SOUTH CAROLINA. 



771 



troduced before the Convention, and referred majorities in the county of Sumtor, and for rcfus- 



to them, which was generally adopted. itf to count tho votes cast ut certain precincts nt 



The Republican State Convention was held 8 n cl1 cloction8 >n Beaufort and Orangeburg for 



at Columbia on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of Au- ! irre '>l^ties on tho port of the manager* ap- 



gust, a very large number of delegates being P 6. W 

 present from all parts of the State, except four at the last 

 counties. 



r* ap 

 Democratic party for enacting 



to reach a polling-place. 



7. While eondemning^the conduct of all public 

 Y have, in years past, violated the 

 to them, an " 





m an parts ol the State, except four at the last session of the General Assembly; the law 

 In regard to the nomination of the whereby numerous voting precincts in large Repub- 

 State ticket, large numbers among the dele- t cun ^. unties wer abolished, so that thousands of 



a;T3ft&^^^ 



to abstain from a nomination not, however, 

 as an endorsement of Governor Hampton's ad- 

 ministration for the past, nor as an expression 

 of confidence in it for the future, but for other 

 reasons expressly declared in the following 



platform : guilty of such offenses, we denounce"tne method by 



... which the Democratic party, through manufactured 



1. The Republican party of the State of South testimony, sought to inculpate men whose only 

 Carolina, in convention assembled, believing that offense was their Republicanism; and we further 

 the principles of equal civil and political rights are denounce the unfair and partisan character of the 

 vital to the interests of good government, and that recent legislative investigations in this State, where- 

 they can only be enforced by the party which has by the frauds committed by Democrats have been 

 ingrafted them upon the State and national Consti- carefully screened from public view, and all tewti- 

 tutions, hereby reaffirms its earnest adhesion to the m cmy looking to their exposure has been studiously 

 platform of principles adopted by the National Re- suppressed. 



publican Convention at Cincinnati on the 15th day 8. We reaffirm the declaration made from time to 



of June, 1876. time that at the general election held in this Stare 



2. We reiterate our abhorrence and repudiation of on the 7th day of November, 1876, for Presidential 

 all forms of violence, intimidation, or fraud in the electors, Governor, and other St;ite officers, not only 

 conduct of elections, or for political purposes, and were the Republican Presidential electors duly 

 denounce the same as a crime against the liberty of chosen, but that Daniel H. Chamberlain, together 

 American citizens, as well as the common rights of wifc h the entire Republican State ticket, were also 

 humanity ; and, while we insist upon and will zeal- elected by the votes of a majority of the qualified 

 ously guard the right of every citizen freely to electors of this State. 



choose his political party, and deny the unfounded 9. We deem it inexpedient to nominate candidates 



charge that the Republican party countenances any f r Governor and other State officers, because, owing 



interference with the colored voters who may choose to the condition of affairs in this State, occasioned 



to vote the Democratic ticket, we do protest against by rifle-club rule and^ tw^ years of Democratic su- 



and denounce the practice inaugurated in the cam- premacy, it is impossible for the Republican voters 



Eaign of 1876, and again revived in some counties ' n many counties, without incurring great personal 



y the Democratic party, of attending Republican danger, to organize for the campaign or to vote at 



meetings or conventions, and, by show of force and ' 

 other forms of intimidation, disturbing such meet- 



.. J.-1-2 4. ^1 '_ i 1_ 



the election when held. 

 10. We pledge ourselves to assist in the work of 



ings, or taking part therein without the consent or purifying the public service, and we demand that 



invitation of the party calling them. 



We charge the Democratic party with being un- 



the local Republican conventions throughout the 

 State, wherever they make nominations, shall nomi- 



faithful to the many pledges and promises made nate on \y such candidates as are recognized as 



during the campaign of 1876, as demonstrated by 

 the legislation of the last General Assembly, the 

 journals of which show that the only pledges re- 

 deemed were those for which the entire Republican 

 vote of both branches of the Legislature was cast. 

 4. We denounce the Democratic party for the 



men of intelligence and integrity, as well as of 

 established devotion to Republican principles. 



The result of the election, general and local, 

 on November 5, 1878, was almost wholly in 

 favor of the Democrats. The aggregate vote 



frauds, violence, and intimidation committed during for Governor throughout the State was : Wade 



the general election of 1876, for the assassinations 

 and murders committed during the canvass preced- 

 ing that election, for the violent seizure of tne State 

 government after that election, for the frauds com 



Hampton, 169,550; all others, 213; for Lieu- 

 tenant-Govern or, W. D. Simpson, 119, 337; all 

 ^ others, 10. Besides the reflection of their 



m1tt V edTt"eveTy Vec^relection 'held'since'they ob- State ticket, to which there was no opposition, 

 tained control of the State, and for the system of the Democrats elected all of their five nominees 

 intimidation which still prevails in many counties, for Congress, and very considerably increased 

 whereby the Republicans are actually prohibited the prop ortion of their previous majority in 



either House of the Legislature. In the Lower 



rage perpetrated in unseating Republican members House, composed of 124 Representatives, the 



of the General Assembly so as to increase their ma- 

 jority in the Legislature, and especially for depriv- 

 ing the seventeen Republican Representatives from 



relative number of members from the two par- 

 ties at the preceding session was : Democrats, 

 89 ; Republicans, 35. By the election of No- 



been elected by 

 tions were held to fill these vacancies in Charleston, 

 Orangeburg, Beaufort, Sumter, and other counties 

 for refusing to give the Republicans any representa- 

 tion whatever on the Commission of Elections or 

 the Board of Managers ; for the frauds committed in 



Republicans, 3. In the Senate, which consists 

 of 34 members, there are 29 Democrats and 5 

 Republicans. 



On November 7th, the second day after he 



tne noaro. Ol managers ; ior me irauua uoumiiii/eu m 111 ..i , j r\ i 4. i^l^ 



the management of those elections, and particularly had been reelected Governor a lamentable ac 

 for stealing six ballot-boxes containing Republican cident betell Mr. Hampton while engaged m a 



