The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-05-22

together to overthrow the registration acts al
This critical juncture. 1t is n result directly
traceable 10 The spirit Of "rule or ruin and IL
carries out this intolerant idea To The iaSt an
alysis. No one will seriously undertake to
deny that the State election OF $3.50 was pop
ular revolution. No one will now maintain
that majority Of the white people OF the
State did not support the movement and ap-
prove the result. It was contest between
white men and ny all the rules OF the poiti-
cal game The minority should have abided by
the result.
There was another and earlier revolution
started in This State in 1861, the traditions OF
which all our people without exception hold
In sacred memory. The prl ntipe when ul,
dcrlay that revolution and which inspired
the undivided support and championship oil
our people throughout a terrible and destruc-
tive war was Stale rights.
The negro was the Immediate bone OF con-
tentiOD, but the mOneyed Interest invested In
him was not the motive that inspired our
people To go TO war as one man. NO such sell
iSh interest could have inspired that terrible
strife because the non slave holder ana tne
poor man cheerfully and enthusiastically
marched beside or fought under the slave
holder. They did not stop 10 count the cost
or to ask what interest they had In mainIain.
| ing intact the institution OF slavery. They
recognized only that their fellow cillzens
rights of property In the slave, as guaranteed
In the compact by which the states agreed 10
form central government, were menacea,
and in the cause OF that principle tnousanus
|
| their blood and sacrificed theii lives.
| Men like Butler and Simonton were more
| favored In the positions OF honor to which
they were assigned III that war, but they
| we're not more brave or Selfsacriflcing Than
| Thousands of the humber, unknown men
| who bieu and died in the contest, although
unlike their superiOrs they had no pecunlary
or purely personal interest In the contest.
| When tile war was over those of them who
survived courageously took up again the hard
struggle OF life with such capacity as their
| diseased broken and ma med tpossihly OF an
arm or Leg conditions left them. The But
lers the SiinontonS and men OF that class
| continued to reap only the honors and the
emOluments In peace as they hao done !n
| war. They continued In hold the ofnces, 10
make the laws. 10 administer and 10 interpret
| them.
| Finally a time came when the rank and file
who had borne so much and endured so un.
complainngly saw fit to change or retire
their officers and TO select new leaders rom
| their number more in touch with themselves,
doubtless.
| And what is the result? Immediately we
see the laws which were made, administered
and held sacred by the Buffers and simon
| tons while these derived a direct benent from
| them, assaied, thrown down and trampleo
upon by their shameless authors, and even
the great principle OF State rights, whose
cause cries to heaven for vindication from
thousand blood-soaked battle helds, Is repu-
dated and dishonored by these as tne Norln-
ern vandals who invaded us In vi never
Idreampt of impeaching It Butter, the oene'
aciarv. no sooner Quits office than he sets TO
work to pull down In ruins on the heads OF
his people the scaffolding by when ne naa
mount led TO place and power. Simontop, me
| Confederate Colonel In the war for State
rights: the legislator OF the registration acts
OF 1882; the occupant of Federal oencn 10
| 1895 by virtue of those acts and his personal
| fortunes promoted by them TO point wnere
| they can no longer be affected either Tor good
| or ill-Judge Simonton sits on the bench IN
consultation with and as silent partner IN the
nf hn Indpo
by his political friends, If not by hlmseli, 10
come into the State and overthrow their
| wretched handiwork at time when the al
tlicled people OF the State were STRIVING az az
| best they could to substitute the ill-omened
acts with good and salutary laws. 1t looks
| too much like a thief who has secured hls
booty divertiDg the officers OF the law on tne
| track of the Innocent tool whom he has co,
| creed into crime. Little Oliver twist 1oTceu
by Old Fagin TO pick pocket ana then pe.
trayed by his fellow pick pockets Is the only
| parallel TO IL we can recall from ellner Inc
pages Of fiction or OF fact.
| What inconsistency between last nights
spectacle in this city and this contention! "A
| whole people turning out 10 10 honor "
| State rights; that hero declaring that the
cause for which we fought Is immortal IN
| principle and can never die al almost the
Identical moment that these other men whG
have been regarded as faithful and trusted
leaders have invoked al Columbia ihe mos,
far-reaching and deadly stroke ever delivered
ut the cause of State rights.
But let us look at the peculiarly atroclous
| Iingratitude of it, The class OF men In thls
State who were most unqualifediy aflicteo
by the curse entailed through slavery, because
| without owning the slaves, in great man }
| instances, they were called upon TO shed thei
blood In protection Of the property rights Q
others OF their fellow citizens In them-it u
| this class OF men who are now opce more
menaced with misfortune through the Ill
starred block. for whom the Buffers ant
Dougasses, represen tatives OF the forme