The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-08-13
For the anderson MtelHgencer.
To the Voters of the Third Congressjon-
al District of South Carolina.

For the anderson Mtelfgencer
To the Voters of the Third Congressjon-
al District of South Carolina.
FELLow-CITIzESs: I offer myself as d can
didate for your votes in the election which
takes place in l,ovembcr next, to select
member of Congress for this Congressional
District.
Deporable as is the condition Of the State,
1 think you will agree with me that State
party organization docs not promise us rellef.
In the whole State the Republican party is in
a majority, although that majority is undoubt-
edly enormously exaggerated. But, still, an
organized party opposition brings the Repubi-
can party to the support of its candidates in
every portion of the State, and thus where we
are locally strong, we are not allowed simply
to fight our own battles, but are forced into
conflict with the whole strength of the Repub-
lican organization. EForse STILL in the present
condition of national parties, State party
organization is sure to be misrepresented as
being an opposition, not to the iniquitous ad-
minstration of the Republican party in South
Carolina, but as an opposition to the Rcpubli-
can party of the Union, and especially to the
administration of Gen. Grant, and the prejudi-
ces and power of the Federal Government are
thus enlisted against us. Now, en- perfectly
safe in saying that, at present, to the people
of this State, Federal politics are obsolete.
Their one absorbing, vital interest is the hon
est administration of the State Government,
and they ask for power only so far as events
have proved that power in the hands of the
property-hoders and taxpayers of the State
is absolutely necessary to secure such honest
administration. And they need representation
in Washington, to be heard before the Congress
of the Nation and by the President, in order
that the truth as to their condition and feelings
should be known; in order that the influence
of the General Government shall not be used
against them, in entire misconception of their
sentiment and their purpose. This representa-
ton has been purposely and pertinaciously de-
MED us. Take your own Congressional Dis
trict as an illustration. Whatever may be the
strength of the Republican party in the whole
State, or in other portions of the State, here
certainly they are not a majority. That there
are some Republicans, I admit-some Of them
selected without reference to party affiliations
holding County offices and seats in the Leg
islature, and they have proved useful and
faithful officers. This condition of things was
we'll known to the Republican Legislature
when last winter it undertook the re-districting
of the State. What did it do? The Act o.
Congress, of 1862, required that each Congress,
sional District should be composed of "contig-
| uors territory" SO when they had grouped to-
gcther Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Abbevllle
Laurens and Newberry, in which reasonable
effort would have secured the people such
representative as they really desired, they
added Richland, which is not contiguous ter
ritory;" which touches the rest of the District
at no one point, simply and only because Rich
land was entirely in the hands of the Repub-
lcan party, and experience had shown that
any number of Republican votes could be
manufactured to order in that County to meet
the requirements of a contested election. ms
Congressional District, has, therefore, for the
express purpose of excluding you from repre-
sentation, been constructed in deliberate and
fraudulent violation of the law of the land.
If there were no other issue, this is one which
you ought to make in vindicatlon OF the su-
premcst right which belongs to free men, and
one in which you can appeal from the narrow
and selfish tyranny of the Republican party OF
the State, to the justice and to the lawful au-
thority of the Republican party of the Union
But there are other reasons why you should
earnestly endeavor to secure for yourselves
fitting Representations The section OF the
State in which we live and with which our
fortunes arc identified, is the only one in which
there is marked evidence of material improve
mcnt We have homogeneous population,
the advantages of our soil and climate oher
sure if slow inducements to immigration, our
population is increasing, and the opening OF
new channels of communication is fast bring
ING this up-country. hitherto so isolated, into
direct relations with our neighbors, West and
North. Old party issues are fast dying out.
Those which are shaping themselves in the
future are financial and industrial questions,
in which we, as an almost exclusively agricul-
tural country-especially country of small
farmers-arc directly interested, we do not
want as representatives political adventures,
f,ro;rn or native. We want men owning our
own soil, bound to us by ties of neighborhood
and blood who know us, our ways and our In
terests.
Believing this believing that nothing is to
be gained by party organization and complica-
ted issues believing that if anything is to be
accomplished, some one man must begin and
-, Al q L...lon of tho contnSt I come before