The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-12-20
after the election for a Republican con.

vention to meet in Columbia. Tha
convention mot last February. Nearl,
oil the counties In the State were rep
resented, and made such a shown.
that even that very hostile paper, tn,
Charleston News and Courier, in ,
shrek of alarm, characterized it as tn,
first live Republican convention helt
in South Carolina since the downfall O
RadicaIism in 1876. At. that conven
ton, among other things, we adopted
platform i'll full accord with that @
the national Republican party-on al
national issues of the day-the tariff
sound money, civil service reform. etc
These principles we insist are in N,
way hostile or detrimental to the best
interests of the South, and we deny
that the Republican party is in any
sense sectional party any more than
is the Democratic party.
But on local affairs we were broadly
liberal. While insisting on a Consti-
tuition that would make no discrimina.
tion against any class of citizens. that
it.should not be put in force until rati-
ned by popular vote, and that it
should provide against fraud in cleo
tlons by the participation of the lead
ing political parties in their manage
ment. We declared our readiners to
co operate with and under the leader
ship OF the conservative Democrats, if
they would organize and take the
Lead. We hoped in this way to en-
courage them to come ont boldly and
assume leadership. This seemed the
N fI,a ~
preventing the convention from falling
completely under the control of tho
Tlllman faction. But the Conserva-
tives again dilly-dallied, were divided
In counsel and finally did nothing. The
result was the Tillmanites were in full
control and wehave cheating aud fraud
engrafted in the fundamental law of
our State. Besides, it is to bo put in
operation without ratification by a
popular vote and the minority is to be
allowed no part in the management of
elections
The question: we are now called upon
as Rcpublicuns to decide upon 1T as to
whether we shall tamely submit to this
gross outrage and injustice, and, as wo
believe, clear and pnlpable violation of
the Conststution of the United States,
or shall we resist it by every means in
our power.
On this question, the following res
lutlons, unanimously adopted, ex-
press our views and decision rs to tho
State Republican executive committee,
as to what should be our course in the
emergency forced upon us.
For fhp ayropfir,
IL. ID. Melton, ChairmHn.
G. F. Holmes, Secretary.
Resolved, first, That on national
issues we reaflirm our adherence to the
national Republican party rs expressed
IN our platform adopted in convention
Feb. 6, the last past, that is to say:
We are in favor of moderate and
protection for American
labor and American capital against the
cheaper labor and cheaper capital of
other countries. We urc in favor of
sound, full value money, whether of
gold, silver or paper currency, for oil
classes and conditions of people, for
the bread winner ,s we'll as for the
capitalist; for the poor laborcr in his
Pata I1aa6e. e. "WSafe ii tie aiavor OF govern
ment service based on merit and char
acter and capacity, instead of on the
corrupt and debasing Democratic
Jackson system of ''to the victor be
long the spoils."
Resolved, second, That on State is-
sues we decline to accept as final and
definite the Constitution-so- called
just completed by the Constitutional
called-here in Colum-
bia, and this for the following reasons:
We regard it as fraudulent in it's orr
gin, in that it was fraudulently "coun.
ted in" with only 81, ,402 votes out of
n voting population in tho State of
over 235, ,OO0 according to the United
States census of 1890; fraudulent in
in that it proposes to per-
petuate in the fundamental law of the
State the system of cheating and fraud
and discrimination against certain
classes in elections; and fraudulent in
its finale in that it proposes to pnt this
so-called Constitution in operation us
tho fundamental law of the State with
out first submitting it to popular
vote for ratification. This latter
alone, rs has been we'll said hy high
authority, sic contrary to the spirit of
American institutions and hostile to
the trne theory of republican govern
ment." We therefore propose to re-
sist in every proper and Legitimate
way this so-cailcd Constitution, and to
use our utmost efforts before congress
and before the Federal courts, as well
rs before returning sense of justice
and fair dealing of our people, to have
it declared null and void. We do not
propose, however, to carry on this
struggle for right and Justice along
any narrow or factional lines; on the
contrary, we cordially invite and in
woke the cooperation and hearty par