Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-01-03
The Free NeAro Code.

which tito the Act declares sheyShall hereafter
bo tnoxn. Eve confess hoaofcs tbas%c infinitely
prefer the former phrcse-ffor gcod,ana material
reasons: butfor equally good reasops, ~esarrlin~1
discussing tthc. pcintat4his ime.9s
The laws compriscdiu thi; code are at prtsen.
Of 10 force, the officers Of the Freedmens' Bureau
being still the managers, or mis-manas"rs, Of no
gro affairs in our State. And whc.h:r they will
ever become of force is a matter of very serious
doubt. There is party at the North, and a very
strong one that aims ut the spurious esallatiUr
Of the freedmen at tho expense Of tEe.white peo-
pie OF the South ). and one of tho leading doc
trines of this party is that the negro must not be
degraded or insulted by being oven admanishsd
to work. This party encourages the strongest
antagonism between tho whites and blacks of the.
South, IN antsgoniRn, WHICH, if the negro;lovers
are allowed to haye thcirsway much longer, will
increase until we shall reap such a harvest Of
misery aud social 1isardcr as people are now ea-
pc: ncing in the West Indies. But theso laws
ought to go into force. and operation mtncdiateiy
for, as has been wisely said of late, the I" great
problem of keeping the t,oo 'aees Together 1T to-
South on terms which yhrll bu mutually adyan-
tageou,, must 10 solved az The S.ntA-in the local
Southern Legislatures, aod in the local courts OF
Justice. Evory feathers weight Of pressure from
without will most surely produce q reaction in
the minds Of The better disposed Of the miloyers
at the nth. Aud nothing ,hit tho so.callcl phi
la1thrupy OF the North can contribute aill Le COM
peosation t, tue fleelmsn FOR tho go.d will aud
kiul'y 60 reraon of those Tho have heretofore di-
r,ctcd his labor" Late occurrences in tho VAST In
dies provo csno,ul ytly, tyenif tho fact had Lot
boon Clearly proved very laany yoars sg that tho
black man must have strong white Government
and numerous whito population to centrul him..
Otherwise he is not capable OF living aa respects
bic iucmber Of society.
In this week, 4Ad.erii,sr we publish half Of
lie most anxivus TO study first This ColO upon
,hs whsle IL well enough :-in fact Is wise aid
woll prepared, Ehess sre soiuo proyirens,of il,
however, uhich' We think highly objectionable,
ana which OF q proper lime, should that over ar
rive, We shall bring to the notice Of tho public.
Should iroo Legislature ever again meet in
South Carolina, wo trust those objectionable por-
tions mby be repealed. -
The Code is divided into three distinct acts.
The first is "An act to amend the Criminal Law"
The provisions of this act are very full and am
plc, and, in our option, wiso and judcious. In
none Of its provisions Is Il obnoxious to the
charge OF cruelty in this respect It compares
most f.vOrebly with the criminal law Of England
Tho penalty Of death IS annexed to but fuw crimes
and those Away. of the most helrous character.
The nost rabid abolitionist cannot object to the
criminal law Of this code.
The next is s"An Act to establish District
Courts" These Courts are TO DO presided over
By District Judges, whose salaries vary from S5Oo
to $500. These Judges have jurisdiction over
all criminal causes where ono of tiie parties is a
FREQ negro, including Felony without benefit OF
clergy; and all cages Of contract not exceeding
800. We opne that ,borc will be much rotation
in these judicial Offices; for no Judge who dig
charges the dutiOs imposed upon him by this ACT
will ever grow gray upon the Bench. Ho enter
tain some grave misgivings as " whether this on
tire system Of District Courts for the accommoda-
tion of "psrsons of color is not dangerous
mirage: doubt if "the play be worth the candle
Thcse Courts, counting the expense, tho time
aud labor, will cost tho people Of South Carolina
at least hulf million Of dollarspor annum; and
this, We arc disposed to think is more than oil
the "persons of color" in tho State are worth.
We do not altogether beiieys that tho machine
will work, but these "persers of color" nust be
managed and governed In some way or other, and
We arc anxious to see this 8rst experiment tried,
The third Act, the one we publish today is to
establish and regulate tho domestic relations OF
persop, OF color, and to snond the Law in rola-
ton to Psupers rnd vsgraucy. The first part of
this Act frost, Of marriage among "perssns OF
color" II We we're disposed to be merry Mt the
expense of our sablS friepd;, thore is abundant
food for such merrimeut ia tsip Act. Tho Ac.
provides that ON tho LIST Of April next, gsheral
reformation OF morals shall take place anong
:. per .ons Of color" in South Carolina: and that
poligamy shsil be scourged out Of the land 40
:ording to tho act 10 such caFc made and provided"
W. trust that this Offering upon tho altar Of
,hostity will be made in "open court" and In the
presence Of civilized man. as it will ever shine as
he brigatezt page in the history Of legal reforna-
ion. But when the sons Of Ham give up their
lozen wives, thon truly will the day have arrived
rhen "the Ethiopian shall change his skip, &C."
This Act indeed supersedes the necessity of oil
he rest Of tho co1s; for when enforced, we shni |
lave 70 more "eolored persons" among u.s. But
IS the said Act ia before rcadere we will leave
hem to judge OF. its provisions themselves. Mo't
# its sectiouS seem Mise and judicious, but i,' |
XIV clause, is undoubtedly the most practical;
ndeei it is worth al the fat Of the code. il
provides that: az the master da<ites the return
{ the servant, mko hasrun away, and who has
'een decided ~. the Court to have departed with
ut sufficient cause, the servant may be compelled
y Jfae and corporal punish@ent to return to the !
srvicc Of the master and perform bis duties ur-
Ter the contract
The laws of this Code msy seem to aome not to
i've tho negro any very grest freedom; in our
,piuion it gives him rdthsr too much. Freedom
rom Icing sold ON tho block Ad separated from
lis wife and children is all the freedom he ought
% havc-all that it is Snfo for him to have-all
hist lie is capable Of enjoying without rolnpsns |
nto barbarism. Give him too much independence,
md ho will most surely-as past and present his
.ory teaches us-resumc the barbarous liiu and ]
ierce habits Of his African ancestors.
We will publish the rem ainder of the Coda noxt
week.
The Currency.
Tho National intclligencer, Of tho sth, saws the
fear of ANYTHING like spdden contraction il dis.