Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-10-04
THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 4, 1860.
THE POSITION OF THE CANDIDATES.

THE POSITION OF THE CANDlOAI6S
At the public meeting held in our Court House
on Monday last, we had the pleasure of hearing
all our candidates for both branches Of the LIE
gislature, except Maj. Lowry, who was detained
at home by sickness in his family, but whose
position on Federal affairs we are herewith per-
mitted to append among the rest. We attended
the meeting for the purpose of ascertaining anc
making known through the ENQUIRER, the pre-.
else ground which each candidate takes in re-
gard to Mr.. Lincoln's election. We are anxious
to do each one impartial and ample justice. To
do this, we have requested each one to see the
portion of this article which relates to himself
so that each one is virtually speaking for himself
in the subjoined paragraphs.
We are pleased to see that u~nanimity ofsenti'
meut is very prevalent among the candidates
and that, whoever may be elected, York will &C
up to the Legislature as one man with one voice,
crying out for cooperative resistance to Mr.
Lincoln's administration. But as the arguments
used az we'll as the emotions manifested during
the speech, tend to give complexion and charac
ter to each candidate, as they also will to thu
Legislature; we design appropriating a para
graph to each one separately.
COL. R. G. McCAW.
For the Senate-opened the discussion. He
began by saying that the old tests which divided
the whig and democratic parties, in the earlier
days of the Republic, were now settled and
would probably never, in a Presidential election,
be brought before the country again. But in
ls4s, upon the admission of California, a new is
sue was sprung upon the South-the right to
settle the Territory with their slave property
The whig party put Gen. Taylor in domination,
who, with the prestige of a personal popularity,
gained upon the glory-covered plains of Mexico,
won the Southern heart if not the Southern head,
and this secured his election. Then came the
odious compromise Of le50-an insult to the
South, which raised her to the resistance point.
A call was made for a Southern Convention at
Nashville, Tennessee, in 1850, which recon-
mended a Congress of the Southern States to be
convened at Montgomery, Alabama. In ODE
dience to this expressed wish of the South, a
Convention of the people was held in South Caro-
lima which convention declared the right, but
at the same time the inexpediency of separate
secession. He went to the Legislature, and
himself with the party f~avoring n
Southern Congress. This is consistent with his
present position.
He felt within him that Lincoln would not be
but if he is, he and his party stand
to abolish slavery not only in the Terri
tories but in the States; and following the ex-
of the Caxtons and Wilberforces in the
English Parliament, bills will likely soon be
enacted to this end by the abolitionized Congress-.
Many of the Southern States have said they will
resist Lincoln's Inauguration the South, seeing
that submission and disgrace or resistance are
the only alternatives, will cry resist ; and hence
the question of separate State action is prema.
ture. The whole fifteen Southern States have
declared they piN have protection. Our Legis-
lature, he said, can't pass q bill to secede such
a bill would be as powerless as the parchment
on which it was written. He is in favor of cal
ling a Convention of the people of the State :;
when, as one Of the people, he will assist in de-
Gliding what course to pursue. But South Caro-
lima has led once; Alabama and Mississippi
now stand prominently forward for resistance
let them lead now.
Col. McCaw thanked the people of the District
AS this would be his last opportunity of ad-
dressing them before the election-for their uni
form hospitality to him during the canvass.
COL. W. B. WILSON.
For the Senate-began by saying that the two
sections, the North and the South, stood arrayed
against each other under hostile banners. He
would first speak of the wrongs and danger and
then of the remedy. Pefect equilibrium and,
consequently, perfect harmony, prevailed be-
tween the two sections in the beginning. The
philosophy of government and the voice of his
tory teach US that for a republic like ours to last,
it must be a perfect system of checks ard bal
Republic recognized this fact. Early after its
birth, there were eight States at the North, and
eight at the South. Eager to preserve this
state of things, Kentucky, a slaveholding State,
was admitted along with Vermont a non slave,
holding State. He mentioned other couplets OF
States admitted on the same principle. But the
North became eager for power, shut US out from
the Territories, aud acquired new States, whilst
we stood still. until now they have fourteen ma
iority in the Senate and one hundred in the
House. The last bulwark of the South was the
Democratic party. That was now wrecked ; and
its "dijscta mem6ra" scattered upon the stormy
waters. Would they use their power 70 crush
slavery : Look at the Republican party. Sew
ard, the cold Ajax of the party, announcing the
'.irrepressible conflict; :" Sumner with his rabid
hate of the South Spoouer announcing his "Ha
beas Corpus" way of freeing the negro; and
Helper, with sword and fire, rape and rapine,
plundering and insurrecting the South unless we
submit--these are their promises of mercy
Judge the party by its leaders-which is proper
and they will abolish slavery in the District
of Columbia, then prohibit the interstate slave
trade, then consummate TIE work of emancipation
in the States. Lincoln is in the van of his party
IF we wait for an "ovcrt act" when he is elected
some open and INDUSTRIOUS outrage all at once
it will never come. The Republican leaders, hi
said, are far seeing, cold-blooded, men who viii
come like the vampire and suck our life, blood
while we are asleep. When Lincoln yields S85,
600, 900, and 100, 900 Offices to tranquilizc ant
corrupt the South, she will be ripe for submis
sion. If under a Democratic Southern admins
tration raids and instructions had harrasseC
the South, what would be the result when Lin
colp should per command of the army and navy