The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-03-17
Are we Democrats. or are we not! ana
vye ain't democrats, what are Wes

That's the question we oo uos use sn0
nropoun ve editorially, but as applying to the
party in the State opposed to the corruptionS
Of the present State government. we say
the corruptions of the present State govern
ment: because we do not suppose that any
reasonable man can hope to effect anything
by opposition to the State government itself
The Constitution, and the government estab-
lished Hereunder, we look upon as inevitably
i. fixed for generation at least, and all that is
left for us to do is to make the administration
of that government as free from oppression
and corruption as we can. To effect that OBJ
ject seems to be the central idea OF the Varl-
GUS positions assumed by the opposition, press
of the State How to effect 1t, whe'heF Dy
clineing to the name and principles OF the
party organization of 1868, or by dlscardiog
these and taking upon ourselves new name
with new principles, or at least with the old
PRINCIPLES materially modified, is the question
that is now exercising the brains of the think
ing men of the State.
THE Charleston News, after having ex-
hausted its ingenuity in constructing Demo
cratic platforms, suddenly lays them all aside
as rubbish, and runs up the colors OF the
Citizens Party. The Phenir, pursuing the
even tenor of its way, is Tor sticking to the
old name and organization; but thinks 1t best
to.drav it mild-to have some kind OF pro-
,pressive. conservative Democracy. The Lau-
rensyitie Herald is for bold, square, stand
mn fight, under the old organization and old
colors. The views of these three able cotem-
poraries fairly represent the different shades
Of opinion expressed by the opposition press
of the State. Now we don't agree with any
of them. So. far as the proposition OF the
.Neus is to drop the Democratic name we
heartiiy concur. And the reason this is de-
sirable is obvious enough to us. The white
people of the State are already nearly a unit
in their opposition to the present admlnis1ra-
tion of the State Government. The only
source from which any accession to the ranks
of the opposition can be looked for is from the
BODY of colored voters. The first political
idaa that the negro drew in when he ceases.
to be slave, was that the Democrats were
bent on restoring him to slavery. The ne
groes honestly believed this. Hatred or the
ASery name of Democrat sank too deep into
their bones ever to be eraeicated. They are
not reasoning creatures you may tell them as
much as you please abou- that rose taat
smelled the same no matter what you called
it, but as long as you call it Democrat they
wont smell it at all. They can't be mace
Democrats. They have perfect loathing Tor
"Democratic niggcrs," as they call them.
And we might just as well, therefore, abandon
the contest altogether as to 60 into it with the
hope of achieving success BY drawing the ne
groes ever to the party called Democratic.
The objection urged against this course Is,
that we are all allied With the National Demo.
cratic party, and that we ought not to desert
that organization 1t would have been a
blessing for both the National Democratic
party and ourselves if we had held aloof from
it in 1868. If the defeat of Seymour d Blair
can be attributed to any one cause more than
another, it is to the part prominent Carolini-
ans PLAYED in the campaign. And uoless we
learn more wisdom by 1872, no doubt the
National party will be more than rejoiced to
have us play on string of our own. But
what we will do, or be in favor of doing IN
1872. is neither here nor there at this time.
There is no question of national Importance
that our actiun this year can effect. Our du-
~ now is to forget that there is any place but
South Carolina, and with an eve single to her
good, to devote all there is of US to her puritl-
cation and prosperity. As far then as drop
ping the name Democratic is concerned, we
are with the Neus But when it comes to
clubbing ourselves the Citizens Party, VIC
halt. Citizens Party is very good name for
one size or the other in scrub race for an
Intendunt Of town where the question is
license or no license, or some other merely To-
cal matter. But as the name Of State or
ganization, it seems to US unsuggestive aud
lifciess. There is great deal in name,
Shakespeare to the contrary, nevertheless
Bnt lest we may seem hypercritical, and il
lustrats the old truism that it is much easier
to pull down than to build up, We frankly
own that we are in favor of no organization,
and consequently of no name. The policy of
the opposition party in our judgment, is to
take the platform some time ago proposed by
the Union Iimes-opposision to Official Dis
honesty-and urge guerilla warfare all over
the State against the party In power: leaving
il to each County to adopt whatever measures
may seem best to secure the election Of honest
men to the Legislature. BY this plan the
Radicals will be prevented in great measure
from consolidating the terrible enginery OF
their League against US. Fighting them IN
detail, they will have to fight US in detail.
We can bang away at them from behind every
rock of principle, we can keep up a running
fire from behind all the rascalites and thieve-
ries they have committed, we can to great
extent prevent concert of action among them,
and will thus be enabled to cut off many OF
their bummers and foraging parties. TO Sc
cure one or the other branch of the Leglsa-
ture in the hands of honest and capable men
is the thing we must lend all ouI efforts TO-.
And to accomplish this the plan suggested by
IL oc.1. G