The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-12-13

and should be adhered to, as sacred to re
, publican principles. Its abandonment a
this time, and the disfranchiscmcnt O.
two or three hundred thousand voters
would be sad grievance. They are lia'
BILE to taxation, to work on the roads, do
military and police duty, and when ne
cessary,s to defend their country at the
sacrifice of their lives.
Es-If the proposed compromise, SIMPLY en-,
franchised negroes, who could read ana
write. and had property qualification,
without disfranchising white persons, 1T
MIGHT with reason and propriety, be ac-
corded to by the Southern States; There
is sound philosophy, public policy and
Justice in permitting, as they do in some
of the Northern States, negroes to vote
who have q property qualification, and
can read and write. 1t would be stim-
illus to their good conduct and elevation,
morally and intectually. 1t would be a
safety-valve to their superior intelligence
| and industry. Such negroes in the North
ern States, as a friend of mine recently
informed me, "generally vote with the
least Radical party" In North Carolina
when such negroes were allowed to vote
in that State, Mr.. Stanley declared in the
House of Representatives, "always voted
with the gentlemen" In Connecticut,
very recently, this class Of negroes voted
against comforting general suffrage on
their whole race. They said, "let them
show themselves worthy of suffrage, as
we have done, and they can obtain it."
The proposed constitutional amendment
disfranchises all in the Southern States
who had ever taken an oath to support
the Constitution, and afterwards aided or
countenanced the war in any way. The
unanimous opinion of the South has been
that such terms were dishonorable and
selfdegrading. I would ask, in all can
dor and sincerity, if those of impartial
suffrage are not equally so? Ii it be dis
honorable to deprive two or three hum
dred thousand prominent men in the
SouthernsStates of the right OF holding
Office, is it not equally dishonorable and
degrading to deprive the same number OF
humble, though worthy men, who have
fought through our struggle for selt-gov-
ernment, of The right of participating at
all in the Government under which they
have to live? In my opinion, It'll worse.
They who are sacrificed by the amend
ment are allowed to vote but they who
are to be sacrificed by impartial suffrage"
are deprived of this right altogether.
This, exclusion, too, is to apply only. to
the Southern States. In the North the
same class of persons are allowed to exer-
o;sa the riuht of Suffrapo
I know it has been urged that this
qualified impartial suffrage will only ex-
clude those who are not so we'll qualified
to vote, and thereby improve our repre-
sentatives and civil officers. DR.. Frank
lin illustrated his views on this subject by
stating a case. In his day and time, there
was property qualification of $3.50 for
voter in Pennsylvania. A man had a
iackass worth this sum, and he was al
lowed to vote Before the next election,
his jackass died, and he could not vote.
"Ouerrie," said the doctor, "did the man
or the iackass votew There are thou
sands, as every one knows, who are poor,
and yet more wise, and virtuous, and pa
triotic, than those who are rich.
The last State Convention in South
Carolina abolished all property qualifica-
tions for holding Office, as well as of vo-
ting. There is at this time great refor-
nation in progress in England as to the
extension of the right of suffrage. And
can it be shat we. are now disposed to
turn back the clock of civilization and
Republicanism one hundred years, and
commence again where our ancestors
started in 1776?
|. I have said that I do not believe the
present or ensuing Congress will accept
anything but unqualified negro suffrage
from the Southern States. This alone
will give them, as they suppose, power
and influence in the Southern States, and
enable them to control the Government
lin all time to come. "Impartial suffrage"
will not do this, as it would exclude, with
few. exceptions, the whole negro race
Horace Greeley proposes too kind mode,
and is too generous and liberal in his
views, to be any longer the representa-
tive and exponent of the ultra-Radical
party. This honor has devolved on the
Chief Justice, and such men as Gen. But
ler, Sumner and Stevens.
| In order to induce the Southern people
to adopt Impartial suffrage" it is pro.
posed to connect with it a general and
universal amnesty. This is certainly
most desirable boon for the Southern
States. But do not see that they are
in any great peril. Almost every one
has been pardoned by taking the amnesty
oath, or by special application for Execu,
tive clemsncy. There is no danger OF
prosecutions for treason or confscation,
whilst President johnson remains in Of
fee. No matter what unconstitutional
legislation may pass Congress, it cannot
be enforced except through the President.
Exclusion from Congress will continue;