The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-09-11
TIE STATE CAMPAIGN,
HiugiDg Address OF the State Executive
Committee TO the Democracy.
HEADQUARTERS
STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMIIrRR

far reaching and VIDE spread Importance
is now in progress. BY its result the
collective morality of the American
pcople will be measured. and their fitness
i to govern themselves with wisdom be
Judged. TO refuse to condemn crime ia
] TO condone it. To choose MS President a
candidate who was betrayed q public trust
is 10 invite and encourage official infide.
jty. In government of and for the
people, venality in him who is elected
Chief Magistrate is more portentous of
i'll than the shadow of the sword. The
wounds inflicted on liberty by the hand
of military power may, in course of time
he healed but national blood poisoning.
by corruption in high places, is necessari.
" incurable. This political campaign,
therefore, concerns you, not only as South
Caroiiniana, not only as Democrats, but
as Americans, who know neither North
nor South when the honor aud welfare Of
the Union are imperilled. As you value
rectitudc and constancy in the servants
of the people; as you prize the general
welfare, and are resolved to secure to
posterity your heritage of freedom 80
must you, in the coming election, zeal,
ousIy and unflinchiDgly do your whole
duty.
In name, the present political contest
is between two great parties, the Demo.
cratic and the Republican. In one of
these parties, however, the political line
is broken. Among the most ardent
advocates of the election of Cleveland
and Hendricks, the Democratic candi.
dates for President and Vice President,
are Republican citizens of uDsullied
reputation and high position, who have
hitherto voted the Republican ticket
Their reasons for severing old and cher.
ished political associations are best given
: in their own words. They refuse to 90
with the Republican party, in this elec.
ton, because that party offers them, in
the person Of James G. Blaine, "a can
didate who is an unfit leader, shown by
his own words and his acknowledged acts.
which are Of official record, to be unwor.
thy of respect ard confidence; who has
traded upon his official trust for his
pecuniary gain ia representative of men,
methods and conduct which the public
conscience condemns, and which illustrate
the very evils that honest men would
REFORM" The Independent Republicans,
in the address adopted at the New York
Conference, say further: "While the
Republicans present candidate whom
we cannot support, the Democratic party
presents one whose name is the synonym
of political courage and honesty and
administrative reform. He has discharg.
ed every official trust with sole regard to
the public welfare, and with just disre.
gard of mere partisan and personal ad.
vantages, which, with the applause and
confidence of both parties, has raised
him from the chief executive administra.
ton of great city to that Of q great
State. His high sense of public duty,
his absolute and upchallenged official
integrity, his inflexible courage in resist-
ing party pressure and public outcry, his
great experience in the details of admin.
istration. and his commanding executive
ability and Independence are precisely
the qualities which the political situation
demands in the chief executive officer of
the Government to resist corporate mo.
nopoly on the one hand and demagogic
communism on the other, and at horne
and abroad, without menace or fear, 70
and to respect every right of friendly
States by making political morality and
private honesty the basis of Constitution
al administration" In these utterances
of earnest and patriotic men, the Demo.
crat5 of this State and of the Union find
en- exact definition of the paramount
issue in the present canvass.
Again and again, the Democracy have
presented to the country candidates who
Joined marked ability to cleanness of
personal character and experience in
public life. No "tattooed man" has ever
received the nomination of the National
Council of the Democratic party. The
personal qualifications of the Democratic
nominees now command the general
recognition they always deserved. There
is good reason for it. The Independent
Republicans remind us that the country
has seen, with surprise and shame, q
Republican Vice.President driven in
disgrace into private life q Republ: 'an
Secretary of War participating in felo-
ny; a Republican Secretary of the Navy
growing rich, while our fleets, for which
millions of money were appropriated,
became the laughing stock. Of nations |;
Republican 4-storney General accused
OF sharing in petty frauds. The last
Republican Speaker of the House of
Representatives was convicted of nepot-
ism and mendacity. Nefarious associa-
tions for obtaining corporate contracts
bestowed their "gratifications" and "to.
kens of thankfulness" upon the Repub.
licans who was elected President four
years ago. Fresh, too, in public memory
is the story of the star route frauds, of
the doings of the whisky ring, of tue
land grants to grasping corporations, and
the land grabs by alien absentees. The
people, this year, we're ripe for political
revolt, but the managers Of the Republi.
can machine scoffed at criticism and
hocted at warning. Rendered reckless
t6y q long lease of misused power, de.
bauched by ill.gotten gains, the machine.
made delegates in the Republican
convention chose rs their party's candi.
date for President man who attracts to
MIN, as Wits magnet, each official rogue
and hungry khave aud who draws to
MIN, as like, unto like, every political
speculator who Graves the means of
speculation in the future, or who needs
Immunity for misconduct in the past.
80 It is that, in the person of the leading
candidates, Cleveland and Blaine, good
ana an evil will struggle for the mastery in
November.
The success of the Democracy is desir.
Cd by legions of citizens who have
heretofore looked upon the Democratic
party with dislike, If not with distrust.
Former differences are forgotten, now
that the country must choose between
the high minded champion of admins.
trative reform and the self.regarding
representative Of what Is most debasing in
american public life. In the days Of
the Revolutionary war, the embattled
ifeemen of tho United Colonies were one