Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-08-26
To tho Pooplo Of tho State.
TIE ADDRESS OF THE STATE DEMocRArIu
COMMITTEE.

CoLUMnIA, August l0.---The following nd
dress Of the Slate Democratic Committee was
furnished your representative to duy;
u TIC i:ople cj Souih Curotinu.
The Democratic party has again presented
to the country is platform Of principles and
its candidates for Office. The record uttcsts
the good faith and honesty Of both
The platform is plnin aud simple asscr.
ton uf the principles Of tho Constitution as it
is and the officials nf tho Government select.
cd from and by the Democratic party arc
guided by it in tho conduct Of their officers
The duties OF cnch officer are prescribed by
law, written law, and when they arc faithfully
performed It'll the law that rules and not tho
individual who happens to pcrsohato it.
Indeed, the faithful discharge Of official duty
is necessary to this rule Of law on which de-
ponds tho peaceful enjoyment by the people
OF all the liberty, justice and regulated order
that their system Of government is capable
of nifording.
The honest observance Of official obligations
is necessity to tho maintenance and pcrpeo
tnty OF this government Of tho people by the
people. Should our government of law,
faithfully administered lail to meet the do,
mands of the people. tho mode is plainly pre-
scrlbcd by law fer such alteration aud amend.
ment as may, from time to time, become
necessary. Any stretch Of official power, to
meet any supposed demand, is, to that extent,
the exercise Of unlawful or arbitrary power,
and to that extent destructive OF our govorn-
mental systcm.-is. in fact, q substitution oC
personal for ofiical power. which il antago.
nistic TO both tho letter and spirit Of our
institutions.
llowcrcr worthy the motive or urgent tho
emergency may DO. tho exercise of personal
power BY even tho most patriotic.ofliccr sh Luld
be watched and checked. ~ it opens The
way FOR iaithess aud Designing officials to
nso tho machinery of government for its
subrcrSion.
Is it to maintain these principles in the
conduct Of the government that the Dcmoc-
racy is arrayins lis strength for The coming
conflict. v hacrcr may have been tho orgie
nal object and purposes Of our groat antago-
mist, the Republican party, however honest,
and patriotic it's platforms and candidates
may once have been, it would soon that their
organization was captured in the hour of their
triumph by lnithlcss, self seeking officials,
whose construction Of tho Constitution as to
their powers would have mado tho misguided
but patriotic old Fcdcralsts, against whom
Jefferson wngcd war and raised tho people in
their might, stand aghnst with horror. The
Old snip that was stccrcd through tho
stormy sea OF rebellion without tho loss
OF spar hnd barely reached smooth water
when sho was boarded by these pirates and
used to plumber and destroy what she was
built to protect It's flag which was borno
wltli such enduring pluck through tho bloody
battles OF protractcd war, was seized by
trcacherous hands and made tho standard Of
an arbitrary power infinitely moro dangerous to
American institutions Of liberty than tho armed
array of tho world. Under tho shadow of its
folds tho old fortress of tho Constitution was
dismantlcd and it's armament moved to n
camp outside" Governmental organization
was subordinatcd to party organizations
Constitutional powcr was surplanted by extra
constitutional force, and tho mandates of
party wcro substituted for tho law of tho
land.
1t is strange that this mode Of conducting
constitutional government should ronder |
necessary the cSpedents Of fraud and force?
Tho employment of both is primo necessity
to it. 1t is on impossibiity, without infa-
nous betrayal of trust on tho part Of officials,
sustained by the foico Of oxtra constitutional
organizations. The practical result Of all
this is q dc Jacto centralized government, tho
powers Of which are limited only by tho ds~
cretion of its officials. Thanks to tho wis
Hnn pe khn f,kL IL. ~: ~ s i