Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-06-10

the fight If the nominations were forcec
upon the people now, there would be dis
satisfaction among the members of the party
that would not be easily soothed. This want
of harmony which would be created was Sc
rious matter, which should be avoided if pos
sible, and the only way to avoid it, was te
postpone the nominations until the people
we're ready for them. ~
Gen. Nj. w. Gary rose and said be spoke
with more embarrassment than on any pub
lie occasion before. Hestood in the Conven
ton as an individual and in a representa-
tive capacity. He had been spoken of as q
candidate against Gen. Hagood he had been
discussed in the Press, but he challenged
proof of his ever having either accepted OF
declined this nomination. He did not feel it
incumbent upon him to disclose what he
would do. To accept nomination before a
platform was framed, was, in his opinion, self
qualification. Twice since the war he had re-
fused to vote for the nominees of the Demo
cratic party because they were not true Demo
Gratis. He was Democrat, not for the spoils
of Office, but from principle. When the party
was making up its mixed ticket Of Carpenter
and Butler, he had refused to have anything
to do with it. The question before the pres
ent Convention was very plain. NO one
could deny that in South Carolina there
we're two elements in the Democratic party.
The one was for straigbtout Democracy. and
the other was fusion and, twist and turn as
they might, that was the question before the
Convention to night. If he had any ambi.
tion for Office it was not for the gubernatorlal
chair of South Carolina. He had always
believed that to elect a. man Governor was
to virtually place him on the shelf. He
didn't propose to 20 on the shelf, unless he
was forced there. He proposed to remain
an active member Of the Democratic party
of the State, and sink or swim with it.
The claim that it was necessary to make
nominations now was absurd. he did not
charge the executive committee with acting
in the interests Of any particular man or set
of men but he did assert that their action
had certainly lulled into security those who
did not expect nominations at the present
time. Those who had said that he had his
eye upon the Gubernatorial chair of South
Carolina had done him great injustice. He
had frequently said that he would rather be
right than be Governor of South Carolina.
He had always believed that it was an office
which should not be esought and not declined ;
and he would say for the benefit Of those who
had charged him with being candidate for
the office of Governor, that he had never
taken sttp to secure the nomination IN this
Convention, and he never would. He con-
sidered the election of electors before the
| D.. 4ol ut
independentism. If, as had been said, those
counties opposed to nominations at the pres
ent time contained an actual majority, then
the very first principle of Democratic gov.
ernment demanded that the minority should
yield. The Democratic party could not
afforded to be divided. The revival of the
Republican party was sufficient to put every
patriot on his guard. He had no personal
feeling against Gen. Hagood or his support.
ers. He had twice nominated and supported
him for office; but he did not think it fair
to those in the party who desire office to force
these nominations now. Look, he said, at
the injustice to Gen. Bratton which this NOM
ination would entail. DO you propose to do
injustice to him and others who have been
nominated for this office, and say the fight is
narrowed down to Hagood. and Gary
Throw open the gates and give everybody a
chance. High strung men, who do not take
their cue from any one man, will not bow TO
the ipse dirh of any autocrat Of the party.
Gen. R. r. Hemphill, of Abbeville, thought
that he would fall far short of his duty to
his constituents if he failed to enter his
solemn protest against nominations at the
present time. This was no time to change
and abolish precedent which had carried
the party successfully to victory in two cam
paigns. We ought not to consider the mo-
tion to nominate now unless there was some
argument in it. AS yet he had seen none.
If we take the course proposed for us, here
comes in an executive committee with their
hands tied, and they can refuse to take any
action because they have been instructed not
to do so. There was no precedent for this ex-
traordnary proposition, and, for one, he again
entered solemn protest against the adoption
of the majority report.
Gen. Conner stated that he would claim
the right of making brief statement in
closing the debate, as having handed in the
majority report. Under parliamentary law
he claimed that he had the right to open
and close the debate. If there was any one
else to speak he would wait.
Co j. N. Lipscomb said if the debate was
to be closed, he desired to say word. de
was a member of the Executive Committee
of 1876, and this same question, whether
there should be one Convention or two, arose,
and upon it the committee was divided. The
committee determined to make no nomina-
tions until the platform of the National De-
mocracy was known. The question for con.
sideration is, Are the people Of South Car
olina prepared to announce platform IN
advance and anticipation Of the one to be
adopted at Cincinnati? He could not see
that there would be any greater difficulty in
arousing our people in August next than
there was in August, 1876. In other States
nominations for State officers had been de-
ferred until after the National Democratic
Convention, the platform of which would be
adopted and ratified by these State Conven-
tious There is no force in the objection
that it would be too expensive to hold another
Convention. There were plenty of men who
would gladly come. Our action should be
guided by what is for the welfare of the State,
and not by the ambition of any man or set
of men. The only argument he had heard
in favor of nomination now was that they
were here and had the right to nominate now.
1t will be heavy tax upon the people if
this campaign is unnecessarily prolonged.
His constituency had instructed him to op-
pose this move, and he recognized the wisdom
of their instructions
DR.. A. N. Taley, of Columbia, stated that
in the committee he had supported the ma
jol ity report which recommend early nomi-