National Republican., 1876-11-21
SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN, CLUB.
Telling Resolutions Passed by the organiza-

Telling Resolutions Passed by the orgsniza-
The following preamble and resolutions were
adopted by the South Carolina Republican
Club, at meeting held at their rooms in the
St. Cloud building, last evening; A. II. Girard,
presiding; DR.. G. W. Lunney, secretary.
Whereas 1t is notorious that at the election
held In South Carolina on the 7th of Novem-
ber, instant, intimidation, violence and fraud
were freely resorted to and practiced by the
Democrats, whereby, on the one hand, num-
bers of Republicans in various parts of the
State were wholly prevented from exercising
the elective franchise, and, on the other hand,
an inordinately large vote was polled in favor
of the Democratic nominees, notably in Barn.
well county, where, it is reported, one of the
precincts was fred into, two of the managers
were wounded and driven away, Q supervisor
was carried off and given twenty five la5hes
with cowhide on his bare back, and the pulls
were seized and held possession Of In utter de-
fiance and violation Of law and order; and in
Edgefeld county, where, under very similar
existing condition of affairs, an Illegal vote
reaching over three thousand was polled,
mainly through the exclusion of the colored
voters, "more than six hundred of whom, at
two polls alone, were waiting to be allowed to
vote when the boxes were closed, !" and through
the influx of great number of white Demo-
CEdts iIOH oCOiRidy W WulCu buC NOIc
actually polled exceeded by over two thousand
the whole number of voters, both white and
colored, In said county, as shown by the census
of 1876" and "
Whereas to guard against precisely such
q contingency as this, to insure the purity of
the ballot and to secnre a true expression of
the minds and the will of the people, It was
by solemn enactments of law made the
bounden duty of the State board of canVassers,
on the solid basis of proof adduced and
found incontrovertible, to expurgate the re-
turns from such excrescences of the ballot
box; and
Whereas section SO, article 1, of the State
constitution provides that "the right of
suffrage shall be protected by laws regulating
elections" &C., and section 10, article 8,
provides that ''in all elections held by the
people under this constitution the person or
persons who shall receive the highest number
of fvotes"-meaning, of course, OF the legal
voters Of the State, freely given and fairly de-
posited-''shall be declared elected" And
notwithstanding that uuder section /, article
4, which declares that Tin addition to the
stated courts thereby created) "the General
Assembly may also establish such municipal
and other minor courts as may be deemed
necessary" full authority existed, II re-
quired, for clothing the said board of State
canvassers with SO called "judicial functions"
and notwithstanding while the organization of
bdlu do dL pTcecub COubtlbuLcu3 ClCdElJ
in no wise in conflict with section twenty six
of article one of the constitution of the State,
which provides that s'in the government Of
this Commonwealth the legislative, execu-
tive and judicial powers of the government
shall be forever separate and distinct from
each other" &C., pertinacious and contin-
nous efforts have recently been made to estop
the board from the performance of the most
important part of its high and sacred duties
on the plea of unconstitutionality of the laws
under which 1t derives its lust powers, such
contest being In direct consravention of q for
mer decision of the Supreme Court of the
State itself, rendered upon q similar issue
made In the instance of an election held In the
county of Barnwell; therefore be It
Resolved, That we hereby earnestly invite
the serious attention of the fair minded and
welLmeaning people of the whole country to
q grave contemplation of this glaring and
determined purpose on the part of the Democ-
racy of South Carolina, as elsewhere, at
every extremity and at any cost, If at all
possible, to enforce the counting of fraudu-
lent ballots, which no persons better than
they full well know could not, If not
proved fraudulent, under any circumstances
be thrown out, with the hope and the intent,
no matter on their part how improperly or
falsely, to have returned the nominees on
their ticket as elected.
RESOLVED, That in this contemplation we
and all honest-intentioned persons with Us
must regard this bold and unprincipled en-
deavor to secure the fruits of so glaring and
stupendous fraud as being parallel with,
and equaled Only by the former astounding
assurance on the part Of the chairman of the
State Democratic executive committee of
recommending the observance by the churches
throughout the State of South Carolina of
day Of fasting and prayer for the succ ess Of
just such methods as are here developed.
RESOLVED, That copies of these preambles
and resolutions be furnished to the NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN, of this city, and the New York
Times for publication.