_A Grand Gathering of Republicans and Conservatives--Harmony
Prevails and Nothing Asked but Fair Play_
The meeting last night was one of the most extraordinary
gatherings ever held in Charleston. Upwards of four thousand of
our citizens irrespective of party, assembled together and raised
their voices in the interests of fair play for one and all.
Men of culture and wealth, stood side by side, with the honest
and industrious workingmen. Republican and Conservative, white
men and colored men, Chamberlain men and Green men stood shoulder
to shoulder bearing in mind the great object of the meeting and
for the time being casting aside all thoughts of party spirit. It
seemed to be well understood by each and every man in the vast
assemblage that this was not the time nor place to urge the claim
of any particular candidates, and the harmony that prevailed
reflected the most unbounded credit on the citizens of
Charleston.
Let it here be distinctly understood that the objection to the
commissioners of election does not imply an objection to either
of them individually but it is claimed that one of them should
at least give place to a representative of the other side. If
Thompson and Smith are candidates for election to any office, and
the three commissioners of election are all Thompson men, it is
natural that the supporters of Smith should be dissatisfied, but
by appointing one Smith man all suspicions of unfair play will be
removed.
Col. E. W. M. Mackey called the meeting to order from the steps
of the City Hall at 8 o'clock and upon his motion it was
organized with the following officers:
President--The Hon. H. D. Lesesne.
Vice-Presidents--Mayor C. I. Cunningham, Ex-Gov. Wm. Aiken,
Coroner Aaron Logan, Mr. E. B. Seabrook, Mr. S. Y. Tupper,
Alderman W. J. McKinlay, Senator S. E. Gaillard, Hon. Henry
Gourdin, Mr. John F. Taylor, Rev. E. J. Adams, Mr. Andrew
Simonds, Mr. H. H. DeLeon, Mr. C. O. Witte, Alderman S. B.
Garrett, Mr. Hugh Ferguson, Mr. J. W. Reed, Alderman John A.
Godfrey, Mr. B. Bollman, Mr. B. O'Neill, Capt. J. C. Clausen, Mr.
Stephen Brown, Mr. W. A. Courtenay.
Secretaries--Mr. J. A. Mushington, Mr. C. O. Trumbo, Capt. Alex
Williams.
Mr. Lesesne opened the meeting with a most appropriate address,
in which he stated ... meeting, at his leisure, who shall present
by letter or otherwise, the foregoing preamble and resolutions to
the Governor of the State, and require of him, as necessary for
the preservation of public peace, that he do remove the said
commissioners of election, or a majority of them, and appoint, in
their stead, commissioners of known integrity, intelligence and
impartiality, who will see that in every matter pertaining to the
election, equal and exact justice shall be done to all citizens,
irrespective of class, color or political party; and further,
that the said committee shall, in the event of the refusal of the
Executive to grant this request, call a mass meeting of the
people to take such action as will then be necessary.
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the chairman
of this meeting, at his leisure, who shall immediately ascertain
what protection can be secured to the voters of Charleston County
under the United States laws relating to elections, which
committee shall immediately report the result of their
investigations, through the public prints, with such
recommendations for the guidance of the citizens as they may deem
advisable.
After the reading of the above preamble and resolutions, Mr.
Joseph W. Barnwell addressed the meeting, and was followed by the
Hon. G. A. Trenholm, who spoke with much eloquence and at
considerable length.
Mr. Trenholm, holding the Chronicle in his hand, read therefrom
the following extract from the third plank of the Republican
platform: "We shall hold all men as enemies to equality of rights
who interfere with the ballot or deny the free and lawful
exercise of its use to any citizen, whatever may be his party
creed."
He called attention to the fact that these sentiments were in the
Republican platform and were published in the Charleston
Chronicle, the only Republican paper in this city; but, strange
to say, this portion of his speech does not seem to have made a
great impression on either the News and Courier reporter or the
Sun man. For the News and Courier fails to report it, and the Sun
does not shine upon it.
The Hon. A. J. Ransier then took the platform, but his address
was interrupted by an unlooked for incident.
A number of policemen having in charge some of the men who were
wounded in the fracas with the strikers, of which an account is
given elsewhere in this issue, were seen marching down Meeting
street followed by a considerable crowd. The bigger crowd seeing
the others, and not knowing what was up, became demoralized, and
a panic ensued followed by a general stampede.