Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1865-12-06


The war decided, second: That slavery
should be totally and absolutely exterminated
in all the States of the u nion.. The Conven.
.tion of this State, with singular unanimity
and promptness, accepted the result of the.
issue made, and declared in the fundamental
law "that slaves having been enlancipated
by the action Of the United States authorities,
slavery should never be re-established in this
Sate.'
ME Legislature has followed up the action
Of the Convention. by passing the Constitu-
al amendment proposed by the Federal Con-
gress prohibiting slavery everywhere in the
United States, and comforting on Congress
power to carry the same into effect: Slavery
in America is, therefore, forever extinct.
The people ofSouth Carolina have acluieeced
in this sequence of the war with remarkable
checrfulness, especially when it is noted that
her people have been the staunchest defend
erS of the institution, on principle of policy,
| for more than acentury-that her interest
in the institution was ereater, relatively, than
any Of her sisters, its cash value at the begin
ming of the war being more than two hun
| dred millions of dollarsAand that from q
settled conviction, her two great staples of
cotton and rice could only be successfully
cultivated by compulsory labor.
The Convention and the Legislature, both
recently elected by the people, have no doubt
faithfully represented the sentiment Of their
constituents on this subject, and it cannot be
doubted that, since the slave is emancipated,
it is the, fixed purpose Of the people to Sc
cure to him his. rights of person and proper
| ty as freedman-that just remuneration
shall be paid him for his labor, and that he
shall be protected against the fraud>,and Yio.
lence of the artful and the lawless. The i'm
portance Of your legislation, regulating the
relative rights and duties of3the whites and
the freedmen, at your present session, cannot
be over.estimated. The vital Interests of the
State, in my judgment, arc dependent solely
upon the laws youmay pass with reference to
this population. They must befrestrained
from theft, idleness, vagrahcy and crime, and
taught the absolute necessity of strictly COM
plying with their contracts for labor. They
must be protected in their person and prop
erty; and, for few yearsat least, some su-
pervsory power should beestablished to rati-
| fy their contracts for labor, until their expe-
rence and increasing knowledge may teach
them to guard against the craft of the un.
scrupulous. To insure his protection of per.
son and property, and toguard society against
tumultuous disturbances ofthe peace-against
tresspasses, retaliations and assasinations-it
will be indispensably necessary to modify
the rules Of evidence so as to permit the ne
| gro 10 testify in all cases where his rights Of
person and property are inyplved. =
The labor of every negro in. the State is
needed, if not to till the sell, in some other
useful employment-for the culture of cot
ton and rice and, in all menial occupations,
it is very doubtful whether any laborers in
this country or in Europe can supply his
place. His long and thorough training in
these employments give him certain skill
and aptitude which o stranger can only OBJ
tain by experience. Its, therefore, of the
FIRST importance that such policy should be
adopted as will enable the farmers and plan
ters to employ the negro, and that he shoald
rcmain cheerful and contcnted.
But there is another consideration prompt
ing us to legislate humanely and justly for
the negro. lie bas been born and reared
among us, and while he has, unfortunately,
qualities that stamp his inferiority to the
white man, he possesses Others. TINT invite
our respect. As class, during the war,
their loyalty to their owners and to society
was worthy of the highest commentator.
In no single instance, even where the slave
population prepcnderated over the whites as
an hundred to one, was there antoItbreak or
insurroetion. With. n full their
part Of the nature of tho contest, and the
deep personal interest they had in its issue,
is it not wonderful that they quietly pursued
their labor, and mainly produced the supplies
that fed our armies? If there be reason to
complain that the negro has been emancipa.
ted, in derogation of the right and interest oi
the owner, such complaint cannot be lodged
against him; whatever Of. i'll feeling exists in
the minds of former owners for the present
state of affairs, it is not just that it should
be visited on him. Interest and humanity
require us to treat him kindly, and to elevate
him, morally and intellectually it will make
him better laborer, neighbor and man.
Suddenly relieved from the restraints Of the
serviIe condition in which be was born and
reared, his ignorance can excite no surprise;
nor can we hope that he will eschew vice and
crime. If he is to live in our midst, none
are SO deeply interested in enlightening and
| elevating him as ourselves.
The Constitution Of the United States re-
cog1ized property in slaves, and an appro-
priation was made by Congress to indemnify
slave owners, in the District OF Columbia,
when slavery was abolished there in 1861.
therefore cherish the hope that Congress will,
as soon as the public debt is provided for,
make some just and equitable arrangement,
to make the citizens of the South some com
pensatton for the slaves manumitted by the
United States authorities.
The pursuits of South Carolina have not
heretofore been sufficiently diversified. Ag-
riculture was the great business of the State.
The mechanic, the manufacturer, and the
artisan have not been encouraged to migrate
hither, and the native population have not
embarked in these employmcnts, The result
has been that most Of the proceeds of the
two great staple crops-cotton and rice
have been expended without the limits of
the State, in purchasing such necessary arti-
cles as should have been fabricated or manu-.
factured within our borders.
Every facility and encouragement should
be given by the State. government and by