The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1882-08-04
EXTRACT FROM COL. EvINS SPEECH IN
DEFENCE OF HIS STATE.

or un1 me. W. repi tIt" tne Su ritah
ship of the Republican party.
Why sir. what right hive mem5e~S OIL
that purity to lecture anybody in retcrIncc
to od morals Have they not gerry.
wandered every STATE ot which they have
had cprtr,l? Have they Mt supp rcoscd
tn. Democratic vote wherever 1t was III their
power to d. 50? DID they not steal the
Presidency Of the United States ? Have
they MT filled cvery dep .r,m mt OF the gov.
crnmcnt with corruption ? Did they not
glorily ex S1uttor Dorsey. npw tln'u' on
account Of his connection with the star
rputc steal. for baying m,j"rity sor Car.
| field aud Arthur in the state If Indiana at
the list Presidential elc tion ID, they
not continually levy bIackmril upon the
office holders Of the government III order to
raise hundred, Of thJus ,uds Of dollars by
which the voters Of this colntry may be
corrupted? Aud are We to be ctcrnaIly
lccturcd by these m.l is to what is Il proper
standard Of morality for US in political mat
!
gentlemen belonging to that party to tax
about high Stanlrrl oi morality in poItics
| is something like the blwd king about the
! beauties Of virtue, or Gittcal iuvciShiug
against political assassination.
Sir have rs great an abb )rrcnce of fraud
and corruption is any scntitm "n either
, , Ia 81, Il, ,vb,
ever [ iud it Bat il there ever WIS an
excuse anywhere inr strrym,ud,rius We in
South Carolina have better one than eau
be offered by the p.ppc uIlny other State.
Why, sir, We are Judged as it we had u
perfectly normal cpuljti,n Of things dow n
there; as if everything were just us it is in
the New England States, or any OF the we'll
regulated ST tcs OF the North. Gentlemen
have n idea at all OF the terrible mcuacc
With which our very civilization is threat
encd all the while They know nothing of
the condition OF things down there, and
only bctray their own ignOrancc whsi3vcI
;hey TUX about it. Why, sir, every honest
Republican who has come to Sonth Carolina
and investigated the condition Of things
for himself has told the truth about these
| ------.- -,-.' - -out.uuaily cbutrGntcd
there with the vote ,f mor. tn ~ Il hundred
thousand pars Dus, to whom you gave the
>uItraSr, grossly Ignorant and totally unfit :
ted To exercise the right of II voter, either
iu. their uwn benefit or thrt Of others
| d'nIt oirn;. lrl never have blamed
the c,lnrcl m,n for this have done. and
my people IRE i,inI, all they en- to elevate
the culrr1t ace, by giving them means and
opp 'rtunitias tIr e'iuclti,n rust there
is Il better time coming for ticm aud for us
! We have not grumbl.d bsclusn we were
taxed for their benefit. We have gwen
our means chcerluiy aud lib.rally to edu.
cate them. The very first thing that the
! people of South Nlrnlnt did when they
came int" power III 1876 was to amend the
Constitution 50 as t. cr,ac larger fund
for the educ 'tirn or these very people.
Now. MIR Speaker, d. not care to en-
ter in'" N! dirty >qnIbb.c about the good
morals OF South Carolina or any other pco-
! ole think that We should rise above the
miserable party feeling and the vile personal
abuse which one side of the House is
accustomed to pour upon the othc,. All
that we claim is cqu,lity. All that Ne
assert is tha, We have just the same rights
| RI m l,,f hnv
long rs We d. not violate the Constitution
aud laws OF our country you have no right
to crltlcIsc Us umln>tiy or pronounce harsh
| judgments upon our actions
| We have no caus to hope for justice at
| your hands aud cannot accept your oificious
counsel as prompted by any higher motive
than desire to serve your party ends and
keep yourselves in power. But gentlemen
say we d. violate the law. Why, Mr..
| Speaker. is not the Aw violated in every
State ofth" Union? If violations are more
| frequent in our Satt than some Others. can
gentlemen see no reason why it may so hap
pen Are Mt the circumstances in our
case vastly different from those which en-
viron the pcop;c in many other States?
do not care to alludc to the past |
do not set up any Republican star dard of
virtue us the standard by which am to be
guided My friend from Tennessee Mr..
SIun"ntrn) has already referred to the ger
rymandcrIn. of South Carolina bv the Re-
Puhllcns when they were in power and
; Mt solid Republic IN delegation here in
their @errymandcring they did not even
pretend to make the territory Of district