Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1865-08-16
For tho Adycrtiscr.

Public Meeting held here on last sale-dny A
citizen vhoseinteations are honorable and. just |
can have no motive to concenl his views, or tlr1w
veil over bis'arfs, when great Questions arc Mt
issue, and mouentons intcrosts arc at stake; 'taDd
apnbGc meeting cSn certainly offer no goodroa-
son ,fortbe suppression of any portion of its pro-
cceii7gs wien i. Processes 10 be represen ilg tic
whole District, and fleliberatins fer the of
whole population,
1t was my misfortune To di-agrec, in opinion,
with sono Of my bestfrends relative TO the NOM
ination OF Delegates to 4he State Convention TO
be held in Septcmbes next. It occurred to my
mind that Inc meeting was too small, and that
The notice of it was eUs short, to authorize or JUS
lily the few, .thnt had assemblcdtogcther, in ur-
dcrtakiug TO make nomination offs Committee
which shonld he empowered rir,uaHy to make
tho election of The Fix Delegates for tho people Of
the District. The5Bhole plan Of the meeting was
Objectionable. Let The question be stated OR the
suLjcc. understood Os it may, if tho proceedings
of that meeting md the sclion. Of the Committee
raised by il, be acquiesced in by the people, the
election ,eiA DC made by that Committee perhaps
BY quorum Of 1t, (21. and the great majority
of the citizens wifi '"haye no lot norpart in the
business"
"A Committee of ten men, authorized to he
raised by vote Of about twenty:threc against
seventeen, and. appointed by Mr.. LUXE cuL-
DanArH, will have nominated o Committee of
Forty, which, on the next Monday, shall delihe-
rately proceed, in tho face of the Constitution,
and in defiance Of all gislativo onactments on
the subject, to exercise niranehise which of right
belongs to the, whole people. and ought to be Us
jealously guarded by them as tile very shrine of
the temple of our Freedom. Whenever the'tcga,ly
qualified roters shall become so Indifferent to
their own interests, and to the best Interests of
the county, as to cease canyassing the merits Of
their candidates for office. and abstaining from the,
polla, to surrender into the hands of oaucuses,
wire puilcra,,t and demagogucs, Il selection of
thsir representatives, legislators, and other public
fanctioharies, our liberties ure "clean goue
ever "-dfowled in an ooean Of blood: just as
they are attempted tole raised from tie dreadful
whirlpool, msy, art TO be stFansled to death by
tho ,mai-practice Of accurscd cmpirics. Whilst the
ight Of suffrage is guaranteed to the people by
dhs Conatitution,1 and by innumcrablec Legislative
provisions they should be encourogedeto exercise
that right, apd taught to exercise it with ma
trre Judgment and sound discretion. would
rather, at any time, risl. ny destiny with the
people, as uncertain as I tnOw the popular voice
to be- than entrust j, to tho rbisrameht of num-
.ber os sslfconsti.utel leaders, and political nspi
,ants. - tie wise men Of the East. in the Dis
! tric .;s -. d..
Yielding to my friends, wbo,constituted the
majority nj tie meeting Che other day, full credit
far honesty of rnrpbec, for L sincerely believe
thai they had nohiIg at'ilcart but the welfare of
tic District and State, they we're, in my humble
view, greatly in error. The precedent they made
was bad one, and in, the hands Of, another set
of men, might he fraught with evils untold, and
inDumerabc dangers to the Commonwealth:
The arguments used were, that tho present
crisis called for the services Of the wisest men in
The State; that merit was modest and needed to
bo called forth, and that canvass. or political
coatsst just now should be deprecated as a shane
and q dshOnor.
Why struggle for position now should be
moro dareputabc than at any other period, it.
passes my conception Of things to divine This
is spinning out sentpehi 20 a muslin texture. The
!rue condition of the State, and of'the South,
ha: So long hccn recognized by their people aEd
acknc ged by the whole world, that ii is time
we shoald ceaseto Sbmpcr nt rcsulis, and 60 to
work like men to repair cur disasters. Why should
! nat any man run for the Convention that feels
himself capable of,eervins7 Why should it be
deemed disgrace for citizen to strive for ufice
today when it is the bo6st and the crowning
siory OF our Constitution that the road tO-honor
and distinction lies open. equally to all our pco-
pie:
Il the gentlemen of Edgcfsld hare lately be-
come too modest to suilcr,t ,thcir names announced
rs candidates. then I shall admit that the war has
wrought uponthemn singular, and in some eascs,
a rery happy transtormation.:
But to obviato I'll This difficulty, and to wipe
tho blush from the crimsonsd cheek of merit,
proposed to the meeting tho following Preamble
and EssQlutions, which were conceived with The
sole design of benesttins tha country, Of calling
forth, from theyaEi9us sections, tho best talent
in the Distris,, md q seeur, g .ther election II
the only fiir and ptiynabls means that pre-
scnted themselves to: Yqy comprehension. 1t is
true that Capt. J, c. BRoai;s oiFered an amend
.ment to thsm,GmhiatraF gas. u Hing To accept,
limiting Che enon,inationss spSciailyto The different
Regiments :aIl :'p&as,fons or lhp District. An
expression Of ,he'1ill Of tha people was all tlat
I desired. =. - -
"Arose, hy any eile? pans, would ' smell as sweet
But read; the Resplptiops:.. -. :;
WHERE 4s, 1hs Provisional E u aovssnQr Of South
Caroline called fora Convention of!hor. peo-
pie, to:-epealahe act,af ssssssiap, and to make
other most Important nmculfrncDtssto the cQpsti-
tution.;:. Aud whsraasy the 7aisOfganized and
troubled state our country together with The
complicated bus;nss, andtbe yaistriutcrests to be
considered and deeidsd.sy this eaayon ton, de-
mands tho services of tho iNisest shd best of our
citizens; but tho TING limited for the election of
sIl. .I-.-, ~.