The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-11-04

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power, whose only criterion and limit is
their own sense Of justice, their wisdom
and their interest. When we know that
their sense ofjustice can be bought,
that their wisdom from very ignorance
amounts to a knavish cunning bent u
pom pecuniary beue6tto tothemselres, and
that their interest is altogether indivi-
dual having mot met!distant relation to
that of the people whom they, represent.
And yet so it is that we have placed
in this position that the legislature like
certain very ancient and now scattered
race, lay burden grieyous and heavy
upon the shoulders of the tax paying
citizen which they themselves do not
touch, 60 much as with the tip ofa fp-
ger.
And for this all We have apparently no
immediate remedy. There may be, as
in fact there is, remedy through the
Courts of law against excessive taxation,
and in such cases, the principles of ma
tural Justice ought to govern the de.
cision of the court But the same diff.
6culty exists there! For arc not all Of
our Judges chosen as the tools Of. the
same party? Have they not all the same
motives of self-interest to bind them to
their party right or wrong? And has
any sense of natural justice been found
in any single ono ofthen,, from the JUS
tice of the Supreme Court O down to
the very county magistrates, where par
ty interests were involved? ? If so, we
would like to hear fit, in order to
spread the fame of it abroad as Of those
phenomena in nature which occur but
once in thousand years. AS it can
not be disputed that such is the case;
as the three departments Of our govern
meat intended by the spirit of the Con-
stitusion by checks upon each other have
thrown all Of their weight iuto one scale
determined to cause the other to "kick
the BEAM" Then our only remedy is,
to resolve Jointly; 1.-The whole State as one
man, as. soon as possible, to put these
harpies out of Office, and put in real
| representative men. Men who will
6nd when guided by "Iuterest, Wis
dom and Justice, and their relations
| with their constituents" that the only
honest and true course is to act for the
ioipt benefit of the tax payer and the
representative, aud whose interests are
identical with those of the tax payer
We have enough men Of that stamp
amongst us, and we have only to thank
ourselves that they are not now iu Office.
tits only our own sel6shness and want
of cooperation that has tied our hands
in all elections thus far. We must now
awake and determine at all hazards to
carry every election, cost what it will,
whether of money or bloodshed We
must! It is o direful necessity. Fraud
must be met with force! Ginning in
timidated by determination. When the
law.giver fail to perform with impartiali-
ty and fairness the duty which is entrust-
ed to him when the power to which is
given the protection of life, liberty and
property fuils to protect the liberties
and properties of one portion of tho
people, while the other is permitted to
live in o state of legaiized outdwry!
Then it is the right and duty of the
the people, arising frnm their inherent
sovereignty, to declare incompetent the
government which itself hath formed;
to cast out the unrighteous stewards
whom itself hath appointed, and reform
and rebuild the government. And
since that is so, the real people of this
State, the ta1-payiug people, have We
not the right to arise and assert ourselves
at elections? To assert ourselves and
our supremacy over ignorance and filth,
and corruption and avarice and all the
inumerable putrefactions which render
our present government horrible? ? Most
assurcd!y we have. And in order to
avoid ruin We must make use of that
right. 1t remains only with us who suffer
to restore to our State, tranquility and
prosperity. We can,i We will but COM
bine, carry every election in every Dis