Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-11-15
Doltital.
LETTER OF HON. B. F. PERRY.

One by one the leading men of the South
are taking position squarely and publicly,
against the constitutional amendment. 1t
gives US pleasure to lag before our readers
the following manly letter from Hop. Ben
jamin F. Perry:
GREENv1ILE, S G., Oct 26, 1866.
Chas. ". Wood,0ard, Esq, Philadelphia ::
MY DEAR SIR Il had the pleasure of
receiving your letter few days since, ex-
pressing kind interest in the condition of
the Southern States, and urging that South
Carolina should adopt the constitutional a.
mendment proposed by Congress. You also
expressed wish to know my views in ref
ereuce to this all absorbing political ques-
tion.
1t has been said that man never can be
dishopored except by himself. Others may
injure him and oppress him; they mayslan
der him and destroy him, but they can 60
more dishonor him and render him infa
nous than they can defame virtue, truth and
honor. The same may be said of people
or nation. Whilst they pursue an honor
able and patriotic course they cannot be
disgraced by the insults, wrongs and oppres-
sions of a stronger power, however tyranni-
cal and exacting that power may be.
The Southern people may be deprived of
ell political power in the Union, their prop,
erty may be con6scated, and their most dis
tinguished and virtuous citizens gibbeted on
the gallows, but they cannot be rendered
infamous in history by any such barbarous
and inhuman conduct. Such course will
ONLY dishonor and render infamous their op-
pressors.
1 do not concur with you in supposing
that the constitutional amendment will be
adopted by three. .fourths of the States. |
am sure this will not be the case. There
are thirty-six States in the Federal Union,
and this will require the adoption of the a
mendment by twenty.seven. The rejection
of the amendment by ten States will defeat
it. 1t is morally certain-as certain as any
future event can be, depending on human
action-that South Carolina, Georgia, Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, Alabama Florida,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and
Kentucky-eleven States-will not dishon-
or themselves by adopting the proposed con.
stitutioual amendment. There are not,
therefore, as you say, "Northern States
enough to make the requisite number to a.
dopt the amendment" If adopted, it must
be by the aid of two recreant States of the
South besides Tennessee. This cannot CO.
cur.
You state that you greatly fear worse
terms will be imposed on the South, if the
amendment be not adopted. What securl'
ty has the South that worse terms may not
be imposed, if the amendment is adopted !?
We have no guarantee whatever that the
Southern members will be admitted to their
seats in Congress, after the amendment is
adopted. Nothing of the kinds intimated;
and, whilst the test oath is exacted, it would
be impossible for the Southern States to be
represented in Congress, except by those
who would dishonor and disgrace them
We have no guarantee that Congress may
not still hold the Southern States as con-
quered provinces, and appoint Provisional
Governors over them. with instructions to
convene "loyal' conventions, elected by
universal negro suffrage, and have formed
State Constitutions, by which all shall be
entitled to vote and hold Office, without re-
gard to caste or color, to the exclusion of
every one who has aided or counteDanced
the ssrebellion."
The first section of the constitutional a.
mendment proposes to make citizens Of all
the negroes in the Southern States, without
regard to moral character or attachment to
Republican principles, which are required
of all foreigners who become citizens, after
aresidence of FIVE years in the United States
No matter how Infamous may be the char.
acter of a negro, as a liar, rogue and a
murderer, he becomes an American citizen
by this amendment, and entitled to all the
rights and privileges of citizenship. But
the Irishman, German and Englishman,
must first satisfy the court that he is man
of good moral character, aud well attached
to the principles of our Government, before
he can be invested with such rights and
privileges. Why this preference should be
given to the black man, in his ignorance
and vice, over the vlrtuous and Intelligent
white man, who comes here from foreign
land, is hard to conceive.
Already South Carolina has declared, by
legislative enactment, that negroes shall
have all the rights and privileges of white
men in person and property They may
sue and be sued, purchase and dispose Of
property, inherit and be tried, as white men