The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-12-20
REPUBLICANS
PROTEST.
WHAT THE STATE COMMITTEE
SAYS Of THE CONVENTION.
1t Will be Resisted by 'tAll Legitimate
Means"-An Address to the Peo-
pie Of the State--Somc Res
olutions Adopted.

ecutive committee, held in Columbid
on the End inst, the following address
and resolutions were adopted ana or
dored published at the discretion OF
the chairman, Caps. L. d. Melton:
TO the People of South Carolina:
1t has been we'll said that no ques-
ton can be regarded as definitely set
tied until it has been settled Alright,
that is, on the basis of right and JUS
tlce. If this saying is true, certainly
the suffrage question cannot be regard
cd as definitely settled by the recent
enactment of our so-called Constitu-
tional convention, for no fair-minded
man can pretend that this enactment
is based either on right or justice. On
the contrary, it is the very essence of
injustice and wrong, being nothing
less than an attempt to perpetuate
cheating and fraud in elections by en-
acting it into the fundamental law of
the State. as was fully admitted in
the discussion by its author and chief
advocate, b. r. Tillman. This, in
deed, was the openly avowed purpose
for calling the convention, and that
purpose, it can hardly be denied, has
been faithfully carried out, and that
too In clear and pnlpable violation of
the Constitution and laws of the Unit
ed States.
In announcing our purpose as Re-
publicans to resist the enforcement of
this nefnrious enactment in every pro-
per and legitimate way, II brief retro
spect of our very anomalous political
situation here in South Carolina may
not be amiss.
little over year ago fierce and
bitter contest was forced upon the peo-
pie of the Stale by the dominant Till
man faction. That contest was not
simply for governor and other State
officers and legislature for another
term. but what was of vastly more i'm.
portance, it was to decide as to the call
ola constitutional convention. Against
such convention were, Of course, all
Republicans, chiefly negroes, the very
purpose of its call being their perma-
nent acknowledgements. Besides these
nearly all the Demo-
crats" so -called-and large portion
of the "Reformers," or "Tillmanites,:
even were opposed to it as inoppor-
tune, unnecessary and dangerous un-
der the circumstances. But the Re-
publicans had, we may say, no organ
lZatlon Mt all, and vast majority of
them were already DISTINGUISHED by
existing registration and election laws
Nor were the Conservatives Mt all or
gnnized for action, or united as to the
proper course to pursue, though. "-
tiio---s,IJ proven, unes mad large
majority of the white vote, as well rs
the negroes, on their side. The Till
NANTES, on the contrary, followed
blindly the dictates of N bold and de-
termined leader, had possession of the
entire machinery of elections, and had
no scruples whatever about using it for
the accomplishment Of their purposes
for counting in friends and
counting out" opponents. But, not
withstanding all these advantages, they
were able to count for the head of
their ticket for governor only 39,507
votes out of n white voting population
of over 102, 900, and an entire voting
235, 1000. That is to say, the head of
their ticket, on their own count, re-
ceived less than .two-tifths of the white
vote of the State. and only about one
sixth of the entire vote. The vote in
favor of calling the convention was
still less by several thousands, being
only 81, ,I02. But, of course, Evans
was "counted in" as governor, and the
convention was "counted in" as car
ried And this is the "majority rule"
Of which the Tillmnnites never tire of
prnting.
As stated above, the Republicans had
no organization worthy of the name.
The mere shadow of such an orgnniZa-
ton had long since fallen into ''inno-
cuous desuctudc," and wasnever heard
of except just prior to Presidential
nominations, when it would venture to
make feeble display with n view to
controlling Federal patronage in case
of national Republican administers
ton. But it never had IL word of pro-
test against the grosscst outrngcs on
the rights of Republican citizenship
pc c'pctratcd by the Democratic State
governments. Hence, it was thai our
notorious and scaudulously fraudulent
registration and election laws have not
been long since tested in and set aside
by the Federal courts. Such heing
our disorganZed situation, we could
not, of course, do anything as n party
to hinder the elimination of the Till
mantle plans at the elections year ago
Some of us did what we could through
the press and on the stump as individ-
uals to encourage the Conservatives,
or anti-Tillmnn Democrats, to organ
izc and make the fight, especially
against the convention, pledging them.
as far as we could, Republican support.
But after sundry efforts they failed to
combine, and Tins left the Tillmnnitns