iis ordinary or,eration
produces such corruption as ours ought nDt 10
stand. The parishes are the ranker pf: :I9qt sys,
tenn, because being The, strongest psriE, igills
Suite, that arc always united-neyer; diyidsd:...
all parties in the pp:countrY bid, rfof lle fSw
country support. The latter dictate ;het teff1s
in Legislation, as they never viii permit ahs law
to be passed exceptft sniis them III every IAf;;
ticuiar. Hence our confused III esisiIithT; heHte
our adherence to lyyN and, forms long .incs
'se9iatetl kqgl9R6ss, ,HsRSa,
the thirty years struggle 70 diyidc pspdleiSn,
notwithstanding the jusiiee uf hPrElIR. Hence
the greater difficulty 6af DOW dividing EdsSEsld
and Barpwell, alihnugl, they ca1'urge even better
reasons for b6th'a judicial ard pblHiSaf division
than Pendleton. Hence the pcrsii,aht refuuEA
Of South Carolina TO give The election hf fresis
dentist electors To hepcoplc, becaule7a rnhjorit9
of the legislature can c.st the Toie of the State,
and the parishes, -as vi have shown, can always
control the Legislature. And 1,enrc: also ithr
refusal the State 10 take, any ,lsitiin Presi-
dental elections, although she remaIps in the
Union and participates III tic itgi,lation Of Con.
gress, and continues to submit thr-cnuiea Of her
citizens to the adjudication Of the ftderlc courts.
By refusing to give The election; 10 the p.oplt,
she refuses to 60 into the national conventisif,
because The people need take no interest In fhH
matter, as they can have no ultimate: eoat1ol
over the vote of the Stale. on account Of The
ballot here, making this an uurun,ralabir, bady,
and because further the people in South Caro-
lima are wholly unacqm.iMcd will, the convcntion
or caucus system ai it is .necriugy called by
some. By the State refusing to 90 irto the m.
tional convention. she lakes no part whatever in
the election Of that mighty and all important
oficer-the Federal Executive. The national
nomination is virtually the election; 1t is really
the election, because tie subsequent State elec-
tions are mere raiifications Of one or the other
of the two previous national 'hominationa So
that for the last twenty years VIC have ,oted for
no President exeep.: :pcthnpxs Mr Poll. n. -.
The parishes area nnit. They always act in
concert. have watched their members here
and they have watched me {; (langh,rr) have
listened to their conversation, and ] suppose
they have listened 10 mine. have attended the
sessions Of this legislature for four or five years,
and am satisfied from what have seen and
heard, that there never was in the history Of the
world, in ancient cr mnlrrn times. any vet rf
men banded together in y closer embrace. than
your parish representatives. They do rule the
up-country by bribery. They may even now
keep their seats, as champions from the districts
will maintain their canse OF conservatism in
everything. 1t has brc"mr fashionable, how
ever, for leading men Of the up.conn.ry, 10 de-
clare war against the parishes sub modo. BIZ,
they only do it to &c, their prize, I" gc, votes,
to get Office. They 20 TO the parish members
ana say, elect mr 10 i high of1icc, which Will
give me commanding influence in the np-counlry,
and will use that influence in your behalf among
my people. vii! take up the cry of c"nsrrvn-
tism-will represent the interests Of tho Who'll"
State, and make as lnnc!l ado as any man cam
Treason to his coii'cirrcr, Lis G"d aud his Soc
tion has been the prize Of many an Office be-
slowed by this Legislature urnn up.ronntry gem
tlcmcn. Yes, sir. the parishes throttle ,l- with
the hands of our avn leading men, who fire into
the camp of their friends like Arnold, as they 90
over to the foe. While they are receiving the
reward of their treason, and after The price has
been paid down, is the occupation Of their lives
to prate of the rights Of the parishes and say
nothing of the wrong. of The districts.
Peace! pence! peace! is the c,erna! theme of
our oligarchy. "iou will disturb" say ,hey,
" the compromises of the constitution. lrt
alone The LANDMARKS. which our fathers have left
usn have thought tint Of all words South
Carolina processes TO hate that Of "rompromi.c"
the most. But it is right suppose in The State
government, although wrong in the frderal--
Strange Inconsistency. The other Safes hare
altered their constitutions and have called con-.
vcntions for that purpose. Virginia, for instance
has done it frequently, and do not think she
has been injured by il; but to change. alter,
amend, or modify anything in South Carlina,
the parishes say, would bring d-.olaion and
ruin upon US. mo parties" is their cry, and
yet out of thirty or forty factions, will not call
hem parties, the parishes rule them ALL Parties
ire n blessing. No free country was ever with
out them. When was England wi,l,out. two or
hree great national parties! They watch, de-
ect and expose each others overdonGs or short
,omings.
do not object so much 10 the number nr Of.
icers elected by this Legislature us the mode
If that election. The baII1,! The ballot is
What raise my voice against. In this connect.
on remember an incident which occurred at
he last session of this Legislature which paincd
o be informed. We all remember it bat too
Directors of the Bank of the State, only eleven
we're chosen. On the second ballot for twelfth
Director there was still no election, becauee of
hree candidates being rur, and on the third bal.
OF, tuo more votes were cast than the number
# members who had voted. Yes, poor but
worthy young man of Charleston was thus dc.
rived of his election, and l. want it to 90 abroad
o the people, that two memhrrs of this i,'eor-
uptibs body, two members who had swornto
reserve, protect and defend the constitution of
his State and of the United STATES, who had
,een elected perhaps BY n high minded, intelli.
rent and virtuons constituency, went up to tho
,attot box and deposited two votes each in an
lection for Director Of the Bank Of The State.
repeat it again, and every member knows tho
act, although it does not npl'csr upon tho print
d journals of the House.
Nearly all the States have given alI rltctions
o the people except that of Judges and us.
senator's, and some Of them have given the cleo
ion of even Judges 10 the people, which. cam
ot approve. In ad,lilinn TO This, every. StMc