The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-04-04
anaersatr gntelIiasntes,
Judge Cookies Speech.

Cookies speech at the great meeting in
Anderson on the 9th as reported in
Speighfs Daily Newspaper
My FELLOW CITIZENS in this grand
demonstration and popular upheaval
of the masses of Anderson county, | had
hoped to occupy the position Of silent,
admiring spectator. But I find / am
mistaken-and / suppose the issue is
speech or backout. The former I am
not prepared for, and the latter AN not
willing to do. And holding as / do, that
when great public issues are at atake,
every man'S position should be known, |
shall proceed to give you my OPINION
upon public matters, and the general pol
icy which should characterize the demo-
cratic party in tho approaching trial of
her strength, without the samblance Of
varnish or galvinism. For i have never
S known how to counsel with the People
except in plain and unmistakable Eng
lish.
Ny friends am overwhelmed With
feeling. This is certainly 9. grand dem
onstration of the enthusiasm and pa
triotism of the people of old Anderson
county, in every way equal to the pres
tige of her former and better days. AS
a people you have Just cause to be proud
of your political record. No people have
q greater right to rejoice over and con-
gratulate themselves upon the glorious
achievements of the campaign of 1876.
While many of the old party leaders
publicly held up Chamberlain as model
: of all that was pure, honest and learned:
Yea, even asserted that they regarded
him as the political Messiah of South
Carolina. That in due. time he would
redeem her from the thraldom OF mis-:
rule and dishonest government-and
counseled that the. democracy could do
no better than assist in his reelection.
Your Hoyt and your Murray, in COM
mon With Speights of ,Greenyille, and
Stokes of Union and F.hett Of Charles
ton, saw che danger Of such course, and
counseleG against it. And you, the
: people, eager and anxious for the. re-
Z demptior Of the State, confding in their
wisdom, rallied to the standard, born BY
the gallant, noble Hampton and helped
him bear it to victory in the grandest
struggle for. the perpetuation Of liberty
and independence, freedom and ciyiliza.
tion, that the world ever witnessed.
Here, right here, nearly two years
ago the campaign opened, which result
led in placing him, whom every true
Carolinian loves and delights to honor at
the head of the State, government.
And to-day You repeat the brightest
page in your history. Your cry is, once
more to the breach. And let US hope
the welkin may echo and re-echo the cry,
the Stase around, TIL every son of our
old mother shall be fully aroused and
grid himself to the task of sounding
the death knell Of. radicalism throughout
theState
Cur redemption is not quite complete
vet. And regardingits completion as the
paramount duty of the hour, We should
move forward in the glorious work, with
full confidence that the great Ruler Of
the universe will smile propitiously upon
efforts to raise up and re-habilitate the
State. And in our efforts to redeem the
State from Radical rule, We should
not lose sight of the success of the
Democratic party, nationally. The past
history of the Republican party fully il
4lustrates ths dangers which encompass
our freedom and independence. The So
called republican government OF. to-day
is not the government beeueathed to us,
pure and spotless, BY the patriots of the
Revolution. The dominant party, in its
great greed for wealth, and exceeding
anxiety to perpetuate its power, has lost
sight Of and trampled under its unhal-
lowed feet the cardinal principles of the
best constitution ever framed for the gov
ernment of man. The .plainest princi.
pies and teachings Of the constitution,
which governed and controlled national
legislation in the days of the purity of
the government, if not lost sight Of, have
at least been totally disregarded ard set
at Daught by the party in power. The
military power of the Union is no longer
subserTient to the civil authority. But
Its strong arm has been stretched forth
to make . President of the Republic,
and not unfrequenEly Governors of
States against the popular voice.
The constitution has been subrogated
to an idea, a fiction. ga higher law" a
law outside, and wholly foreign To the
compact framed by our forefathers. Nor
were these ontrages the sum total of
their wicked Vaccinations. They boldly
conspired to overthrow Southern civili-
zation. by elevating 70 power, as rulers,
ths ignorant masses of the South.
Then, my fellow.citizens, rememb bering
as We shall ever, the efforts made by our
sister States of the North to overthrow
the Constitution and destroy Anne rican
liberty, purchased at so great sacrifice by
the heroes Of the Revolution-relnem-
bering the shameful and most hurnilia-
ting degradation imposed upon US at the
close Of the late war-and remembering
the example of onr forefathers who first
breathed the spirit of liberty in the
wilds Of AmericaAand inheriting in o
rich measure that. same. love of country
which kindled tho fame of liberty in
their hearts, and determined then, to
strike for freedom and independence, is
it strange that so great interest should be
manifested in the organization of the
Democracy and military in the South ?
Is it strange the South should to-day
present. n solid Democratic front to the
North? None whatever. The North
msy duiet her fears, ii she has any. She
has no cause founded in truth, to be ex-
ercised or alarmed over the course of
things here. We mean peace, good will
toward all men, of every race and condi-
ton in life. Our object is TO sustain and
uphold constitutional rule, law and good
order, by appealing to the judgment of
the whole people. This, and this only,
is our highest and only ambition. And
nothing less could be expected of every
true patriot.
These are the high principles and pa
triotic motives which prompt our course.
And believing the lost blessings Of con-
stitutional government. liberty and inde-
pendance can only be restored to the
Union through the agency of the Demo
cratic party, hence our organization into
clubs and military companies.
In this grand struggle of the Dernoc-