The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-10-24
The Issues Before Us.

The lapse OF 8 few hours Will tell tne story
OF the election. We shall then have certain
| ty for what has been and is still speculation.
Whatever may be the result, we are, how
| ever, well and perfectly assured Of this:
That as surely as truth must prevails GER
tainly as justice will Wndicate itself-the
campaign, Of which the first battle has been
fought, will end in the restoration OF our
State to the position it has hitherto held,
and: from which, under the rule OF unprln-
cipled adventures, 1t has been for awhile
degraded. Great and pressing were the
disadvantages under which our people rallied
forntbe contest Great and pressing were
the obstacles they had sto:overcome. A
compact, completely organized party, held
together in part by the cohesive power" OF
plumber, in another part by the appeals ad-
dressed to ignorance, and the. worst pas
sions Of human nature, had been for more
than two years kept in a state OF unequalled
party discipline, and trained to an obedience
more perfect thanhad ever been known. To
break down this organization, to dispel the
preiadlces which had been carefully fostered,
| to overcome the power which had cemented
together the elements Of o party. which had
boasted a numerical majority !, Of thirty
Thousand votes, was an effort which. could
lonly be undertaken By those who were. satis-
fled, that, if the State, could be saved, the
ltime to make that. effort could be no longer
l'delayed. And with that conviction strongly
IimpresseS upon them, the members OF the
convention, which assembled at Columbia,
made their. calm and well-considered ex-
|position Of the principles which would gcv-
ern, them in the contest; before them. -
Beyond question, this exposition present
led to the people OF the State a line Of politi;
cal conduct which, although new,, was not
to the thinking, portion of. that people un
expected. u Useless, worse than useless, had
lit becometo discuss the consistency with. the
iConstitutiona Of the United States OF those
measures which had been incorporated with
that instrument, andr as amendments were
claimed to1lhaye equal authority with the
Original compact. They were there, and
being there, carried with them all the obliga-
|itions, OF parts Of theiorganio law. The dis.
icussion OF them was idie, It was the dis
cu5sion Of something settled and ended.
One Of the Justices OF !he Supreme Court OF
1.-THE United States had declared thai, the
Fifteenth amendment was the affirmation Of
IA power in the Government of the United
States never before claimed for it or by it.
The power pf+that government to regulate,
in anyinanner,' the local elections Of State
i was asserted in that amendment. The
power claimed for Congress in all such cases
to. make appropriate legislation, rendered
final, complete and irreversible the grant Of
power thus declared. ~
It was the end OF an issue which had been
contested from the foundation of the gov
ernment; an issue which had paved the way
ito power for the Republican party, and had
contributed To the downfall Of the Demo
cratic party. It was an issue which, SO long
as it could be kept alive, would be 30 pre-
served by that national party which looked
to it as the great spring Of political exist
enee and power 1t was an issue which the
opposing party desired neveragain to revive.
| If there is o. question OF practical states
.manship which seems to be so settled that
about it men cannot differ, it is this: That
no party will ever succeed in these United
States that proposes the renewal of the
strife which ended in the adoption of these
measeres.:eT The people in the United States
have accepted these measures as the guar
antees for peace. They regard them as
efectualy preventing a recurrence of the
conyulsion which lately threatened the gov.
ernment Of the United States, and the union
of these States and, so believing, the strong
est. appeal which can be made to them is
that which proclairus to them that these
measures are not accepted, and the over
throw or repeal OF them Is attempted. We
are sure that no one who has calmly investi-
gated this matter, and has taken care to
understand the public temper Of the people
Of the United States, can have come to any
other conclusion.
We are free to say that, so far as we are
Commemorative mean the people Of this
State-that they have had but little, if in
deei anything, to do or say in relation to
these measures. That portion Of the popu-
lation, OF the State to whom these measures
brought euiranchisement, and a full enjoy
msut, equally with all others; OF civil and
political privileges, naturally favored the
adoption of them. would, have been
most strange had it been otherwise. The
other portion of the population had, for the
mustipart, no voice In the discussion : -
The restoration Of the State to 4 represep-
tation in the Congress Of the United States t y
was connected: with. indeed depended ,aa,'
these amendmentsi and the several aess OF
Congress passed for their enforcement: -,
! Had these measures, then, the fotce Of