Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1865-12-09

children, aud aged parents .at the point
s3t starvation, like brave men they accepted
the sdecfees of God, and submitted themselves
to the dire fortunes Of war Sad Sad aud silent,
With manly forttude and firmness, they await
Z cd tho terms of tho oonqueror. When those
terms wereG.ado known, they were first, with
sa generous plide and high ohivalry, to assume
the humiliation which their State fhad been
foremost in bringing.on our common country,
s4As soon as. the President s. reclamation
was issued, the people Of. South Caro- awent
schecrfully forward and took the, amnesty oath.
They yspromptlysassemble in Copy yeption, un-
der the order of the Provisional Governor,
and reformed their State Constitution, as was
desired, by the President. They abolished
slavery and freely gave up their two hundred
millions Invested in slaves. When advised to
adopt the Congressional amendment to. the
Constitution Of the United States abolishing
slavery, South Carolipa was the first Southern
State which ratified the same, and set an ex-.
ample for her sister States to follow. She has
been first, also, in repairing wise and hu-
name code Of laws for the protection of the.
,frecdmcp'in in allNtheir rights Of personal. prop,
crty, and allowing them to give testimony in
her courts of Justice. She has3nvw elected
Her Representatives in both Houses of Con
gress, &pnd commissioned Ahom4to take their
seats in that body. She has organized a per-
ecutive and judiciary Departments, all fGepab.
lican in their charactcD and the members. of
each Swearing to support the Constellation Of
the United States. Her Ordinances Of seccs,
sion have been repealed, and she now. pledges
herself to stand by the Union in, good faith,
and with all sincerity. <. n Il, ~.
.s5 Having done all this, you and your State
Ihavcsdone youf duty, graoefully and faithfully,
rs becomes gallantand generous people, who
.are'neyer afraid to assume any position wheYe
honor aud patriotism prompt. tsI know the
President desires to relieve you of military
rule, and see your Representatiy once move
seated in the councils of the nation. 1 csn-
not believe that Congress will exclude them,
.by a test oath, which does not apply to mem
jbers Of Congress, for they are not officers Of
the rEederak Government, as was early decided
)in the history of pur Governments Nor has
Congress any power to impose on its members
any other oath than that prescribed inthe
10 admit contrary doctrine,
would enable the majority in Congress to OK
CIluc Clic ln@pOIllJ, pSCauoC IuSy Wcio 1lStuO-
Gratis, Or States Rights men, or professed any
other principles repughant to the creed of the
majority The Constitutional oath WAS wisely
ordained, and excludes all other oaths The
powers Of Congress arerdclcgated and specific
aud they have no others The reason for the
passage Of this test,oath has passed away, aud
il not repealed, no one in South Carolina can
fill a Federal Office till anew generation has
sprung up, for all now living, men, women
and children, did, in some way, countenancc
the war.
1t is known to you, gentlemen, that was
opposed to the secession Of South Carolina.-
Nojssmanin America regretted more deeply
than did this fatal movemcnt3 for thought
/ forcsay all the evil consequences which have
resalted from it. But, when the issue Was
made,lny feelings and sympathy were all with
my native. State And yet, ! conscientiously
believed that even the success Of the Southern
States would be disastrous. The jealousies
and errors Of t'Se Grecian States were constant
j. IN my mind. Disintegratioif once com.
menccdin confederation Of republics, no one
could foresee where it would end, except in
petty tyrannics, G; consolidated military des-
potism. ... 4 !.
( Hencefogth, no ono will repudiate the fare
we'll advice'of Washington, as to the impor-
tance apd pcrpetuity ofsthe Federal Union y
It has shown power and strength, moral and
physical, which defy dissolution, till some ex-
traordinary change has taken place in the
condition of the people, The tendency Of