The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-08-22
THE ADDRESS OF THE RETIRING DELEaA'
TION,

Il Stmpte, Earnest SfIfrmcnt Of The Fdcfs, TIC
Lar AMI Ms Reasons cfNe Case.
Those who may have expected fiery
pbilGpc against the rllmanitcs from the re-
tir,ng dc cgatious wi / be disappo in'ed, and
the Democrats grati6ed by the dignified and
simple statement which the committee have
put forth in the following address:
To the Democracy of South Carolina:
We, the Undersigned, delegates from the
C,untics of Sumter, Beaufort, Richland,
Charleston aud Georgetown to the Conven-
ton of the Democratic party which assem-
led in Columbia on August 13, 1890, hereby
| NJ nouucc to our fellow Democrats the reasons
VIII cl, compelled our withdrawal from That
boss'. g, ~
The Convention assembled under the call
of the State Executive Committee, for the
whether dc'cgates to the Sta'c Nominating
Conv,n n,ion to be held on the 10Th day Of
September, or thereafter, should he elc ted
hy primary election, to he held on u certain
day throughout the State, and for no other
purpose whatsoever"
The Convention, after its Organiza' ion, iu-
stead OF transacting the business for which
ii had been summoned, proceeded to take
action lcok ng to the adoption of new con-
stitution for the party in this State making
many important changes in that instrument
Against this action We made such argument
rs was possible in The limited time allowed
for debate 10y the maj jorty Of the Convention
We pointc cut that under the general rules
of party government. ~ laid down by so
distinguished parliamcntarian as the Hon.
j. q. Caris e. late Speaker of the House OF
Representatives of the United States, '.whcn
n convention is cane'l for special purpose,
its authority il ntc~snri,y limited l,y the
syerms of the call iiAelr:" that lit can have
no general authority t. bind the party by its
action on any "'hcr subject, for the obvious
reason that ltS members arc simply delegated
to do n particular thing.
We pointed out Il n this General rule aS
TO party Conventions was i'll exact accor-
dance with the decisions Of our State Courts
i'll tho analogous case "f the powers Of
Convention of the people called under an
Act OF the Legislature for n specific purpose.
In The celebrated case of McCradv, w.
Hunt, decided by the Court of Appeals.
Judge UNcalc uscd the following language
"A Convcnt'or ascend ing under the Cons j.
tuition is only thu people FIR the purposes
for which il assemblies AN If they exceed
those purposes, their act Is v"il unless it i
submitted TO the rcppls and affirmed hy
them. 1t is true the Legislature cannot
limit the Convention, but if the people elect
them fer the purpose OF doinsa specific act
or duty pointed out by the Act Of ,lfc Icgisln-
turc, the Act wou'd define their powers f,r-
the people elect IN rcir cnce to that and
nothing else &
judge David Johnson coucurcd in tlhs,opn
ion, aud Chancellor Harper. in h's opinion
uses these words "Ccrtainly the Convention
was no. the people for any other purpose
than tha, for whcih the people voted and dele.
gated them. TO conclude that the people in
tended to invest the Convention with their
auth 'rity for any other purpose than the
purpose specified would he plain u>urrn,ion
of The ppwor of the rc"pcl
We stated thcs, views iul v AMI nrpc,l, IL
with all the carnestnc.S IN our rowcrtu the
m,juriiy. rs fell Nv Dem crat-, not u force
u> into II position where We would lc COM
PEELED, in view of the limited authority cJn-
fcrrcd upon us by our cons tucutS, I" re-
tran from participation in the further pro-
cccdiug, of tho convention.
notwithstanding these appca'-. u>urpiug
powers not delegated TO them, and in open
violation Of the law governing the suhiccr. 4.
the ma ority proceeded, undcr the operation
Of the previous question, TO take ION upon
the adoption o; new cons stitfsisR f3r 9tl,c
Dc,Noc'n,ic rfGs;y Of tho ~ a<k1Do<o ~.
fore with ircw from the bn ~. being nwil-
inS to alnw the Democrats whom we repre-
-rnici to hc hound 10y lis further action or
u Lr committed 10 q precedent y dangerous
and llcga'.
j. d. Banding, !. u. Grah,m, " D. Scrr-
borough. John :. llugh-on. Frank Mcllc,.
". j. Ncriicr, ". +. Col' II. u. Elliott.
Thomas Ta!brd, Joseph :. i.,rl,C G. y. Wi
liams. Thomas Il. lIcywsrd, ". q. rrcutiss.
j. G. IIaSkcN, a. y. Tallcy, ". II. n,hhc>.
Jr., \. G.. Gonzales, .lamc: T. Adams. Jos.
Bates, Willie Jones, J. =. Mcchan, X. Single
ton, l.. L loumans, W ) Pope. ". l..
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