The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-03
Letter from Ihe Hon. Ii r. Perry TO the
Hon. Horace GreeIey

10 the Edt'Or of the ". T. Tribune,
Sr;-I think know the feelings and wishes of the
people OF South Carolina as well any one in tle
State. NY recent posi- ion asIProyisIonal Governor
brought me IN contact with all the prominent and
inhuental men of the State, and have no hesIta-
tlon in say lng as an old Union man, whose political
iIe mas been spent IN defense of the Federal Unlon
United States and will faithfully sustain and defen
the Government. This your readers do not believe
ana have no right to believe, from thu gross mIsre
presentations which are constantly made to them py
cotton agents and other employees of the Government
IN the Southern States. All hope or expectation of
living separately from the North was gwen up with
the surrender OF the Southern army; and the peop
are anxious to renew orc more their social, com
state what know to be the fact that there is no
leellng of unkindness on the part OF the former
slave-oTners towards their freedmen. On the con-
arY, there is an earnest disposition almost uniVer-
Fal among them, to protect ana assist their former
slaves. This they would do more cheerfully and
more ehec'ually If the Freedmen's Bureau did not
freedmen. - 0
The negro has received much more abuse
and suffered much greater wrongs at the
hands of the Federal troops IN this section
OF the coustrry than from his former owner
Inc DINER NIGHT, negro man was mur0e cred
IN colo blood by drunken soldier noar this place.
Inc soldier has been sent of, and further notice
,aken OF the murder: The garrison at this place,
have been in the habit of knocking down and kick.
ing ON the sidewalks all the negroes they met OF
No one blames the North for wishing to protect
the negro IN the endowment of le, liberty and pro
perty. This has already been done most of the
allowed TO sue and be sued to give his testimony in
our Courts inherit and purchase property, sell and
devise The same He is allowed to make contracts
own real estate and be educated. The young negroes
who are apprenlced requ to be sent to school,
nrsers Pretty much all that the Civil Rights bill
proposes has been done bY the STATE except making
them tizens OF the State There are very few
otenses IN our CRIMINAL code which do not apply to
the while man as well as the negro.
You say that am mistaken in my assertion that
the negro does not want the right OF suffrage and IN
OfQer TO snow my mistake Il beg leave
remind you that the laws of most Southern states
they are parties and on this point they at least
one thousand TO one against you" do not com.
prehend our reasoning. 1t does not follow that,
therefore he desires to vote am confident there IS
not one negro in one hundred who wou d care TO
vote or would vote in any eectlon If not promoted
to DO so by his employ er. Then he wou always
vote as directed by his employer. This would BE-
giVing M ;O undue influence to wealth and establishing
or swallow up all the political influence OF the poor
That the emploYe will vote as his employer wishes
IS proven by all experience. In manufacturing COM
panies, the operatives are generally Wings or Demo-
Gratis according to the politics of the owners of tne
establishment. How much more is this likely TO be
the with ignorant negroes who are incapable of
comprehend'ng any political question: In several
OF the southern States, Tree negroes were formerly
entitled 10 vote, but they thought of exercis-
ing this privilege un ess urged to do so by some
You say at is quite poss Bile that a restoration may
be effected which will give one white man in South
with two white men equally capable and nte llgent
and certainly not less loyal, IN New York" You
know very well that our Federal Government is a
compromise of political power between small States
and large States between States having a large
black population and States having a very small
population of that character. One white man in
Rhode Island or Delaware had guaranteed to nim
in the Senate much political power under the
Federal Constitution as ten, or perhaps twenty
white men IN Virginia, New York. or Pennsylvania
One white voter in Connecticut Massachusetts, has
twice as much political power in the House of Re-
presentatlVes as one white man in CaliIOrnia-the
population OF California being mostly voters whilst
very large proportion OF the population OF Connec
tcut and Massachusetts women and children
who are not allowed 10 vote Representation In pro-
portion to voters would aepTive all the New England
States OF several members of Con .ress and transfer
the same number of Representatives to the new
States
Tho trainers of tho Federal Constitution wisely
determined TO give each State, whether large
small rich or poor, the same vote in the senate
They likewise determined with equal wisdom, that
representation IN the other House should be IN pro-
portion 10 free popula ion aud three iHhs OF all
others. They knew that the slaves of the South ex-
cuded that free population which cultVat the soil
IN the Northern States and decided that three.fths
OF them should be counted. Nov that these slaves
nave been emancpated they must DO counted as
Tree persons in appOrtlonmg the representation OF
the house. There is no moro injustice in counting
them although they are not voters, than there is in
counting the children, and women, and foreigners
not allowed to vote in New York. They may con
tb1te as much 70 the defense and prosperity Of thS
United states ~ any ether class Of nOn-YOteTs.