The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-09
Let Us Reason Together.

A leading article in the Courier OF yes1er-
day ia devoted to an exposition OF the man.
ner In which the Tomllnson and the Moses
Radicals have broken their pledge that they
i would improve the character OF the men,
hers OF the Legislature and the county ON
GERS to be elected next Wednesday. Inc
structures OF the Courier, while proper IN Inc
/ main, are not altogether just; nor can this
paper admit that the Conservatives acted un-
\ wisely in adhering to their Determination
i not to nominate q State ticket WIN "tne
.intelligeuce and the capital OF tho State
moving in "solid column, " there would be a
prospect OF accomplishing o thorough re-
form; but this is a combination. which mas
! not been made since the war, and OF which
there is no present prospect. Practical
men do not waste time in talking OF what
MIGHT have been, or OF what they could do
were the circumstances OF the case wholly
different. They take things as they are,
and make the best OF them. This is the
mint to which, it Is hoped, the ConserVa'
lives may he brought between this and elec-
ton day. .gs
Upon the subject OF the two legislative
tickets nominated by the Charleston County
Radicals, the Courier says:
In reference to the TWO tickets for the Legis'
lature, Judged by acts and not by words there
"a no hope Of reform In either, or In q conaot'
| nation or both. We cannot support either or
| both. The time is too short for a convention
of the people of the county. If there had
| been united counsel and action, TINS, VI oar
iudorneet, could haze been accomplished, and
vtctoru attained. The question is, therefore,
| one exclusively for the people. 1t is for them
| to say whether there shall be any other noml-
| nations or not. If they choose, they can either
| by a call tor a mass meeting or otherwise, pre-
] sent a ticket aohtch aot1 indeed be the sign and
The assurance of a real reform and good gov-
ernment. The whole matter ID In the nanas Oh
the people. 1t Is for them to determine
whether an honest effort shall be made 10
rescue the legislative councils from the In
COMPETENT and In many instances corrupt
hands into which otherwise 1t must fall the
t~arpaytng citizens do not present some G
aohtch sotl afford security for right and hope
for the future.
To the passages which are italicisea, it is
desired to call the attention OF the public.
They contain two postulales: l. That the
people OF Charleston County can, in mass
meeting or otherwise, present a Legislative
ticket which will be 'ths sign and the as
~.tsurance of q real reform and good gov
sernment." 2. That there is no hope OF re-
form in either the Bowen or the Mackey
legislative ticket, or IN a combination OF
both tickets. Before going further, 1t is
necessary to clear up some ambiguous ex-
pressions. 1t is assumed by The NEWS
that ''the people" spoken Of by the Courier
are ths Conservative citizens Of Charleston
County; it is also assumed that the Courier
believes that q ticket can be nominated by
the Conservative citizens which can be
elected. The Conservatives must be ''the
sspeople" spoken Of; because the Republ'-
cans have already made their nominations.
There must be a belief that Q Conservative
ticket can be elected; because, unless actual
IL elected, that ticket would be neither ''the
s.sign" nor s'the assurance" OF "a real re-
siorm."
The fallacy Of the first %postulate is easily
seen. In 1870 Charleston County was
thoroughly %canvassed; every ward 10 the
city was we'll organized; stump'speakers
aroused the enthusiasm Of the people; there
were Republicans on the Conservative
ticket; the Radicals we're divided, as they
are now; money was freely spent on tbs day
of election; there was a full vote, and q fair
count. The result was that the average
vote polled by the six highest candidates for
the Legislature, upoR the Reform ticket,
was 6741; while the average vote OF the
Bowen candidates was H., 1850, and OF the
DeLarge candidates 1859. 10 taking the
average, any candidates who were nomi-
mated upon more than one ticket are omit
ted. The total Radical vote, adding the
DeLarge and Bowen votes together, Wos
IA, SOC, which was more than double the Re-
form vote. Does the Courier believe, and
can it give any good reason for believing,
that the Conservatives In ~1S72-a'Aout
Time, Money or Organization-can poll a
considerably higher vote than they obtained
two years agof Unless the Courier can
prove this, it must admit that a Conserva-
tive ticket, however composed and noml-
mated, would be defeated, and would not, !
therefore, be either ''the sign" or 'the as
''surance" of "a real reform and good gov
s'ernment."
The second postulate of the Coarier is
aver more Of a gratuitous assumption than
the first; go far as it conveys the idea that
s'a combination Of both" the Mackey and
Bowen Legislative tickets ''holds out no
"hope OF REFORM" The News has presented
to the Conservative voters a ticket, selected
from the Bowen and Macket tickets, which
is better than either, Of the s'straight" Radical
tickets, and is considerably better than the
legislative ticket elected in 1870. The Two
tickets are placed side by side, that the