The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-12-25

4
agement Of the State, with oil the au-
| thority it involves, judicial and admin
illustrative, is to invest the office with
powers that, moro than any other do.
partmcnt Of administration, NAV be
welded for tho welfare or the injury
of the State. BY wise and prudent
exercise of Its powers tho honor and
credit Of the State may be exalted as
by tho purest administration. On the
other hand, they may be dcbased by
unwise and itnprudent conduct rs iD
her recent past history. It may well,
then, become this joint assembly to
pause and consider carefully with
whose honor this most important trust
Is committed. If this assembly will
pardon me / will narrate briefly the
record Of the gentleman whose name
| moan to propose. General John
Bratton, Of an honored lineage, at the
beginning of the late war, entered tho
service, as wo supposed, Of Southern
Independence, as n private soldier. BY
constancy, faithful devotion to his
duty, and by indonitable pluck, he
won his way, step by step, until the
latter part of the war found him the
brave commander Of rs gallant brig
ade as shed honor on Southern arms.
At the close Of the war he retired to
his farm and shared in that capacity in
the material reconstruction Of this
PROSTATE and Well-nigh ruined State.
In 1876, when eight years OF Republi-
can misrule had taught the people of
this State that they could expect moth
ing from the existing party adminis-
tration, and that their only. hopes lay
in the determined efforts Of her sons,
General Bratton was again in the front
Of tho contest sharing in the trials and
in the success of that supreme effort.
In tho campaign of 1880 he was called
to preside over the executive commit
tee of this party in the State, and self
poised, wise and judicious he managed
the contest with success that the
political character of this assembly
best attests. But, gentlemen, General
Bratton for these services claims no
reward; with him the discharge of
duty was unselfish and constituted its
best reward. TO present him in his
true character, take tho liberty Of
reading letter from him of strictly
private nature and one never intended
for other eyes than those Of the person
to whom it was addressed:
"Your kind letter and enclosures
reached me last night, and boy and
horse were taken care of as you
wished. In reply can only say that
it is impossible for me to 60 down, as
[ am confined to the house by an ugly
'cold.' Ifmy friends wish to put me
up for this position shall not oppos 0
their wishes, and if the people should
desire my services in that particul, r
place / would gratefully accept; but l
would not, if in the best health, go to
Columbia on such business. say
this from no spirit of exaction from
my friends, or affectation or assump-
ton Of great merit for myself, but l
say it deliberately, believing that the
condition of our politics requires &c
tive work on the part of any man who
may aspire to office, and knowing that
possess no transcendent merit that
would render me an exception to the
general rule. While I would appreci-
ate honor from my people as much MS
any man, I would think less of myself
would feel that had sacrificed The
ideas, .Quixotic though they be, are
long since felt that my friends would
be too heavily weighted for success
full race, and hence my unreasonable
course heretofore. I could not will
ingly subject them to defeat that would
result from my own folly"
This letter exhibits him as he is and
shows that in honoring him the State
honors herself.
Then, gentlemen, having unbounded
faith in the patriotism, Integrity and
wisdom of the gentleman, place him
in nomination as a man who has been
always in tho front when the contest
was warm, and always in tho rear
when rewards were distributed.
Mr.. J. M. johnson and Mr.. Haskell
seconded the nomination of General
Bratton.
Mr.. Simonton called attention to the
discrepancy between, the provisions of
the Constitution and those Of the act
OH the subject. The former provides
| for ViVa voce vote and the latter for
ballot. He suggested that the joint
assembly should dissolve and each
house discuss the matter in its own
chamber and meet again inthe evening.
MY. Henderson said that the aot must
be obeyed till it is declared unconsti-
tutional by a court. The chair ruled
that he was bound to order the cleo
ton to proceed by ballot according to
the act under which the joint assembly
had convened.
The joint assembly then proceeded
to ballot. =
The whole number Of votes cast was
1862; necessary t5 d choice n.
General Bratton received. ......... 81
Mr.. Gray received. .62
DIhnk.. ...'..... J
Mr.. Simonton moved that in order
to remove all possible doubt the vote
now be taken ViUa voce. Mr.: Gaillard
said that discrepancies might arise be-
tween the two votes, and he was In
favor OF standing by the votc just cast
Mr.. Perry Withdrew the name of Mr.
Gray. Mr.. Wylfe suggested that the
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