The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-17

AND lah 10 melfy hoANSos SAANA>1 " o.
The time OF rich and bounteous crops, rejoicing
and good cheer
? THE POLITICAL sITUATIoF.
Letter from Judge Orr.
COLUMBIA, S. c., August 10.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PHENlG-
NV DEAR SRI enclose you herewith a
communication expressing my opinions OF the
nresant political situation in South Carolina
The publication of It would be gratifying to
me, II you have space in your columns. lam
very respectfully yours, &C.,
JAMES L. ORR.
Mr.. Edi,or-In response to inquiries address
efi tn me by friends in letters, and otnerWlse,
I shan proceed very brieny 10 state My ~
oninions on the political issues presented 20
the people in the canvass now progressing LII
W. L s6ail vote for Scott and Ransier, Repuo-
5l,can nominees for Governor and Lleutenant-
~ cannot vote for the nominees Of the
Union Reform party, because, IN my )uoe-
ment, the purpose which they propglse pls
to accomplish is entirely 1mpracllcaoie'
and the nominations made py tnelr confen- ~
Hon win not only accomplish no good re-
sI,lta. but the Consequences of the nomlna-
fion and canvass must be perniclous. Inc
: .vnved nnrpose of the convention was to ell
fest reforms In the administration OF the STATE
Goyernment. In some Of its departments re-
trenchment and reform is, dou6tless. gteauy
needed some of It's offices are hned Dy lncom-
petent and, corrupt men, who snould Dc
driven from the places they occupy; MORE
aeconony in tie appropriations and dlsburse-
sments Of public money should be practlceo;
How are these objects to be attained Inc
: nnly reSorr Is In the State Government tnat can
bs successfully accomplished, at least for many
wears to come, must be by and through a. Ine
Republican party and It's organizations. fnsy
have control Of all the departments o. tls \.
State Government, and have majority OF
more than thirty thousand voters to preserve
5 and perpetuate that control. SO long as an
Sonnosfng party, disayowing Republicanism, Is
Sorpanized In the State to defeat and displace
Them, 30. long will party machinery and ap-
.speals to party appliances preserve its unlty
and supremacy. II we want an 1lustratlon
az the strength and constaney OF party or
.psnization In securing selfperpetuanon, looh
TO the State Of Vermont,, LOT tnnyy
yeara prior to the war, when it annually roll
: sii suD it's .25,006 or more majority 1or tne
Whia party, despite all the efforts Of the De-
1mncraev. sifled most of the time by Federal
influence and patronage. When you attempt
TO reform party by destroying (which 1s
the present mode. Of reform adopted-tne nrst
law Of nature, selfpreservauon, apIeais 20
each member OF that party to resist tne new
1povement, and avert its destruction; such an
ssntaconism has another most baleful influence;
the most active, and oftentimes the most un-
Mrupnlous partlsans, eXaggerate the mp9r-
tance Of maintaining party usage ana Gus.
.eipline. and the great mass OF the honest
n6rtion of the party are thus diverted nom
careful examination into the fitness OF those
.saekinp to srepresent them, and from abuses
and coTruptions existing In the party:
An antagonistic party may be organized WIN
great effect, when there is remote prospect
Of success In driving the party 10 power, or its
leaders who are guilty of misrule, from their
supremacy: but Is there such aprospect IN the
present canvass. The colored voteis, and has
been rom 1867, nearly unit for the, Republi-
can party, and have they acted unwisely or un-
patfioHcaily In their ardent devotion to- she
Republican party Suppose our conditions,
Sfhes sWhiteArace, were reversed; that we and
4 Our ancestors had been slaves for 200 years
3 that o party had made war to give us freedom
J had IpeSilled It's own supremacy .by
Guaranteeing to us our civil rights, and
ABOVE allathe ballot-the efectual weapon
Of meserying those rights had been secured
10 nv solemn constitutional enactment by
tie same party, and we were, In the face OF
Al this, appealed to by those who had oppos-
dali these great boons, to join with themin
soYerthrowing the party of our deliTerance
and redemption, would any white man for a
moment tolerate with patience any such prop
:oEtfon Would 1t not be most ungrateful for
the; ,colored msnsto reno1nce such q party,
! when its very: existence is now. threatened !?
SomeIo his leaders, white and colored, may
be incompetent, corrupt, neacherons; but he
would exhibit O. strange oblirtousness he
would consent to Join an antagonistic .organi-
zation to destroy his own party, even yer before
The relative population 0fwhite and colored
areas three to four, and the vote may be as
sumed to be the same. The colored majority
is more than rs, 600. Assuming that the great
mass of the colored voters will sustain the
Republican party and the foregoing views,
confirmed by the experience of the last five
years, does it not conclusively show that If
there IS dishonesty and peculaion In depart
rdents OF the State Government that it cannot
be reformed by Reform party! Don't the
figures show that the votes are too numerous
on the other side? This view of f525, 900 ma
jorltyis on the assumption that every white
man IN the State votes the Reform ticket; but
when the, ballots come 10 De cast, II Will De
found that many white Republicans in South
Carolina-many more whites who viii vote the
Republican than blacks who will vote the Re-
form ticket. & i -
III have shown that reform cannot be ac-
complished through the Reform party, 1t devol-
yes on me to show now, not only how reform Is
to be accomplished, but how q large infusion
ofthe intelligence and virtue OF the white race
can exercise its just and legitimate influence
In the counsels ofthe State.
Z It must be done through the organizations OF
the Republican party. The wise and expert
senced in good faith must go into the Re-
publican party; acquire a fair and legitt
mate influence; and in selecting the most COM
petent and deserving men for official positions
In the Republican ranks, and when confidence
has been attained, by good faith and sincerity,
then the highest intelligence and Write Will
-be revoked by the Republican convention for
services In the offices Of trust and RESPONSE
bility.
The greatest obstacle in accepting this sug-
eestten BY many conscientious men, who have
heretofore belonged to Democratic and other
organizations, was removed by the nomina-
ions and platform Of the late Reform conven-
ton. The distinguished nominee Of that con-
Yention for Governor is Republican,; hiS
associate for Lieutenant Governor, no less
distinguished, was formerly Democrat. The
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