Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-11

and Liberal Republicans; yetispromise.
, as complete victory for the Democrae,
8 of this State in 1872 as it achieyed for the
\ party IN Tennessee in 1869, aud in Mis-
. souri, in 1870. Excuse me forrepeatine
= again in this, as in my forlnerletter pub
lished in your Journal of 25th January
last, that as Passivism enabled Tennessee
/ and Missouri to. throw off the Radical
, yoke at time when probably two-thirds
of the Democrats in either State were
prohibited from voting, why need South
Carolina despair, since no son of her is
denied the ballot. 8
AS stated above, aside frem;sentiment,
greed Jor office is all thatanygood citizen
has to give up to stand on the, Passive
platform. No, forgot; hesmust also
give up the prurient cravingsfor notori-
ETY., and the vanity of appearing as a
speaker at the hustings. The Liberal
Republicans, par excellence, mustarrange
all the details of the platform. nominate
all the candidates, and furnishall the de-
tails for the canvass. Democrats ought
to stay at home till election day, OF. be
only silent spectators of Radical fights,
but jealous co-operators inlaction with
Liberal Republicans to urge on the fights.
Liberal Republicans will concede some
thing substantial to Democratsin the way
Of seats in the Legislature, ttosecure most
of the offices of profit to themselves, and
if Democrats can control amajority Of
Legislative elections, all wil1sbe well.-
1t would give bad odor among Radical
voters for well known Democrats to ap-
pear conspicuously friendly either to a
platform, candidate, or anorator, du-
ring the canvass.
This abnegation of sell, viii be hard
for our politicians to adopt, even if they,
be honest men and sincere patriots
Davy Crockett is reported to have said,
what every person of observation knows
to be true, that "where a man has once
dabb1cd in politics he can never quit it,
even after the people have quit him.
Then again some pretended or really ar
dent Democratic orator, or Editor, bribed,
peEchance, for the purposeTwill oppose
Democratic Passivism, and urge nomi-
mating strict party candidates, making a
strictly party canvass, and voting strictly
for party. Let the good people Of the
State beware of all such .hireling or inn
practicable marplots. Mr.. Armstrong,
the present Chairman of the State Gen.
trail Democratic Committeesof Missouri,
told me in st. Louis, last September, that
he had more trouble in 1870, to counter
act the affected or real zealof bribed or
impraeticable Democrats clamoring for
purely partisan canvass than he had to
beat the whole Radical party.
In conformity with Crockett's maxim.
I must go on 10 state that atprcsent Isee
but two sources Of hope for the honest
people of South Carolina to swiftly re-
cover control of their State Government.
lst. The Passive policy, if properly
handled in the next State election, ought
to bring us as much assistance US it did
for Tennessee and Missouri.
I'd. Failing in that, the remaining
chance for us is, that Liberal Republic
can may be. elected Presiaspt, ,-~t'v--f'-i'-
restore haJctsS corpus, and Withdraw the
army, when the carpet baggers and seal
awags will withdraw themselves.
Democracy being dying cock in the.
arena of National politics - shattered
mostly by South Carolina Rcformism--
Liberal Republicanism, allied with shat
tered Democracy, arc'all the forces let
to battle for the lost freedom of this colin
try ut the next Presidential election
Now, if it be made known at once that
tho Democrats of South Carolina will i'll
good f;lit.i sustain the Passive policy at
the next State election, then it is certain
that our State will be well represented in
the great Liberal Republican Conven-
ton, which is to assemble ut Cincinnati
in Max, 10 nominate candidates for Pres
ident and Vice President.
There are as many local Federal offices
in South Carolina, and Offices in the gift
of the President elect, or departments at
Washington, which should be assigned
to South Carolinians, as there are dcsira-
BILE Offices in the State Government. All
the Liberal Republican asplrants for the
whole of these Offices, State and Federal,
should combine their influence to secure
success in either the State election or Pres
idcntial election.
Who are the men that control the dies
ti1lies of this country? Evidently the
politicians; and a large majority Of them
make mere trade of politics. Neither
duty to the State, nor p:ide Of opinion,
nor devotion to ambition, has much to
do with the conduct of a professional of
flee seeker. Having no principle but
success in the pursuit of Office, based on
a close calculation of The doctrine of
chances, he can argue either side Of po-
litical question with equal ability, and
embrace or desert any party with equal
facility.
These professional ofliee-seekers being
an excrescence of universal suffrage, are
the special bane of republicans, and
TREY have destroyed every free govern
ment the world has known. The toiling
millions of the United States, who are
willing to earn an honest living by the
sweat Of their brow, would be astounded
Lii they could but know low many Amer
leans have no occupatio, but politics by
which to subsist. Thes, traders in poll
tics are so numerous that now and hence
forth thoy may be said to hold tho bal
.ance. of power between parties.
The secret of the strength of the great
Liberal Republican movement against
Grant, arises from thehowling discon-
tent of those professional ofice-seekers
who are out of office. Grant has not, and
Congress cannot create sflices enough to
bestow upon all, and tie outs want the
places of the ms SO strongly that the for
mer are tired of waiting. Of course the
reeking corruption, ant wanton abuse of
power by Grants Administration, are
telling fearfully againstit among the hon
est masses; but nevertheless, its greatest
weakness lies in the fct that his party
has been In power too ling, and has over
looked the claims of 100 many office
seekers. Usually a professional office
1 r.. -. oil latx y, fhA