The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-08-29
S. c. AUGUST 20 1879.
The Duty Of Democrats.

The Duty OF Democrats.
The greatest political power linown
in a republican government is the
ballot box, and the grandcst prcroga-
tive OF the citizen is 10 exercise that
power judiciously, understandingly
and TO the best interest Of the com
munity in which he happens to live.
This is the birth-right Of q freeman
and ought not to be battered away
for n mess of pottagc merely. Its
exercise should not be controlled by
prcjudices or personal favoritisms,
but by high sense Of honor and q
Just appreciation Of the great princi'
pies involved, because the happiness
and prosperity Of tho people, togelh-
Ger with the pcrmanancy of our pccu-
liar kind Of government, are based
upon the SUCCESS of its underlying
principles. In the hands of the-Sco-
pie rests the veal or woe eE-t6e coun-
try, the hrmness or weakness of the
government, the purity or viciousness
of the times and the success or fail
ure of the citizen; therefore, the
stake is too great for one TO triac
with so potent a principle of good
or evil as that Of the ballot. If there
be single duty to be honestly per-
formed it is that of casting our vote
for the bcci interest Of the people o!
large. This cannot be done by sup
norting men who become candidates
10 crafty personal ambition, a
greed for Office, or desire for public
notoriety or wish TO oppose some
individual citizen on account Of q
private piquc. Such motives do not
spring from principle. but arc often
the prompting Of vice and intended
to overthrow princip!c-good men
play no such role. This is the great
ovcrshadowing evil with which we
have to deal at present, and, to over
como it successfully, demands that
every citizen who controls ballot
should cast it in the support Of an
honest government TO be administer
cd in the interest Of the whole peo-
pie. Such government our town
requires and it becomes the duty Of
every citizen to SOC to 1t that the reg
ular tichet which represents not only
the principles of the government as
taught by the Democratic party, but
every interest OF the community, be
elected. So powerful al opposition
to good government MS that interpos-
cd by Radicalism can only be de-
feated 10y concentration of effort, by
o strict adherence to cardinal princi-
pies and by stubborn determination
on the part of the people TO support
an honest ticket put in the field by
the Democi attic party. Independent.
}Stu VIA tdil, DCCuuSc ~ bI)lllS Iue
,foree Of good citizens in the face Of
an organized opposition individual
effort will not do, because it is futile
in contact with q superior force; nor
mill combination Of factions effect
tho desired end, because there is no
identity Of interest between them
save for the time being hence sue
cess can only be hoped for by work
ing together in harmony as a great
organized party founded upon great
cardinal principles to which every vo-
ter may subscribe. The past expert
cnce of Orangeburg County admon-
isles her citizens that they have had
enough Of Radicalism and that they
must have no more Of it, whethe: it
comes under The auspices and fostcrcd
by the Radical party or presented in