The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-09-02
Friday, September 2, 1870.
slatlOrms-Issues State and National

I Aho NaIlouS uttNtCSSCS Whlcn nave
occn put forth by Southern Conscrva,
two State Executive Committees, arc
sadly suggcstivc-to borrow an idea
from tho New York Il'orld-of tho
tcrrb!o misgovcrnmcut which prevails
ut tho South-a miSSovcrnmcnt which
has compelled the people Of tho South
to ignore all national issues, and 10
devote themselves exclusively to OBJ
taininS relief from tho grinding; op-
|nrrs.ivn which cohiront3 thcn IL
hcmc.
/ Contrasting tho robbery Of tLc
Ipast with tho rcvivinG prosperity
which has followed The Conservative
|victory of 1869. tho Virginia address
iudviScs acontinnanco Of tho same pol
Iicy which brought about that result,
and calls upon the people Of the State
to keep a!oof from Federal politics,
and support q purely State policy,
which will tend 10 tho "ronacrvation
|of the power OF tho State i'll Conscrva.
tive hands" The Alabama address i.;-
nores national issues entirely and in
vitcs all opposed to tho present incf
ticicnt State Government, to rnito for
its overthrow, upon arlatform Of econ
omy, honesty and good order. The
Louisiana address complains Of the
enormous increase of tho State debt,
under Radical missovcrnmcnt from
twelve to eighteen milIionsof dollars;
Of taxes which have boon raised to
3! per cent; Of enormous monopo]ies,
and special privileges granted to indi-
viduals; and urges az necessary TO
avert financial and political ruin, that
! the State Government DO wres:cd
tror, tho hands Of foreign intcrlopcrs,
and committed TO tho truo rcrrcscn-
tivcs of the people. Tho Florida ad,
dress complains Of tho gross robbcr:cs
which have deprecated thcStatc bonds,
and loaded the taxable property of
tho State with unprecedented burdens.
The Texas address urges even n moro
prcS*ins; Necessity for reform, in tho re-
cent passage Of law, which not only
|autloliscs tho Governor TO declare
martial law, but TO raiso largo mil
titary force, to carry his bchcsts into
texccution.
These addresses All cschew the
discussion Of national poIitics-negro
srhrege-tho Fifteenth Amendment
FREQ trade and general fnancc-and
devote thcmsclvcs 10 State policy,
as tho enc absorbing issuc. Such
was tho simple issue rnado in tho re-
fccnt canvass in North Carolina, ant!
ftho success of tho Conservatives
There, vindic:tcs tho wisdom Of tho
Ipolicy which has been adopted by tho
Conservatives of Alabama, Texas
Virginia, Louisiana and Florida.
Such is prominently the policy of the
Union Reform party Of South Caro-
lima. They indeed conccdo negro
suffrage, and recognize tho Fftccnth
Amendment, but these are but means
ito an cnd-the reformation Of State
abuses, and the overthrow Of corrupt
|State officials. This object is The
primary loading principle in all oi
these addresses, but beyond and above
all Of this, there is etill another object
10 which it may be mado largely cr
fcctivc-thc overthrow of tho Ratli
eel party generally, by wrestling tho
control Of tho South from that organ
ization. It's very existence is dcpcn
}, |dcntupon Southern votes.
| But whilst we arc fighting our owr
!, battles at homo, wo cannot be indi(
fercnt TO the contest which is wagct
by our friends abroad, or the prici
!, pies md policy which aro inscribed
upon their banners, md form tic ral
5 lying cry Of victory OF dctcat. Th,
: New York Wcrld urges, that th'
Democratic party may. learn lcsso,
, here, from tho policy which has SO OF
ton given success TO the Republicans
land tho failure to adoptswhich brough
about tho defeats Of 1864 and 1865
They have put too much into thci
!! platforms - tho anti-war plank o
1s64-the grccnbacll endorsement
'lplank of 1868. Tho RcpHblica,
1 lparty havo been wiser in thei
|lay and generation. They have bee,
content at first to insort Tho shar,
edge Of tho wedge, as in The slavor,
|agitation, leaving it to time aud til,
force Of circumstances, to bring abou
Iits abolition, and TO inaugnrate Negro
suffrage. They have .'made hast,
|slowly," and hence the more surely
They have taken no step backward
1but have marched over an inclined
lplain, which has. boon gradually
smoothed TO aid their progress. Thn.
they'hate gene'f from point to. poin,
md from Victory TO- victory until they
dhavo realized even more than they
aboHed.to accomplish ~ ~
Therc is.a greut deal of sonnd wis