The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-11-08

huUuiu not tue 0fitl9n W0rkmeu nave
cheaper food? Why should not our far
mers have O great market? Why should
not our carriers have The transportation I?
Let us remember that cominercial ex-
changes must have some element of mu-
tuality. Whoever obstructs the ! means
of payment, obstructs also the facilities of
sale. We must relax our barbarous reve-
nuo system SO as not unnecessarily 10 re-
tard the natural processes of trade. We
must no longer legislate against the
wants of humanity and the benefcence
Of God. tApplause.
The election now impending involves
the choice of the State officers who COM
pose the administrative boards. Gov.
Robinson's Administration has been
characterized by incorruptble integrity,
by wisdom and ability, and by unswer7-.
ing fidelity to the reforms that have re-
duced the State taxes one-half; that are
rapidly extinguishing the State debt !;
that have retrenched two and q half mil
lions a year of the expenditures upon
public works; and have purified our
great official trusts. He needs and has a
right to have tho cordial cooperation of
those officers, which, in the Government
of the United States and other Systems,
form the Cabinet of the chief Executive.
In my Judgment the gentlemen ;l nomi.
nation will cooperate in the reform poll
cy which had the honor to inaugurate.
and which Gov. Robinson Is cousum-
mating. / think that their election and
the changes that will take place from the
constitutional amendments, adopted in
1876, will give him more united sup
port i'll the Canal Board than I was able
to receive during my administration. l
havo the more satisfaction in avowing
this conviction because believe that any
nominations that did not promise such
cooperation, would be disowned by tho
Democratic masses. ai
The election, although for State Off.
ceTG, has relations to national politics, to
which know you will expect me TO al-
lude. You are all quite aware of the re-.
suits of the contest of 1876. Voices !:
I'VE are sick of it;" "We know you got
robbcd."l No, did not get robbed; the
people got robbed. Great applause
l had, on one hand, course of laborious
service, in which health and even life
might be imperilled on the other hand,
| had period of relaxation here and
abroad to recuperate from the exhaustion
that in your service I had incurred, but
to the people 1t was robbery of the
dearest rights of the American citizen.
The condemnation by the people e.; the
greatest political crime in our history, by
which the result of the Presidential cleo
tion of 1875 was set aside and reveraed,
Is general and overwhelming. Her sister
States might afford to have the voice of
New York frittered away or its express
sion deferred. 1t could not change his
,-,,1l :.
judgment of the civilized world it could
not avert the moral retribution that is
impending. But Now York herself can
not afford 20 have her voice unheard.
The Declaration of independence, the
tions all contain assertions of the right of
change their rulers at will. These decla.
10 the American mind. They seemed to
be truisms which there was nobody to
dispute. The contests known 10 US were
contests between different portions of our
people.
To comprehend the significance of
these declarations, it is necessary to carry
ourselves back to the examples of human
experience in view of which our ances.
tors acted. They had seen the govern
mental machine and small govern.
mental class, sometimes with the aid of
the army, able to sule arbitrarily over
millions of unorganized, isolated atoms
of human society. In forming the Gov
ernment of United States they endeavor-
ed to take every precaution against the
recurrence of sucE evils in this country.
They kept down the standing army to o
noniil:a. S@nnnt. They Intended to
limit the functions Of the Federal Gov
ernment go as to prevent the growth, to
dangerous dimensions, of an Office-hold-
ing class and of corrupt influences. They
preserved the State Governments as o
counterpoise to act as centres Of opinion
and as organized means OF resistance 10
revolutionary usurpation by the Federal
Government. Jefferson, the leader of
liberal opinion, in his frst inaugural, re-
cognized this theory. Hamilton, the
representative of the extreme conserya-
tive sentiment; in the Ftltkccrral;s., ex-
pounded it with elaborate arguments.
Madison, the father of the Constitution,
enforced these conclusions.
The increase of power in the Federal
Government during the last twenty years,
the creation of vast office-holding class,
with its numerous dependents, and tho
growth of the means of corrupt influence,
have well nigh destroyed the balance OF
our complex system. It was my judg-
ment in 1876 that public opinion, de-
manding change Of administration,
needed to embrace two.thirds of the neo-
pie at the beginning Of the canvass, In
order to cast majority Of votes at the
election. 'ala.
If this tendency is not arrested, its in
evitable result will be the practical de-
struction of our system. Let the FEEDER
al Government grasp power over the
great corporations Of our country and ac-
quire the, means of addressing their in.
tereets and their. fears; let it take iuris-
dictioEl eS Iiots which 1t Is the duty Of the
State to suppress ( let it find pretexts for
increaaing the army, and soon those in
possession of the Government will have q
power with which no opposition can sue
ceasfnlly compete. The experience of
France under the Third Napoleon shows
that, with elective forms and universal
suffrage, despotism can be established
and maintained.
In the canvass Of 1876 the. Federal
Government embarked in the. contest
with unscrupulous activity A member
of the Cabinet was the head of partisan
cecc:::::::::..ee Agents .tnnA AZ the dnnra ni
the pay Offices to exact contributions
from official subordinates The whole
office-holding class were made t0exhausi
their power. Even the army, for the first
time, to the disgust of the soldiers and
many of tie oifioers,-was moved about
the country as On electioneering instru.