The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-08-20
WHY THEY B0LTED.
THE ADDRESS OF THE RETIRING
DELEGATES.

They Claim that their Duty to their Con-
stituents, Under the Circumstances,
Would Permit no Other Course-The
Lag and the Reasons in the Case.
COLUMBIA. S. c., August 15.-The
address of the. Straightout delegates
who withdrew from the State Conven-
ton yesterday morning was given to
the press to-day. and is as follows:
To the Democracy of South Carolina:
We. the undersigned delegates from
the counties Of Sumter, Beaufort, Rich
land, Charleston and Georgetown to the
Convention of the Democratic party
which assembled in Columbia on Au-
gust 13, 1890, hereby announce to our
fellow Democrats the reasons which
compelled our withdrawal from that
body.
The Convention assembled under the
call of the State executive committee.
for the sole and exclusive purpose OF
determining whether delegates to the
State Nominating Convention to be
held on the 10th day of September, or
thereafter. should be elected by primary
election, to be held on certain day
throughout the State, and for no other
purpose whatsoever"
The Convention, after its organiZa.
tion, instead of transactlng the business
for which it had been summoned pro-
ceeded to take action looking to the
adoption Of a new constitution for the
party in this State, making many i'm
portant changes in that instrument.
Against this action we made such ar
gument as was possible in the limited
time allowed for debate by the majori-
ty of the Convention. We pointed out
that under the general rules Of party
government, as laid down by so distin-
guished a parliamentarian as the Hon..
J. G. Carlisle, late Speaker of the House
of Representative of the United States,
when a convention is called for a spe-
cial purpose, its authority is necessarily
limited by the terms Of the call itself"
that sit can have no general authority
to bind the party by its action on any
other subject, for the obvious reason
that its members are simply delegated
to do a particular thing"
We pointed out that this general
rule as to party conventions was IN ex-
act accordance with the decisions Of
our State Courts in the analogous case
of the power of a convention of the
people called under an Act of the Leg
islature for specific purpose.
In the,celebrated case of McCrady vs.
Hunt, decided by the :Court of Appeals,
Judge O'Neall used the following Ian
guage: ga convention assembling ul-
der the constitution is only the people
for the purpose for which it assemblies;
and if they exceed these purposes their
act is void unless it is submitted to the
people and affirmed by them. 1t is true
the Legislature cannot limit the con-
vention, but if the people elect them for
the purpose of doing specific act or
duty pointed out by the Act of the
Legislature the Act would define their
powers, for the people elect in reference
TO that and nothing else" -
Judge David Johnson concurred in
this opinion, and Chancellor Harper, IN
his opinion, uses these words: Ger
tainly the convention was not the peo-
pie for any other purpose than that for
which the people voted and delegated
them. To conclude that the people in
tended to invest the convention with
their authority for any other purpose
than the purpose specified would be
plain usurpation of the power OF the
people.
We stated these views fully, and ap-
pealed with all the earnestness in our
power to the majority, as fellow Demo-
Gratis, not to force us into a position
where we would be compelled, in view
of the limited authority conferred upon
us by our constituents, to refrain from
participation in the further proceed
ings of the convention.
Notwithstanding these appeals, usur-
ping powers not delegated to them,
and in open violation of the law gov
erning the subject, the majority pro-
ceeded, under the operation Of the preyi.
Gus question, to take action upon the
adoption of a new constitution for the
Democratic party Of the State. We
therefore Withdrew from the body, be-
ing unwilling to allow the Democrats
whom we represented to be bound bYlts
further action or to be committed to
precedent so dangerous and illegal.
T n 1>I,,5;or w II Cjhhac Ir