The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-01-07

Repub-

atulAte this nation
ctortes achieved at
,ye4hber laet.
lngEatulate the IA
arthrown the Demo
old enemy Of all that |
and useful In the State
olina, Maryland, Ken
Virginia, and thereby
"Solid South which
fore cemented by
and violence at the
ulaSe. the nation upon
red to the leadership OF
i the lower house OF Con-
matchless and patriotic |
Hon. Thomas B. Reed, of
edge our faith TO the princi-
the party of Lincoln, Sumter
rant, and enc our pledge to
principles laid down in the plat
.or,n of the Republican party at the
NATIONAL convention OF 1862.
In the last general election we made
y 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
wore Illegally prevented from voting.
Under instruction of this committee
The rejection OF these voters, through
this infamous and unconstitutional
registration law, was made the basis
of contests in four of the districts Of
the State. The Republican contest
ants 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 the
Republican party of South Carolina
and be but tardy justice to those who,
under difficulties and discouragements,
which a not be fully appreciated by
our friends in the North, have endeav-
ored to hold up the banner of Republi-
canism 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 fraud
ulently as was this new constitution
thrust upon the people of the State.
still more wickedly and fraudulently
Is 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-
tion of their public servants, to pre-
serve the close corporation which now
parcels out the Offices in the State and
p%erpetuate themselves in power and
place.
Soon the books of registration will
be open In every county in the State,
and every citizen twenty-one years 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 Federal, State or municipal.
We urge upon every citizen the impor-
lance of possessing himself with a
copy OF the new constitution and care
fully studying it in order to know the
new requirements and meet them.
We urge upon every citizen q peace.
able but firm resistance to every en-
~croachment upon his rights of citizen
ship, whether 1T comes from those in
high places or those in low places, for,
indeed, there Is no one in this govern
ment higher than of citizen, and no
ship.
DO not allow yourselves to be dis
couraged by delays and annoyances.
but go to the places of registration and
peaceably aud patiently wait, out per-
sistentlyS and manfully demand your
certificate, and exhaust all lawful
means to get it, and leach and every
citizen who now has a registration
certificate Is advised and admonished
by this committee of the Union Repub-
lican party to pr eserve and retain said
certificate of registration and permit
no person or persons under any provo
cation or for any cause to take ave., M
destroy said certificate Of registration.
Let every citizeg' Keep his Certificate
by all meaAs, for there is no law to
c9in2eldim 70 surrender his old GER
ttucSEc To any person or persons in the
state OF Sotth Caroline,
Under the couatian5tGn recently
adopted 1t IL intended thaJ tho Legis-
latpre shall pass law providing for a
mes toglstrattyn IA each county of the
State after the Legislature shall have
passed the new registration laws for
the State your coinmittee will issue
another address to each and every
county chairman Of the Union Repub-
lican party Of the State directing the
voters how they shall act and what
must be done by each and every one of
them to secure their certificates of
registration 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 constitu-
ton OF the United States by the late
constitutional convention of South
Carolina by its acts of discrimination
against the citizens of the State In
relation to their rights to vOte In the
public elections OF the State and that
In this new constitution all male citi-
5ens, including Union soldiers, are re-
CURED to pay a poll tax till he il sixty
years old, while O. Confederate soldier
Is exempt from paying poll tax when
he arrives at the age of fifty.
The platform of the Union Republi-
can party and it's principles are broad
enough for all patriotic citizens to
stand on, and we earnestly invite all
citizens whatever may have been their
past political affiliations to unite with
us in advocating the principles and in
wrestling the administration OF the
State government from the control of
the Democratic party and In placing
this State in the Republican column In
the approaching Presidential election.
(Signed)-E. A. Weber, chairman:
Thomas E. Miller, e.. j. Dickerson.
George A.. Reed, p. Simpkins, b. n.
Means, A. G. Merrick.
=
THE SOUTH DURING THE YEAR
ERichard N. Edmounds, editor of the
Observation-Disclosures .ID. Il