The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-22

expressed the lopinion that if Garfield
should be elected, our people will never
see another Presidential election, butthat
the country will drift rapidly, into some
consolidated power at Washington: he
complimented Gar6eld's ability, but said
he is totally unreliable, and that bis
election would forebode the greatest mis-
fortune to our government. Col. Aiken
then arraigned the Northern Democrats
for insincerity and prejudice towards the
South. He said that the North only
allowed the South very small proper.
ton of the appropriations for rivers and
harbors. and that they had repeatedly
refused to restore the soldiers of the
Mexican war living in the South to the
pension lists. He arraigned them for
maintaining high tariff, and said that
the better class Of people in tn the North
were generally Republicans. That they
had the brains, the money and the cul-
ture of the North, and were more con-
genial to his tastes than the Democrats.
He was unwilling for the South, which
composes the greater portion of the
Democratic party, to be controlled and
Ignored BY the minority. Col. Aiken
claimed ttat the elections in the North
ern cities are controlled largely by the
use of money and by the exercise OF the
money power, and thought this the great.
est trouble the Democrats will encounter
in carrying the Presidential election.
He said that the host of Office. holders IN
the United States exercise great influ-
ence, all of which will be given to Gar.
field in order to retain their own posi-.
tions. He thought the contest in lndi'
ana very important one to the Demo-
Gratis, for if we carry that State in Octo-
ber we will be very apt to carry the Pres.
idential election, but if we lose Indiana
then we have very little prospect OF
success. Col. Aiken closed his speech
by saying that if there is a Democrat in
South Carolina he is one from head to
foot.
Two weeks later Col. Aiken spoke at
the great Bayard meeting at Anderson
and seemed to be more thoroughly organ
lied than at these other times, for he
said then that "as important as the cleo
ton Of our State ticket was,.it was even
more important to see that our electoral
ticket was elected" This speech, how
ever, followed grand speech upon
national politics by Senator Bayard, and
the enthusiasm which the meeting had
eyinced for the Democratic Presidential
ticket was calculated to organize the
candidates of the Democratic party.
Butiin November, 1880, Col. Aiken was
again infayor of hisindependent organiza-
ton in the South, as is shown by the
following letter to the Greenville Nears:
CoKEsBURY, S. c., Nov. u, 1880.
To the Editor Of the Daily Neacs:
Yours of the 10th instant awaited me on
my return from my. plantation to-day.
You PROFOUND to me,ttwo questions, to
both of which / unhesitatingly answer,
;.No,ne. loudly, qualifying my replyYt to the
first by saying not. in bipartisan sense.
Ifryou desireito know my political opin,,
ions read the letter Itwrote the Ne,os and
Courier almost year ago. And if you
want some reading that is more Pick
wickian than Pickwiok himself, read the
editorials of that oblusteriDg sheet from
that day to this and see how easily they
have jumped from one. side to the other
of the political fence i know more
about the rank and file of the Northern
Democracy than all the Editors in South
Carolina, ~ and never had any faith in
them. They are a.: party with "a name,
but without a principle. we Southern
ers, Democratic to the core upon pr'nca-
pie, have pinned our faith to that name
or mere shadow, and of course have lost
by. it. / have long contended that the
South should become more nationalized
and lay less stress upon sthe principles
for which Lee aud Jackson fought"
Suppose you and believe in State rights,
secession, strict construction, "blood and
thunder" and all else upon which we
attempted to found Southern Confeder-
acy, what sense is there in kicking
against the pricks?" / never had the
!faintest hope of Hancock's election, but
had said so, the wiseacres of the State
would have sworn was not feal to the
party. Indeed, when in a retired, seclu-
sive locality in my own district ventur.
ed to counsel with some Of my friends,
and predict future events, it was heralded
to the world, and by no paper with more
zest than your own, that Iwas renegade
and should be run out of the "party."
Now that their hind.sights are in front
what do some of these same wiseacres
sayY Nothing of any consequence, but
they are all ready to watch (which way
the cat jumps"
I need not worry you with a long epis.
tie, but will simply say. | believe the
South in. Congress should have nothing
to do with partisan entanglements, but
stand aloof until the time to vote, and
then upon all questions of national i'm
portance cast solid vote for what they
believe to be right, regardless of the fact
whether the issue was Democrat or Re.
publican in partisan sense. In this
way we could hold a balance OF power
that would result in our being courted by
both parties North, and enable us fire.
uuently to dictate terms upon important
issues. But many Southerners in Con-
gress would follow the Democratic party
as Gov. Perry said he would follow the
State in 1861, and "you know how this
-waywas yourself" G
Very respectfully,
D. WYATT AIKEN.
From these utterances, both oral and
written on the part of Col. Aiken, we
submit that we have made no platform
for him, but that he has made his own
platform for himself, and very bad
platform it is, in our opinion.
Col. Aiken proposes to split the Dem
.ocratic party into two factions, because
heicapnot have hisway with things. If
the party cannot win united, we would
~ >,r bo,, m N 5o