Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-04-27
O r I % I N a T.
Letter from Dr.. Folger.
pIcKENsvILLE, s. c., April | 1lth, Is

DEAR SIR: / regret that cannot accent
meeting to be held on the 9Th instant
have grown gray in tho service of suffering
humanity, and now, that age furbids such in
cesssnt toll, | would gladly serve my country
in any capacity, requiring less physical labor,
and more mental energy but circumstances
beyond my control, preclude the possibility of
my being with you on that day.
think, with you, thnt We should act prompt
ly and harmoniously in accepting the late
proposition made to us by Congress In a
national point Of view. We need Convention,
p and we esneed one to adopt some plan, If poss-
a l.la to amoiorate the suiferings of the people
Wehave passed through fiery ordeal; and
now, that a brighter day is dnwnin., it hr-
comes our duty to avail ourselves Of tic pres
ent opportunity nf saving our country from
irrctr;cvabSo ruin. as this may be the last suit
s,ble orr,'aiun n!!nrcd us. Have not those,
once cal!cd our ,nrmirs, offered ,s more han
we have any righ, tn expect ~ asking us
to adopt the Constitutional! Amendment pro
posed few months since, they only required
us to carry out that principle so plainly and
ment, drawn up and signed on the 4th of July,
l776, and reiterated in our present State Con
stitution, where it declares that slnre,y shuH
er'st NO longer among ms. When we so un
wisely rejected that proposition, instead Of
passing n law forthwith, to con6scate our prop
crty, dcpriving us at once, of all the means Of
support, those men with all that charity, all
that magnanmity, characteristic OF true great
ness, have again opened their doors to us
They do not force us, ns did our Legislature
in 1860, to have a Convention. tut give us
ample time for discussion, and say we may
haze Convention to adopt Constitution
which shall be left to the people for ratification
Shall we now be guilty of self-immoation
Shall VIC reject the last proposition also, un-
der tho wretched dcusion that we were made
to command, and they to obey? History does
not furnish an instance in wliuh the van
quished were permitted to dictate terms of
settlement to the conqucror; nor was tho at
tempt ever before made. We arc told that if
we accept the Amendment, we reduce the
white man to level with the black. On the
contrary, if we educate the black man, allow
him to read, speak, hear speeches, vote, and
exercise the privilege of FREE MAN, it dcro.
gates nothing from our own character; de-
tracts naught from our merit; but raises him
soEdf0S tcoet, at least, with us. we cnn-
not, consistently, call the black man free, and
deprive him Of any legal or political right
which we enjoy. No law can be passed to
equalize tho races morally and socially. This
depends entirely upon the people themselves
IT, however, we take the blacks by tho hand
establish for them schools and colleges in.
struct them in the arts and sciences, and ele
vate them in tho scale of humanity, so as to
prepare them for future usefulness; it would
most assuredly injure not us; and should We
fail in making them our equals, the attempt
would be noble. Whilst intelligence is power,
it evidently lessons crime; hcnco it becomes
our duty as patriots, as we'll as humane phi.
lanthropists aud christians, to improve the
minds Of tht blacks by cducati,n.
While we thus cndosvor to develop or i'm
prove the minds of both races. by general
system Of instruction, let us not forget to train
our own children to some kind of manual la
bor, that they may not be deficient in nuscu !.
Jar powers, but be blessed with sound minds
and vigorous constitutions. Tho history of
FRANKLrN, SHERMAN, a CLAY, and others,
proves to us tho advantages resulting from the
esrly training to habits Of industry. Peach
all to labor, improve every mind, and such