Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg Court House [S.C.]) 1877-1881, 1878-06-29
Duty.


ties in our county ever since the war
has been an undisputed fact One,
III the first instance, organized for
plumber and spoil, possessed itself of
every department State and county
government, acquired unlimited in
fuence over the conduct of its a,lhe.
rents, and finally perfected one of til g
grandest pieces of political machine
ry every known in the ethics of gov
ernment. How shrcwdly it was mau-
sged anu successful in the purposes
of It's organization, let the depleted
treasury of the State and county
and the general poverty, prevailing
among our citizens, say. This extra
ordinary power was attained by unity
of action on the part Of the rank and
lille of the party, which enabled their
leaders OH any emergency to concen-
trate their own energies and thus
carry, to complete success, whatever
object they may have had in view.
So complete, i'll all its parts, was the
organization of the Radical party,
and SO absolute was the control of
the leaders oyer the cv!vrcd majority ,
that the party was almost, and, in
many sections, quite unit. Seldom
indeed was one induced to vote
contrary to the command from head
quarters, and then it was in conside
ratien OF some great favor, and done
IN the most secret manner. The
coioIed man was nssiduousIy taught
to believe that the perpetuation of
A's liberty and rights depended only
upon his strict adherence to Radi cal
doctrines and inn licit obedience to
the leaders commands. No mott YES
OF friendship or sense of obligation
Tor iavors conferred could make him
give heed to the political advice of a
White Democrat, or cast his vote other
than as the party directed.
Our county never, at any period of
It's history, Witnessed better organiza-
ton, or a more perfect onenes, Of
purpose than that existing in Orange.
burg county five years ago. But a
single set of candidates was put in
nomination, and they voted almost to
man for the ticket. Meetings, at
which political speeches we're made
by the leaders, were attended pune
tually and by crowds-no interven.
ton of business, or pleasure, or dis
tance or any such thing could come
IN between them and this sacred
duty they would attend meetings
and vote if they starved. Indeed
the negro is more gregarlous in his
habits than the white man, and q
crowd was his delight, which had
much to do with strengthening the
ties of party affiliations; hence whe
completely organized, his obedience
to leader is perfect. The leader at
the Court House managed the voters
through neighborhood leaders, or
delegates, as successfully and as
certainly as skillful driver controls
the horses Of his team.
This experience with the Radica
party teaches us that success-con !.
tlnued succcss-can only be attain ed
by perfect organization; that concert
OF action can only be effective by
implicit obedience to our leaders;
and that the whole depends upon
the punctual discharge of our
party duties, it matters not how
onerous they may be. If the
corrupt doctrines of Radicalism, by
organization, produced such wonder
tul success with the ignorant negro
voter i'll dishonest cause; how much
greater ought to be the success of the
pure principles of Democracy with
the representatives Of worth, honesty
and intelligence, for the noble pur-
pose of perpetuating Christian civil
zation and the American type O.
institutional liberty.
Surely our people will not allow
business, pleasure, private pique or
personal dissatisfaction to come in
Aetwocn them and their manifest
al.AI., NMn a.nal .,-,I aa..,,.l.