The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-09
HOW THE CASE STANDS NOW.
A ATHoUGHTFUL REVIEW OF THE
POLITICAL SITUATION.
Senator Barnwell Points Out the
Difficulties that are In the Way of
Peace and Unity and Suggests the
Rest Means of Avoiding Them.

Difficulties that are In the Way Ol
Peace and Unity and Suggests the
A reporter for The News and
Courier called on Senator j. w. Barn
we'll and asked for an interview upon
the present political situation. The
reporter asked Mr.. Barnwell what he
thought were the prospects of an even
division between the two factions III
the constitutional convention from the
present outlook.
Mr.. Barnwell said 1t seemed to him
that people generally throughout the
State in this whole matter had jumped
too quickly to conclusion, or, in
hOmely phrase, were Counting their
chickens before they were hatched.' >
After the bitter contests and deer
animosity OF the last four years it was
more than human to expect that the
people would come together, cease
their strife at once and join hands
WITH sunanimity for the carrying out oi
even SO high q purpose as securing an
bipartisan Convention to lay down the
fundamental law of the State in such
fashion as to secure the maintenance
OF civilized government. No com
nittee OF citizens, whether influential
or not, no convention, however re-
spectacle and we'll intentioned, could
by simply signing agreements or adopt
ing resolutions at once put an end to
the jarring of factions and bid the
tumult cease. Time was an element
in the problem, Us 1t was In 80 many
political problems, and there was moro
than ever now need of careful con-
sideration, OF patience, of sober judg-
ment and the entire suppression of
fault-finding and recrimination If u
constitution is to be successfully OBJ
tanned which would meet the general
approval Of the people OF the State.
He was afraid there was some danger
OF the sinking out of sight Of this lead
ing object, that is, that the State
should be preserved from corrupt
government on the one hand and from
corrupt elections on the other.
To save time he would give the
reporter a passage from an address
delive red by himself before the Citadel
Academy in July, 1893, long before tho
calling Of the constitutional cOnven-
tion was to be voted on by the people,
views of u very large number of peo-
pie in this State and he thought that
Of most thinking men who knew any
thing of the facts outside of the State
Mr.. Barnwell handed the address in
question to the Reporter with the
following passage marked.
What citizen of the State, who
cares for her future, does not tremble
at the responsibility thrown upon us
by the events, not Of the last thirty,
but OF the last two hundred years ?
According to tho census of 1880
the only one of the last three which
can be relied upon for the Southern
States-the excess of the African race
in fhiS Sfota 10 ntalx
than in any other State. The proper
tion is about six to four; they outnum-
ber us by a third. They have before
the law precisely the same rights as
ohrselves-no more, no less--and the
theory of our government is that tho
majority are capable of ruling, and,
within the constitutional limits, should
rule. And yet bitter experience has
demonstrated that this majority can
not conductY the government of
civilized State.
1.-The problem is before us. 1t must
not only be solved, but 80 far as we now
can see must be solved by ourselves un-
aided by immigration, either domestic
when the stream OF immigration has
filed up the cannels in which it now
flows, it may turn in our direction
Possibly, In course of time, voluntary
emigration of the blacks, or even eX-
pOrtatiOn, may assist in bringing about
equality. There certainly is no such
prOspect at present. That some
change in the organic law is necessary
all will admit. The present anomalous
condition of affairs cannot last. No
State can remain civilized when its
citizens must choose between the
dreadful alternative of corrupt govern
ment on the one hand or corrupt elec-
tiOns on the other.
changes 20 made our State, or the
ruling race which controls it, will have
the wisdom to unite upon some general
policy for regulating the suffrage
which will commend itself to all
parties as just and fair, and that the
constituent body when 1t meets may
not be animated by the spirit of party
,Or of faction, but by the single pur-
lpose of benefiting the State"
I Continuing, Mr.. Barnwell said that
DO far as he himself was concerned it
was well known that he not only voted
for the calling of the convention, but
advocated it in a public speech prior
to his nomination for the Senate last
summer. Now this purpose OF regulat
ing the suffrage 80 as to make honest
of non factional convention could
only be obtained by general consent.
There must not be q fight over who
should control the convention; the
uniting for the purpose OF securing
such u convention must not be made
the means of forming new party, but
both parties in the State must meet
together and have the delegates
elected, not by and through contest,
but by mutual consent. For this pur-
pose, therefore, it was not q question
as to whether the Reform party or the
conservative party should control the
convention, but they should meet on
equal terms, otherwise they had better
not come to any agreement at all. And
the fact that the party claiming to be
the stronger was willing to forego its
advantage would be evidence of its
sincerity, while at the same time 1t
secured by u concession of equal num-
bers in the convention the assent of
the whole of the white race I'm the
State to their responsibility forwhat
the convention would do, and this
without the risk of a struggle for con-
troll of the body. But 1T must be re-
membered that there was great opposi-
ticn In the Reform party itself to the
convention, and now that 1t was called
many OF them believed that the only
way to prevent the loss OF their votes
was to secure n majority of their own
who would look after their rights
1t was TO reach this element that it
was necessary to put in specific pledges
as a condition Of the agreement for
division. Such pledges were often
exacted, and indeed In one instance at