Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-08-18
LET US ELECT OUR OWN
PEOPLE!
10 the People of Edgefieid
County.

is to be done, II the constitution
and the laws of this land are to
govern this country, we the people
of Edgefe]d county are entitled TO
one State Senator from this county
and three members of the House
of Representatives, and are equal
in every other respect in political
rights to the citizens of every other
county in the State.
In every other instance in the
formation of new counties in this
State, (and there have been sew
elal), elections have been held to
fill the vacancies created in both
the new and the old counties, ex-
cept in Edgefeld. We have been
cut up, slashed about, and robbed
of our territory, but with her his
tory, traditions and glories of the
past we still have left the proud
name of old Edgefeld.
We know our rights and propose
to have them . know the reason
whv. w - a county are entitled
to as .uuch representation, accord
ing to the Constitution, as any
other county in the State, and we
accept no other basis than a basis
of equality. We want that or
nothing.
Taxation without representation
is tyranical wrong that this gov
ernment, in it's incipiency, was
born fighting, and its unjust prin-
ciples are as adverse to the true
sentiments of liberty, and as OBJ
noxious to the honest patriotism
of the descendants of to-day as
ttey were to The ancestors in the
times of yore, who now sleep the
sleep of a heroic dead, on the
battle fields of this great country
from Bunker Hill to- Charleston
harbor, and though the King be
against US we do not propose to be
wronged without protest. The
iron heel of oppression will never
be placed upon the necks of Edge
field people with the humble sub
mission and obedience of slaves.
The Constitution of this State
which those high in authority have
sworn on their oaths to rule tn
people by, says in these words:
"The Senate shall be composed
Of one member from each county.
Art. 8, Sec. 6: eff any person
chosen a member of either hous
shall refuse to qualify and taxi
his seat, or shall resign, die, de
part the State, accept any disqual
flying office or position, or becoma
oMerwise disqualified to hold hi
seat, a writ of election shall be is
sued by the President of the Sen
ate or Speaker of the House o
Representatives, as the case ma.
be, for the purpose of filling tn
vacancy thereby occasioned for tn
remainder of the term for whic]
| the person go refusing to qualify
resigning, dying, departing tn
State, or becoming disqualified, wa
elected to serve."
) Now, where is the membe
, from" gefeld? Mr.. Gaines
not from Edge6eld. He is from
Greenwood county, county wit
it's own officers elected and in th
}. discharge of their respective dutie
= as complete and Independent {
the county of Edgefeld as is th
4 county of Charleston, and M
Gaines has no more right to repr
;, sent Edgefeld in the State Senat
than a citizen from the county {
Charleston has. Mr.. Gaines an
J, Mr.. Yeldell cannot vote in tt
: county of Edgefeld and they hay
I no right to hold an Office here.
J Now, the opinion from the Alto
f ney Generals Office admits tn
n Mr.. Gaines is a qualified elector
d Greenwood county and not
u Edge6eld county, but states tn
: : "this change was not voluntari
b made by Mr.. Gaines" This is n
80, for Mr.. Gaines has been wor
y ing for years to get in the ne
y county of Greenwood. But VIII
~ ~ has voluntary got to do with i
+ 1t looks to me like when man
,s in a certain place, it matters II
& whether he voluntarily walks o
s, of it or is put out of it by oper
Fl ton of law he is not "in it," al
"a the place must be vacant. Accor
NJ ing to this new doctrine of "volu
A tary" and "involuntass !" vacatir
A if a Senator should commit 81
F eide, which would be "voluntar
il death, the President of the Sena
r could forthwith order an electi
to fill the vacancy, but if the Sc
N ator should involuntarily die, th
r. is be much opposed to dying, as