The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-23
CHI ARLE T ON.
FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL %, 1869.
The May Elections.

Until the general elections which take
place in October, 1870, there can be no
thorough change in the political and phys
ical complexion of the General Assembly
of the State. Elections will, however, be
held from time to time to fill vacancies
caused by the death or resignation Of mem
bers, which will give an opportunity Of in
oreasing, in some degree, the white strength
of the Lower House. There are, besides,
many county and township Offices to be filled,
and so important is il to obtain as rapidly as
possible the control of our local affairs,
that the most earnest efforts should be
made to elect in every instance known
and responsible citizen. The county aud
township officers are brought into immedi-
ate contact with the people. They have
great power in encouraging good feeling or
promoting dissension. II rests with them,
in great degree, to determine what shall
be the county taxation. And apart from
the intrinsic value of the Office, and apart
from the influence which it may, exert upon
the public mind, We hold it to be of the
greatest consequences to show at once that
We do intend that the State shall not al
ways be governed by ignorance and vice.
This cannot better be done than by electing
good men to every Office for which an elec-
J ton may be held, and this must be done
without regard 10 the apparent Importance
of the Office. Small victories will keep our
people together. They will encourage them
to be hopeful and confident, and, in this
way, will have moral power, bracing
force, out of all proportion to the intrinsic
value of the Offices themselves. A begin
ming SHOULD be made at once, and the occa-
sion presents itself in the elections ordered
to he held on the 25th May.
On that day two county commissioners
and coroner WIN be elected In AobevlIIe
and in Georgetown; county commissioner
and school commissioner in Barnwefl; q
judge of the probate court, q coroner and
county commissioner in Fairfield; a school
commissioner and q coroner in Anderson,
in Laurens, in Orangeburg and in Richland;
a coroner in Chester, in Chesterfield, in
Edge6eld, in Oconee, in Pickens, in Sum-
ter and in Union; probate judge and q
coroner in Coleton; clerk Of the court
and coroner in Darlington; county COM
missioner and coroner in Kershaw, in
Lexington and in York, and county COM
missioner in Horny.
Every one Of these Offices is important, and
none more 80 than thatof judge fthe probate
court and county commissioner. The county
commissioners have Jurisdiction over roads,
highways, ferries, bridges, ''snd in all mat
'sters relating to taxes and disbursements
'tof money for county purposes, and in
'severy other case that may be necessary to
sthe internal improvement and local con-
''oerns in their respective counties" They
raise money, they apportion taxes, and
have the power to levy tax of three mills
on the dollar, which would represent q
total county taxation Of over half million
of dollars. Their authority has apparently
very little limit other than their own dis
cretion; and it surely is duty which we
owe to ourselves as business men, as men
who desire that the State should prosper,
as men who wish that the freedmen may
have full work at fair wages, that ne should
open this commercial campaign without
moments delay, and strive as hard to elect
the county commissioners, probate judges,
coroners, and others, as, though we were
again on the eve of Presidential election.
We do not regard the election of these
officers as party question; but as long as
ninety-nine one-hundredths Of the respec-
table white men of the State are Democrats,
we must expect it to be said that what we
want is not q responsible candidate, but
Democratic victory. This we cannot help.
Taking it for granted that We will only vote
for men who know what their oficial duties
are, and who have sense enough to dis
charge them properly, where can we 60
outside of the Democratic party? This
may be an embarrassing conclusion to come
to; but it is the truth, nevertheless, and it
may be said further, that if we were willing
to arrange mixed ticket the Radicals would
force the direct question by nominating q
straight party ticket.
These matters of detail may, However,
be safely left in charge of the citizens of
the different counties. All that we desire
at this moment is to impress upon them the
necessity of obtaining possession as rap
idly as possible of every elective Office in
the State. Hitherto the Radicals have had
things pretty much their own way. What
they win now they must win, by hard fight
ing, and not by the supineness of our peo-
pie. Every county will, We trust, begin
the work at once, az if they labor quietly
and steadily, there will be a tale to tell on
the 26th of May which will encourage the
whole State, and teach the Radical party
that the revenues and wealth of South Car
olina will not for long be controlled by the
native-born sdventurer or the scheming
foreign knaye