The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-17
For Lieutenant-Governor General NJ
c. Butler, Of Edgefield
STIRRING SPEECHES FROM WHITE AND COL
ORED DELEGATES.
RARxoNH, ENTHUSIASM AND CONFIDENCE

RARNoNY, ENTHUSIASM AND CONFIDENCE
lBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE EEws.l
COLUMBIA, June 16-3 P. N.
The Convention reassembled at the court.
house this morning at 10 o'clock.
The following platform, prepared by the com,
mittee, was submitted by its chairman, General
Butler: ~,
Platform.
This Convention, representing citizens OF
South Carolina irrespective of party, assem-
bledto organize the good people Of the State
in an effort to reform the present incompetent,
,extravagant, prejudiced and corrupt admins
tration Of the State Government, and to estab-
lsh instead thereof just and equal laws, order
and harmony, economy in public expenditures,
strict accountability OF ofice-holders and the
election to Office only Of men Of known homes
ty and integrity, doth declare and announce
the following principles upon which men of all
parties may unite for the purposes aforesaid:
>{irst. The Fifteenth amendment Of the Con-
stitution of the United States having been by
the proper authorities proclaimed ratified by
the requisite number Of States, and having
been received and acquiesced In as law in all
the States of the Union, ought to be fairly ad-
ministered and faithfully oheyed as fundamen-
tai law.
Second. The vast changes in our system OF
government, wrought by the international war
between the two sections OF the States, and
following In It's train, are so far incorporated
into the constitutions and laws Of the States,
and of the United States, as to require that
they be regarded as accomplished facts, haV
ing the force and obligation Of law.
Third. This solemn and complete recogni-
ton Of the existing laws brings the people Of
South Carolina into entire harmony upon all
questions of civil and political right, and should
unite all honest men in an earnest and deter
mined effort to establish just, equal and faith
full administration Of the government, in the
interest Of no class or clique, but for the bene-
At Of a united people.
The committee also recommended the adop-
ton of the following resolution:
Resolved, That this organization be known
as the "Union Reform Party Convention"
After some preliminary business had been
disposed OF, the platform reported by the COM
mittee was taken up for consideration.
MIR. Ellison Kei:t first took the floor. He
sarmed the Platform an abortion. 1t did not
90 far enough. He boldly declared that
President Lincoln had been made the in
strument of God to set free the slaves,
whose tears and groans reached up to
His throne. North and South were alike cul-
pable, and both were punished by the war.
But Lincoln, like Moses, was not allowed to
see the freedom Of the people which he had
wrought. He appealed to the Convention to
be faithful to the end, and to Danish class and
race prejudice.
General Kershaw followed, explaining the
many difficulties of the situation, and showing
the strength of the platform as a recognition
of the law and facts which. both whites and
blacks might accept. In conclusion, he said
that he considered the whole movement blown
to the windsJf the Convention dissolved With
out making nomination. He had no fears
for the honor of South Carolina. 1t would
not be tarnished and could not be degraded.
The day would soon come when all the colored
people would rally around the whites.
General Kershaw was voclferously cheered
throughout.
Mr.. Keitt explained that he wanted to make
the platform progressive, and to so beyond the
ba&e facts.
General Butler followed. He said that the
whites had hitherto been in fault, and had not
put themselves, until this occasion, in posi-
tlon to be sustained by the colored people.
The people of the State now propose to take
care OF themselves, without regard to the
Democratic prty, or any other party. This
was called the ''June Bug Convention but
there were other bugs-meaning tumble bugs
more offensive. They call us ''palpitators,"
and give US four columns of abuse daily. He
might be asked, why not join the Union
League? He would answer, that the League
makes men slaves, and binds them to vote for
donkey If that animal should be nominated
The object of the Reform movement is to make
men free to vote as they please. The Edge
field colored delegates had been threatened
and abused They were told that they would
he mobbed and starved. What must be
thought of SUCH expedients? a State Execu-
tive had been elected by colored votes. What
was their reward? In Edgefeld, OF twenty
obice-holders, nineteen are white, and the
one colored had been removed. The dirty
work, at sixteen dollars month, is given to
tie 'snigger," but the three-dollars-a-day jobs
are given to white men from Ohio. But We OF