The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-01-08

State, after several more speeches had
been made:
Headquarters Union Republican Par
t. of South Carolina.
Columbia. S. c., Jan. 3, 1896.
We the executive committee of the
Union Republican party OF South Car
olina send greetings to our party Of
the Nation and our fellow Republicans
Of South Carolina.
First. We congratulate this Nation
on the splendid victories achieved at
the ballot box in November last.
Second We congratulate the Nation
in having overthrown the Democratic
partv, the old enemy of all that is
progressive ard useful, in the States
of North Carolina, Maryland, Ken
tuckF and West Virginia, and thereby
breaking the SOLID South" which
had been heretofore cemented by the
ballot box.
We congratulate the Nation upon
having restored to the leadership of
our party in the lower house of con-
gress that matchless and patriotic
statesman, Hon. Thomas B. Reed, Of
Maine.
We pledge our faith to the princi-
pies of the party of Lincoln, Summer
and Grant, and renew our pledge to
the principles laid down in the plat
form of the Republican party at the
national convention OF 1892.
In the last general election we made
strong fight for the election of Re
publican congressman in six Of the
seven districts in the state, but under
the operation of the infamous registra-
ton law, thousands of Republicans
were Illegally prevented from voting.
Under in structions of this COM
mittee the rejection of these
voters, through this infamous
snd unconstitutional registration
law was made the basis of contests
in four ofthe districts of the state. The
Republican contestants in the first,
third, sixth and seventh districts are
on every ground Of justice and equity
entitled to their seats.
The seating of these contestants
would strengthen and encourage the
Republican party of South Carolina
and be but tardy justice to those, who
under difficulties and discourager
which cannot be fully appreciated by
our friends in the north, have endeav-
ored to hold up the banner Of Repub-
licanism in South Carolina.
A new condition is now upon US.
New necessities now arise. New laws
are now in force. New lessons must
now be learned. Wickedly and frau
dulently as was this new constitution
thrust upon the people of the state, still
more wickedly and fraudulently is it
the purpose of the promoters of this
scheme to enforce it. To enforce it
not with the view of preserving white
supremacy. as is falsely proclaimed.
but with the purpose Of sitting the
will of the people. in the exercise OF
the functions Of citizenship, the selec-
ton of their public servants, to pre-,
serve the close corporation which now
parcels out the offices in the state, and
perpetuate themselves in power and
place.
Election laws have been enacted
which open the way to fraud and per
jury and placed more securely IN the
| wheel of elective franchise those clogs
which formerly caused clanking and
delay, but which are now designed te
impede, hinder and destroy. =.
| Soon the books Of registration will
be open in every county IN the state,
and every citizen Of age and upwards
| must register, and those who have
been registered must be registered IN
order to vote hereafter in the public
elections in this state, whether Fed
| eral. state or municipal We urge
| upon every citizen the Importance oi
possessing himself with a copy Of the
| new constitution and carefully study
+! ing it in order to know the new require
ments and meet them.
Weurge upon every citizen a peacea
ole but firm resistance to every en-
enactment upon his rights of citizen
| ship, whether it comes from those II
high places or those in low places, for
indeed there is no one in this govern.
| ment higher than the citizen, and nt
| right higher than the rights OF citizen
| ship.
Do not allow yourselves to be dis
| couraged by delays and annoyances
but 90 to the places of registra 5ion anc
peacably and patiently wait, but per
sistently and manfully demand your
certificate, and exhaust all Lawful:
means to get it; and each and every
| citizen who now has registration
certificate is advised and admonisheo
by-th committee of the Union Re
| publican party to preserve and retain
said certificate of registration and per
! init no person Or persons, under any
provocation, or any cause, to take
| away or destroy said certificate of reg
| istration. Let every citizen keep his
| certificate by all means, for there IS nc
law to compile him to surrender his old
| certificate to any person Or persons IN
the State of South Carolina.
Under the Constitution recently ad
opted, it is intended that the legisla
ture shall pass laws providing for g
| new registration in each county of the
State. After the legislature shall hove
passed the new registration laws for
the State your committee will issue
another address to each and every
| county chairman Of the Union Re
| pulican party OF the State, directing
the voters how they shall act and what
! must be done by each and everyone OF
them to secure their certificates of reg
istration and their right to vote.
! We call the attention of the people
of the nation to the gross violation OF
the spirit and letter of the Constitution
| of the United States by the late Con.
stitutional convention of South Car
| olina by it acts of discrimination
| against the citizens of the State in rela
ton to their rights to vote in the pub,
lie election of the State and that in this
; new Constitution all male citizens, IN;
cludiug Union soldiers, are required