The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-01-05
HOYT,&r CO., Proprietors.
To the Members Of the Union Reform Party.


to announce to you the termination of the la.
bors and responsibilities of your Executive
Committee at an early day, and the dissolution
of the party as an organization under the Con-
vention of June last.
Had the party been successful, or even SO far
supported by the colored people as to furnish
any reasonable ground of hope that we might
succeed i'll the next general election, it would
have been eminently wise and proper to have
held together, to labor with renewed energy
and faith for the redemption of the State, by
the same means whereby we had achieved such
encouraging results. But we cannot disguise
the fact that though the majority against us
returned by the officers of elections is sprobably
fraudulent to the extent of more than twenty
thousand votes, yet enough remains to demon
strate that all our efforts have failed to concil-
ate the colored voters to any hopeful extent.
Nay, it is even evident that, as people, they
are more embittered against the white race
than after the Democratic campaign of 1868,
and very much more so than at the beginning
of the late canvass. Hence there would be no
propriety in continuing efforts which have been
so perverted as rather to ALLEVIATE than to at
tract those whom We would win to our stan
dards On the contrary, it is both wise and
just that room should be made for other agen-
cies to do the work that must be done to save
the perishing State Those who take our place
in the arena, will find the whites arrayed in
solid phalanx, steady and determined, ready,
willing and prepared to do and to dare all that
honor would sanction or God approve, to rescue
their people from ruin and despair. They will
also find by the side of these, faithful and
heroic band of colored men, who, rising above
the prejudices of their fellows, and apprecia-
ting the claims of honesty and the necessity of
good government, have braved dangers and
prosecutions calculated to try the stoutest
heart, and vindicated their rights as freemen,
by voting. even at the risk of life, for the men
and measures of their choice-a band to be fos-
tered and cherished under all the stern vicissi-
tudes Of the future, 10,
They viii find, also, that no barrier exists
between the good people of this State and any
organization of conservatism, that can arise in
the next two years, by reason of the principles
announced and established by the Union Re
form Party. On the contrary, we have, there
by; been brought into perfect harmony with that
type of Democracy now triumphantin so many
States, and that enlightened and Conservative
Western Republicanisnl, which has SO nobly
and signally won the great State of Missouri,
under the broad banner of free trade, universal
suffrage, universal amnesty and cnfranchise-
'me1lt This solidarity of our citizens and their
harmony with the better class of political ideas
now swayfng the great masses of the American
people, and destined, we trust to restore their
broken unity in 1872, are fruits OF the Union
Reform movement, well worth the faithful Ia
bor which they cost.
These however, are. nat the. only, fruits re-
s1lting from the liberal policy and the sclf-sac-
rificing laLors of the party: 1T has exposed to
universal eXccration the colruptions of the
State Government and the persons controlling
it, and forced its officials and organs within the
State, and its friends without, to demand re-
formation: It has demonstrated to every fair
mind the determination of tic white people of
this State TO abide by the accomplished results
of the war, and removes all pretcxt for further
persecution, on the part of the General Govern
ment. 1t has washed its hands of all the blood
that may hereafter flow in conflict of races so
apparently imminent in certain localities, by
public and solemn concession of legality to the
rights of the colored race, acquired by informal
and revolutionary processes, thus laying upon
the altar of Peace all it had TO offer, consistent
with honor, self-respect and self-prescrvation.
Finally, it has developed the true condition OF
society in the State, and the real and vital ma
tufe of the contest in which we are engaged,
and has demonstrated, beyond doubt, that
Radicalism in South Carolina rests upon the
antagonism Of the negro race to the Southern
whites: That we have been defeated by this
antagonismi, as principle, will appear from a
review of the canvass.
We entered the contest by laying down
platform OH the rights of race, identical and CO.
extensive with the legislation of the Republi-
can Congress upon that subject. We invited
men of all parties upon that basis, to unite IN
an effort to reform the present incompetent,
extravagant, prejudiced and corrupt admins
tration of the State Government, and to estab-
lish instead thereof just and equal laws, order
and harmony, economy in public expenditures,
a strict accountability of otfce-holders, and the
election to Office only of men of known homes
ty and integrity" go
We put forward as the State candidates; a
prominent Republican who had proved himself
q capable and just Judge and Democrat and
eminently representative Carolinian, popular
and distinguished The people in their Coun-
ty nominations, generally observed the same
spirit of compromise, and selected as their can
dates white and black, Democrat and Republi-
can, giving full effect to the principles of the
platform. Certainly if ever a party was organ
ICED outside of political issues, this was. There
was literally nothing in it to repel any citizen,
clinging to the issues of the past, were offended
by the liberal concessions made to the colored
people. If, therefore, we could establish our
charges against the then existing administra-
tion of the State Government, we had right
to count upon the support of all honest men.
Those charges were in general terms, lncompe-
tency, extravaganza, prejudice and corruption,
and there is not a County or precinct IN the
State, where they were not proven to be true to
the conviction of the commonest understand
ing, and to an extent wholly unparalleled IN
the annals of civilized governments. These
proofs were never refuted Some errors in par
ticular specifications were occasionally pointed
out, but as a whole they stood uncontroyerted
as they were roversihle-ineffacably i'm
pressed upon the recorded acts of the Govern
ment. Had the battle been permitted to rest
upon this issue, you would to-day have been