The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-04
TIE CHAMPION OF "rRINc1p1E.u
Or. Hicks and the Union Reform Party.
From the Charleston Courier,

From the Charleston Courier, August g.
We deeply regret that the INK Century,
for August, has come out editorialy in favor
of P X. Scott for Governor of South Carolina
We did not expect this from DR.. Hicks, whose
style we recognize in the editorial. He came
among us heralded by brilliant reputation.
which. up to the present time, he has sustained
by his powers as an orator and his pleasant
he could certainly be counted upon to support
the effort now. being made by our citizens to
rescue the State from the hands of those who
have brought upon US shame and degradation,
of those who have offered premium to crime,
aud reward to dishonor. We were. there
fore, surprised, and not little shocked. when
we read The article on page 26S, headed "Po-
| litical''
He began with slur upon Judge Carpenter
and General Butler Now, Judge Carpenter
has received an endorsement, OF which even
| DR.. Hicks himself might be proud. The Bar OF
Charleston, among whom he came but O few
wears ago who watched with jealous eye his
! members men as able and as pure as can be
| found in the ranks of any professional body in
America, cordially endorsed him as an upright
| Judge uud an able man.
General Butler, born among us, known
eitherin person or By reputation tn every citi-
zen of the State, man who has proved HIM
self brave pure, upright and capable, needs
no defence from the attack of any one, even
though the attacking party should have the
ability and influence of DR.. w. W. Hicks.
He SAYS. speaking Of the platform of the
Union Reform party, I'VE despiSe 1t, and call
,tpon our people to crash IL, as 1t deSerues. Is
the work of men like Kershaw and Butler: en-
dorsed by Hampton, and almost, without ex-
eeptIon, 1 by every capable or honest man in
the State, to be despiseds We think not; and
so. too. thinks every intelligent man in the
State. eycept, perhaps, the editor of the XIX
Century. Have not the manhood and the hon
esty of our State right to be heard in their
protest against the men who are dragging the
Commonwealth to ruin and our people to de-
spair9 Dos an honest manly effort to save
our State observe TO be crushed?" No. no !!
DR.. Hicks; we say thousand times, No
Again, lie says:
ave do not claim extraordinary sagacity or
foresight. but we hope and predict thorough de-
feat for such mongrei party.
Now, what Or. Hicks means Sy . mongrei
party. we are unable to understand, out wnen
he Zones for the defeat OF the Union Reform
party he hopes for the ruin of our State and
our people, the triumph Of wrong over right,
of crime over virtue.
We would not do DR.. Hicks any injustice,
but when he says s'thls journal and its editors
oppose, and must continue to oppose, the 'Re-
form party movement, pray and labor Tor It's
overthrow, honestly, fearlessly, responsibly,"
we understand him; the corrupttonlsts under
stand him. Every man who knows Tue value
of words understands him to openly advocate
the election of Scott. There are Dut TWO par
ties in the field. DR.. HICKS prays lot the ae-
feat of one; he, therefore, as tervently prays
for the success of the other. There IS no mid
die GROUND between the two, and DR.. HICKS
has chosen.
We will say nothing about the insult contain
ed In the epitaph which he writes In advance.
That insult falls harmless On the pure ana non
orable gentlemen who have entered Into the
movement. We will. however, in conclusion;
show that DR.. Hicks has singularly changed
his opinions within the last ten months. In
the XIX Century for October. 1862: page 395,
ia TO be found an article headed, 1.-THE Political
CrIss.n He was then. as he Is now. the eul-
tor of that magazine. and ne puoilshed inat
article long before the birth Of the Union Re-
form party 1t therefore received his full en-
dorsement That article says:
"In looking for relief we must look at home.
md at home alone National politics have nothing
10 do with the matter. The questions which ma
tonal parties VIII have to decide are very diner
ent from the questions IN which we @ are iinmei e.
dIately Interested. We are at present deslrous OIL
obtaining good an'! pure local governments. OF
getting rid o. pennIess. worthless, ambitious aud
1nprincipled adventurer5, OF lreeing ourselves
from the Durueu Ol LdAdtiou Will "'tSu W 80
opuresscd, and orrelieving ourselves OF the waste.
full extravaganza which, II not checked, VIII IN
crease the weight already on our shoulders. we
do not mean by this to suggest any cnanse Oh
party lines or party aflnltles on the broad natlon-
al questions Of the debt, the currency, anu tue
tariff Those questions are for the nation to de-
eide, and must be the great issues discussed In
the elections for M ional office. Wnat We do
mean to say Is that We should look at home lor
the remedy for our local troubles and that rene.
DIV consists In recognizing the existence OF Wnat
mo sensible man can fa.! to see.
nThe Reconstruction acts are liked lacts ID the
Southern States. It matters not whether they
are CONSTITUTIONAL or unconstitutional, whether
they were right or wrong, wise or unWlse ;tney
are 6xed facts and have been fastened upon us
by the conqueror as one OF the terms OF peace
after his yic.ory. These facts we are pound 70
recognize From them flowed the present state
Constitutions, which give equal potical rights 70
all men. This also, we ore bound 70 recognize;
admitting these facts, what reason can tne
colored man nave for not uniting with the white
men OF the Southern Statesin freeing us al rem
the corruption which weighs upon MIN as wen as
upon us. We believe that the Respectable portion
OF the colored people in tile South will JOIN US IN
any effort to procure good government Tue mo.
ment that they clearly understand that we do not
desire to take away from them any right which
they now possess. Their interest and our inter-
est is the same. Good government can De Oh:
taned by the union OF good men. irrespective OF
color. tn the attempt to wrest the local govern
ments from the hands Of those who now atiliri
our people"
We confess that We fail to see in what aspect
the Union Reform party differs from the opin-
ions EXPRESSED ten months ago In the XIX
Century. DR.. Hicks has changed. We stand
to-day where he then stood In common With
ourselves