The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1865-08-10
Communicated.

ton among the people OF our District as
to who should be sent to the Conven.r
ton. Thisis very well, but there is a
question ahead Of this of far
greater importance. 1t is this, what
policy should be carried out by the Con.
vention, or, in other words, what amend.
ments should be made in the State Con.
stitution. II we were to send the wisest
men with erroneous political ideas,
our labor would be in vain. The first
thug for us to realize is that the revolu.
tion in which we have been engaged
has terminated against lis, that the ideas
and policy with which the war was wag.
ed on our part have signally, entirely, Ut
terly and t6rever failed. We must realize
that we are living under new ideas, a
new policy, and new institutions. The
only rational course for us to pursue is to
conform TO the new order of things, and
take our political departure on an entire.
ly diferen. line of policy from what we
have followed in the past. This is the
only way by which we can have peace,
security and harmony. Ii any man
thinks he can continue the old contest
with the North under the present order
of things, he is very much mistaken, and
he is preparing only profounder depth
of despair into which to plunge his State.
Tile result of the gigantic war thrcngt
which we have passed was = destroy
slavery, and secession, and all the class
of ideas depending on these subjects.
The radical portion of the North, not
satisfied with abolishing slavery imme.
diately on the termination Of the war
against us, advanced step and de-
manded negro suffrage at the South.
This party sought to disfranclise all the
white people at the South who had any
completely with the revolution, and con.
fine the right OF suffrage in these States
to the negroes and original Union men.
Most fortunately, the President Of the
United States, Andrew johnson with
firmncss and courage which does him
splendid honor, interposed himself as
break.water between the raging tides of
Northern fauaticism and the PROSTATE
South, and taking his stand like a supe.
rIor general at the first defensive posi-.
ton, negro suffrage, practically, SO far as
the Executive Government is concerned,
decided the question otncgro suffrage in
our favor by recognizing the white
population as The depositaries of politi
cal power in the Southern States In
taking this position, President johnson
has put at hazard lis darling popularity,
by mourning the guarded, yet bitter ha.
tired of the fanatics Of the North. To
appreciate what President Johnson has
done for Us let us imagine what hell
upon earth onr condition would have
been, if he had abandoned us to the ten.
der mercies of the fanatics, established
negro suffrage aud forbid all OF us who
had any thing to do with The revolution
from appearing at the polls. This at
once would have made the negro race
the master race at the South, and we,
their former masters, mere underiings.
have thus alluded to Presiden. John.
sons intervention in our behalf that we
may the better understand our presen,
condition.
With these preliminary observations,
| proceed to state the policy TO be
carried out in the Convention and the
amendments which should be made in
the Constitution as they occur to me.
The policy to be used in the action of
the Convention, is wise and masterly
adaptation to the new order of things.
Prudence, moderation conciliation. com.
m9pjsense should nave effect there To
throw into that Convention, violent ths.
contented, inAamed passions, is to com.
init suicide outright We must re.
member that the policy Of the past has
brought us to ruin, to bring safety, we
need new policy. In reference to
candidates for the Convention the great
question for the people is "who represents
this new policy?"
The first amendment which must be
made TO the Constitution is the aboli.
tion of slavery. There is no getting
over this. Itlia matter of absolute ne.
cessity. We cannot establ;sb ON. o.,