The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-01-25


telligence of superior race must look
ahead and make all necessary arrange
ments for their comfort. They are now
a discontented and unhappy people, many
of them houseless and homeless: roaming
about in gangs over the land, not know
ing one day where tho supplies for the
next are to come from-exposcd to the
ravages of disease and famine-exposed to
the temptations of theft and robbery, by
which they are too often overcome-with-
out the intelligence to provide for them
selves when well, OF to care for them
selves when sick, and doomed to untold
sufferings and ultimate extinction, unless
we intervene for their protection and
preservation. Will we do it? repeat,
we are bound to do it, by every conside-
ration of duty, gratitude and interest"
The Governor expresses the opinion
that, in rcorganizing the labor of the
State, preference should be given to the
blacks over any white immigrants. lie
adds:
"Considoring their ignorance and lia-
bility to be imposed upon, [ think it
would be we'll for you to provide that
they shall be bound by no contract to Ia
Dor, unless the same be reduced to wri-
ting, and acknowledged before some judi
cial officer; that speedy remedy be
given them to collect their wages, and
that they recover damages when dismiss
ed without good cause. And, on the 9th
er hand, considering how essential it is
to the successful cultivation of our great
staples that those who engage as labor
ers should remain throughout the whole
period of service contracted for, 1 recon-
mend. that violation, without good
cause, of any contract once fairly enter
ed into, either by black or white labor
crs, be made misdcmeanor and punish
able with such penalties as will prevent
the evil"
The Governor urges at great length
the passage of tho Constitutional Amend
nlcnt, combating all the objections in de-
tail. Regarding negro suffrage he says ::
"Of course we could never accedc to
the demand for negro suffrage, should it
be made We have manifested that our
loyalty and desire to renew our relations
with the Union are so great that to do
so we are willing to yield everything but
our honor and our conscience. We have
all lost much-many of us our all-all
but our honor. Let us preserve that,
though we lose everything else. We have
been able to give an honest and conscien-
tious consent to all that has been done,
but each one OF us knows that we could
not give either an honest or conscicn-
tious consent to negro suffrage. There
is not ono of us that would not feel that
he was doing wrong, and bartering his
sclf-rcspcct, his conscience and his duty
to his country, and 10 the Union itself,
for the benefits he might hope to obtain
by getting back into the Union. Much
as Ishavc worshipped the Union, and as
much as I would rejoice to see my State
once more recognized member thereof,
it is better, thousand times better, that
she should remain out Of the Union, even
as one of her subjugated provinces, than
to go back eviscerated Of her manhood
despoilcd of her honor, rccrcant to her
duty-without her self-respect, and of
course without the respect Of the balance
of manlzind-a miserable thing, with the
seeds of moral and political death in
herself, soon to be communicated to all
her associates"
The Governor concluded with some
references to his own political course and
history.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
| This institution was ononod on Monday.