The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-07-21
THE CITY AWAKE!
MASS mEEr1Ne OF THE pEoPl 8
A NOBLE GATHERING AND GREAT EN-
THUsIAsM. ssys'

| A NUbLE AMI A~s
THUsIASM. sSzgsysr
sPE ECHEs OF Nj. p. O'CONNORsEsa.,
AND THE HON. r. B. CARPENTER.
kfEAgreeablya to- the published announcement.
Iif6asands 81 our citizens assembled lastevening
iiifffont ofthe CharlestonHo Hotel, for the purpose
tof attending the meeting. called to ratify the
denominations Of the Union Reform Convention.
/ For more than two hours the clouds had been
Towering and the elements every moment
Threatened a adelnge. Notwithstanding these
|ESadyerse circumstances, the spacious corridors
anapiazzas Of the hotel wefs thronged with
lMiss and gentlemen until there was scarcely
standing room left, while the broad street in
front of the stand was packedswith an eager
multitude.
At the hour appointed for the commence
ment of the proceedings, the llghtnings
flashed and the thunder roared, to degree
well calculated to excite the llvelest desire to
retreat from a threatened inundation; but
even after heavy rain began to fall, not more
than two or three hundred OF the immense
audience retreated from the scene.
From beginning to end the interest mani
tested by the meeting was convincing
proof of the abiding faith of the people
of Charleston in the prospects of the
campaign, and in the enlarged princi-
ples of truth and right which govern, and
direct, the mighty movement whose sole object
is the redemption of the State from rule OF
ignorance aud corruption.
THE STAND.
A stand had been erected in front Of the
vacant lot opposite the Charleston Hotel,
which was decorated with flags and brilliant
ly Illuminated. This was occupied by many
of the prominent white and colored citizens
Identified with the present political movement.
Music for the occasion was furnished by Null
ler,s famous Eutaw Band, whose enlivening
strains added to the pleasures ofthe evening.
Punctual to the hour announced, the meet
Ing was called to order by E. W. Marshall,
ESQ.,, on whose motion the Hon. NJ. z. O'Con-
nor was elected chairman.
Mr.. O'Connor was received with cheers as
he came forward, and with his usual spirit and
polish, spoke as follows;
Fslloo Citizens OF South Caroltna.-1n ac-
cepting your invitation to preside over the
deliberations Of this meeting. I take the occa-
sion to say, that address for the irst time to-
nisht r,ew State and rep peops-a new
State since the execution of the reconstruction
laws, and new people since the ratification
Of the Fifteenth constitutional amendment.
These laws are SO inseparably interviewer with
the amendment which was the elimination OF
their policy, that their duration is as i.Seo anu
as permanent as the amendment itself, subject
only 10 be changed as the constitution may be
changed, which will pass away only when popu-
lar selEgovernment has been surrendered or
abandoned by the American people. The de-
cree has gone forth, ratified by more than
threefourths of the States of the Republic,
that no citizen shall be abridged OF his right
to vote, nor deprived of the ballot, ,'on account
of the color of his guaranteeing to al:
in the exercise of the inestimable right of suf-
frage, that there shall be no distinction on
account of race or color. Othel qualifications
may De annexed, and other distinctions by the
conventions of society mist prevail, but IN
the forum Of politics the distlnction.of color
Is blotted out and extinyuished forever. loud
cheers
Standing upon the soil Of my native State,
In presence Of the ass embed thousands OF ner
metropolis, repeat % you, as my frm and
honest conviction, that this decree cannot and
should not be ever reversed. render under
1t not the forced and compulsory submission
exacted by necessity, but the cheerful obe-
dlence Of an approving mind and willing heart.
This fundamental change IN our institutions,
wroupht in furtherance of that enlarged and
liberal spirit of justice which seeks the eleva-
ton and improvement Of all men, ana Wnlcn
is the distinguishing feature Of the pre-
sent ace. is now Incorporated into the
organic law Of the Republic, and upon her
banners have been inscribed, in letters ofltvtng
light equal lGtos, equal rtghts, ana egIds Jus
tice to all men. The chasrn which mas hereto-
fore divided the two classes OF our community
politically, has at last been spanned, ana may
every arrow from the qulVer of dlsc0rd be
buried In Its dark abyss forever. My country
men. it is vain-you should not, and must
not, in the exIgency of this hour, look back
upon the past, but, for the well-belng OF So
cfety. under the new dispensatton, look for
ward hopefully and manfully to the future.
[Applause.1
seems now to divide our people, but for the
honor and welfare OF South Carolina, and for
the salvation Of her people from ruin and fur
ther degradation, q change In the administra-
tion of her government Is absolutely and indls-
pensably necessary. The cry Of Reform Re-
form /! Is borne upon the winds from the noun
tains to the seaboard, and its echos, taken mp
BY this vast throng, are sent aback to resound
along our borders, and ring through the val
reys Of our State. The people are alive to the
necessities OF the times. The State yearns for
Just, wise and an economical government.
Corruption, like cancer, is eating Into the
very bowels of the commonwealth. The
malignant and unrelening party spirit OF those
In power, bent upon the preservation OF their
licentious and profigate power and the ag-
grandizement OF select few at the expense
or the masses, pretentlously and hypocriucally
assuming to be the especial friends and guar
dians Of our newly enffanchised fellow-citi-
zens, has engendered amongst them the fell
spirit Of hatred and dstrrlst OF class for class,
that they may longer fatten upon the spolis
and gloat over the ruins Of an outraged and
impoverished people You, my fellow-cid-
zens, you who have lately been baptized In
the waters Of freedom, and who have
Just been raised to the dignity of politi-
cal equality; beware how tar you heed the ad-
-too ,n.3 otn,, kho ypfn oft oco