The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1865-08-10
Gvernor Perry's Speech.

speech Of the new Provisional Governor
ofSouth Carolina, in trying to state his
position w!ihoutsthe usual party heat
and clamor. 1t does not appear that he
knew of his selection for the Office of
Governor until after he delivered this
GreeHYillo @fse&h, Or that President
johnson had heard of-the speech, until
the lapse OF at least mn equal number of
days So that the remarks which he
made to his fellow.ci,izens were made in
the capacity of citizen instead OF Gov.
crnor, and were therefore frank, filed
with good counsel, and unqualifedly in
condemnation of the course pursued by
the leading men Of the South, in their,
ruinouS efforts at secession.
The ghastly social and industrial pic.
ture which he sketches Of the present
condition Of the South, with the fearful
contrast 1t presents with what existed
there FIVE years ago, should satisfy every
enc who has already condemned him
that no word of his has thus far been
put in for the defence of secession He
speaks sympatheticaily for the South,
and that is perfectly natural. He
praises General Lee, too, as second only
to W ashington in purity and greatness
that is matter ofprivate opinion mere
ly. Even while betraying the distate
which 50 many men of the South feel
about returning 10 The authority of the
supreme law of the Union, he uucon-
sciously confeSses to the supremacy Of
that authority, and by his very reluc.
tance acknowledges the general submis-
sion to the necessity which overcame
everything that opposed it.
But there are two points in his speech
tNat would fairly excuse its making.
On. is, his admission that the rebellion
was failure because the heart of the
Southern people was never fully in it
and the other, that secession by force is
a physical mpossiblity. He will do his
share in rectifyiug the popular senti-
ment in South Carolina, If he succeeds
IN establishing no more than these in the
minds of the people. He was not an
original secessionist himself, but protest.
ed and opposed long after he had any
personal influence left. He describes
the first wild meeting of the secession.
lists in Greenville in manner calculated
to make men shuddcr at the thought of
such madness for the future. 4 few
college professors, with gang of
thoughtleSs boy-students-a knot Of
hotel lomgers-.thc heated advo-
Gates of whatever made men still more
hot-as small sprinklng of farmers
and planters from the country that
was the whole of that scene in the vii.
lage where his law Office stood, scene.
which he then knew they would maay
of them live to regret having taken
part in. And hundred and fifty
thousand slain Southern men he declares
TO be perpetual witnesses against an act
which men like himself protested against
at the time in VAN.
In order to Judge fairly Of such
speech, we must pay regard to its spirit
rather than its letter. Judged by
such criterion, we do not see why it is
not calculated to make the people Of
South Carolina hate secession and its
ahettors as earnestly as they ouce ad.
vocated' it. Something must be left
to local pride, and local sentiments and
to this Governor Perry has. as might
naturally be looked for, paid as much re-
gard as under al! the circumstances was
its due. FIe win make an excellent use
OF fitin bringing back the people of,he
State TO their allegiance to the Union
and Constitution and il himself sound
in his professions of allegiance, there is
no reason why he may not be trusted in
hls modes of persuasion. AT any rate,
II the recrcant States come back into
their former relations at all, it will be
through the efforts Of their own people,
and not by any compulsory process ad.
:mnistered by the people of another see. !
uon OF the conntry.-Boston Post.
a late letter from Hilton Head |
says: THE crops on the Island and-I
especially the cotton, never looked in !