The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-10-17
d Nr~-.-
W CONSTITUTION.
CHAIRMAN IRBY WILL MAKE BARD
FIGHT FOR IT.
An Address by the Executive Committee
OF the Democratic State Committee Call
ing upon the White People to Vote ror
Constitutional Convention for
the Express Purpose nf Rt
moving the Negro from
Politics by DisGranchis-
ing Him.
ESPECIAL to News aud Courier I

COLUMBIA, October 9-The cam
paign committee of the State Demo
cratic executive committee, of which
Senator Irby is chairman, made pub
lie tonight the address to the people of
the State found below. Senator Irby
arrived here this morning and is the
guest of Governor Tillman. The State
will be flooded with pamphlet copies
of the address. The address speaks for
itself and is as follows:
To the Democratic Voters Of South
Carolina:
The executive committee being
charged with the welfare Of the party
and the welfare of e majority of the
people, we feel constrained to direct the
special attention Of the Democrats Of
the State to the necessity and impor-
tance Of the plank in the platform
adopted by the recent Democratic State
Convention urging every Democratic
voter to sustain the call for a copsti-
tutional convention.
It is we'll known that there are great
differences existing between the white
factions in the State, one of which has
yielded reluctant obedience to the will
ofthe majority. The strained relations
which have existed since 1890, with
the factional bitterness displayed by
that portion of the State press which
has opposed the governing majority
with nlalevolence aHd factional spirit
almost unprecedented, point inevitably
to permanent division iu the ranks OF
the white people, for which this minor
i,y alone must be held responsible.
Confronted as We have been by COL
ored voting population 10000 in excess
of the whites, since the revolution OF
1876 white supremacy has been almost
the only test of Democracy, and its
maintenance the compelling motive
for Submission after the party had
spoken at the conventions and prlma-
ries. But there are many evidences
that the ties which have bound our
people together are being systematl-
cal!y riven asunder and the public
mind being educated to appeal to this
ignorant, debaSed vote to restore to
power those who have been unatle to
command majority of the white vote.
The State newspaper, the organ which
was started by the Independents in
1891 and which has recently exhausted
all its expedients to bring about another
bolt and defeat Of the party nominees,
has time and again Tldiculed and
sueered at the possible danger of an
appeal to the colored vote. y his news
paper, backed by a large number of
other papers, is now urging the organi-
Zation of the so-calle6 ''true Democ-
racyn and boldly announces the pur-
pose to ignore the present party ma
chinery and the executive committee
as at present composed as being repre-
sentative of the Democratic party.
These facts are known Of all men and
they can have out one meanlpg-the
purpose on the part of the minority 10
appeal to the negro as the arbiter
of our politics in the campaign of 1895.
During the past spring and summer
strenuous efforts have been made os-
tensibly at the instigation of the Re-
pdblicans to overthrow the registration
law. We have reason to know that the
independents, as shown by the columns
of certain newspapers, have instigated
and sympathized WITH these attempts.
So that it cannot be reasonably dis
puted that there is desperate faction
in the State bent on regaining power
at any cost. We deem it unnecessary
to direct attention to the inevitable
consequences which will follow divis-
ion of the whites into anything like
equal factions, and the bringing in of
the negro as the balance of pow er.
The only reason why we are not now
in the throes Of. political agitation,
with contending factions mobilizlng
the black army Of voters, is that the
movement was considered hopeless.
1t was a question of expediency and
not one of principle or patriotism with
many. We are glad to know that the
failure of the plot which came to the
surface on the 27tn of August is due to
the patriotism aud self-control of the
large body of conservative men who,
while voting with the minority in the
campaign of 1892, submitted gracefully
TO its results and were unwilling to jeo-
pardize the public welfare by such
desperate venture. Fortunately the
opportunity is offered the white people
OF the State in the coming election to
obviate all future danger, and fortify
Apglo-Saxon civilization against every
assault from within ard without, and
that is the calling Of constitutional
convention to deal with the all-impor-
tant question of suffrage. By strange
and unaccouutable change of base that
class in the State which has always
stood for qualified suffrage, and denied
the capacity or the right of the masses
to participation in the government, are
to-day loud mouthed in their declara-
ton that they are champions of the
Door white man whose vote is threat
ened, as they say. Every newspaper
controlled by This class is teeming with
all manner of specious and false argu
meuts against voting for Il convention.
They sag that the white voters who
are ignorant and poor will have cast
their last ballot if they vote for a con-
yeution. They harp on the enormous
cost to the taxpayers. They dwell
with pathetic concern on the injury to
the free schools and by every device
known TO sophistry are trying to throw
dust into the eyes of the masses. Plain
is best and we shall not mince
words. We propose to show that there
is deep-dyed treachery to white supre-
macy in this aptaganism to new con-
stitution.
In the so-called convention composed
of self-appointed delegates which as
sembled on the 25th of Septembe Der for
the avowed purpose of nominating an
ticket and appealing to
the negro, the following resolution,
which betrays the whole damnable
scheme, was passed and the opening
gun for '9G thereby fired:
Resolved, That while this conven-
tion desires TO avoid doing anything
likely to cause Increased strife among
our people, we believe that the princi-
Piles of Democracy. the safety of every
Interest in the State and the instinct of
self. preservation demand that a hard
and earnest fight be made against the
to call 3 constitutional cou-
vention to create a new fundamental
law involving the rights Of every man
in the State without providing the sub
Of lis work to the people.
We tender to the opponents of this in
iquitous, undemocratic, tyranical and
dangerous proposition, the service of
the organization herein prov ided for
and invite them to join with us in
Il n t;,,r y ot tbo on,,rDoohinCy ryanors1