The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-06-10
General Gray said that the people of

General GraY salQ C1aG tDe peOpie VI
South Carolina can be coaxed and per-
suaded and our enemies say they can be
united in bull.dozing. But they are a
very poor people to be bull-dozed. He
was one of a delegation instructed to vote
against a nomination now, but at the
same time if the nominations were made
they were instructed to vote for General
Hagood. He thought that General Ha-
good would be as strong in August as he
is now. The party was not prepared for
nomination now. The clubs were not
organized. he knew of several clubs of
large numbers, but which had but very
small proportion of their members pres.
ent at recent meetings. The majority OF
the convention could not claim to repre-
sent majority of the Democratic voters.
The majority of the Democratic voters
in this State were opposed to making
nominations now. A nomination now
would produce apathy and indifference.
If nominations are made now, before the
national platform was adopted, it would
be committing the State to it, no matter
what it may contain, and that would be
equivalent to a declaration that we care
nothing for principle, but that it is party
we stick to, and that would compromise
the State.
Mr.. James Aldrich said that tradition
should be venerated, but no lawyer would
say that one or two instances make tra-
dition. The May Convention Of 1876
could form no binding example. The
issue before the Convention now was
whether there was anything contrary to
principle or good policy or prudence in
making nomination now. He denied
that such action would have the effect OF
binding us to abide by the action of the
National Convention any more than
sending delegates to that Convention
would. If that Convention should take
any action derogatory to the honor OF our
State, our State Executive Committee
could call Convention to act upon it.
If any man was paralyzed or rendered
apathetic by the action of this Couven'
ton it would be because he had already
made up his mind to be made apathetic
because he could not rule.
Mr.. Earle said that at first he was in
clined to oppose making nominations at
this time, but the more he had heard and
thought about it the more he had been
convinced that they should be made now.
The Convention had right to make the
nominations now because the people had
been advertised and had sent their dele
gates to the Convention to decide the
question. The majority of the people in
his section expect the nominations to be
made, and would be disappointed if they
are not made. They do not desire to be
troubled to send men to Columbia Sec
ond time to make them. He was sur
prised to hear the suggestion that
apathy would be caused by making NOM
nations now. And as to Independents,
who would be the independents? He
knew of but two men who had been
prominently spoken of in connection
with the Office of Governor, Gen. Hagond
and Gen. Gary, and neither of them
would lead an independent movement.
Mr.. w. K. Wideman said that the class
of men who were clamoring for post
ponement were the class who had to
work for the election of the ticket; they
were the men who had to go to the bal
lot box and work there and remain
there all night if necessary, and put
on the red shirt and ride where
their services were needed, and they
were class whose voice could not be
unheeded. IF nominations were made
now, and the practice were kept up for
five years, our enthusiasm would be at
low ebb. The campaign ought to be be-
gun lust as soon as the nominations were
made. To make the nominations now
and commence the canvass in September,
would be like waiting to send for the
doctor till the patient was ready to die
instead of doing it as soon as he took
sick.
General Gary said he rose to speak
with great embarrassment, because he
stood here in both representative and
an individual capacity. He had been
alluded to in connection with the Office
of Governor, and he had been much dis.
cussed in the newspapers, yet he had
never yet announced his intention of &c.
cepting or declining the nomination.
Alluding to his experience in the war,
be said he regretted that there had been
one man who, in this canvass, had seen
fit to cast slur upon his military re-
cord. He would not detain the Conven-
ton to answer that slur now, but he
would do 80 hereafter.
If the National CoD-ention should
nominate such men as Greedy and Gratz
Brown be would not support them as he
had refused to support the Fusion move
meut in South Carolina, and as be would
always refuse to support any fusion
movement. Applause.
If he had any ambition it was not in
the line of the gubernatorial chair. He
had always heard that to elect man
Governor was to lay him on the shelf,
and he did not propose to 60 upon the
shelf unless he was forced there. He in
tended to continue an active member of
the Democratic party and to follow its
banner whether it led to victory or de.
feat. Applause.
AS to the question before the Conven-
ton, he said that the proposition t.
make the nomination now found its
birth in the action of the Executive
Committee. Those who said that to
make nominations now would ee contra
ry to Democratic precedent did not limit
their view to this State, but that no pre-
cedent could be found for it in any other
State.
It had been charged that he had his
eye on the gubernatorial chair and
would not take it off. Those who had
made that charge had done him gross
injustice, and those who new him most
intimately knew that he had frequently
desired to withdraw his name, as he did
not desire to assume the grave response
bilities attached to the leadership of the
party of the State.
The nomination now is premature and
unwise, and without proper advisement
throughout the State. To make them in
advance of the platform would be spe-
cies of iudependentism, and if conven-
ton should meet in August and make
nominations it would override these
nominations, because one was regular
and the other was not. He had been