Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-08-17

ratlop d If there is still in Congress malig-
nt.wJl and behind that will power to de-
ny yuiEtie poor benefits of even this Act
what f9rthcr oppression will not that will and
that poser make your refusal to obey an ex-
cuse tT perpetrating
=. sae next reason given why you should
vote a$.dtFAst . Convention is, that if you re
fuse to aall Convention, the present militia.
ry gossS dfrht will he continued, and that
govern sidnt is better than any which the Con
! yenti0ewould frame.
Noy,iin the frs. place, what possible as,
surancY have you that if you reject Il Conyen.
ton, the present military government will be
continued 1t is fairly to be presumed that
when the. Reconstruction Act was passed, it
was beeause those who passed it wished the
restor&uon of the South on these terms, and
i'll thlsssway, and believed that the people of
the seeSdiug States would use the means which
the AoSprovided for this purpose. If you re.
iectt S'onvention, it will be in ordcrto defeat
thc purposes of the Act. Is it at all likely
that thpse who framed the Act without refer.
ence toStyour wishes, will allow you to use it
Tor tho purpose of defeating their ends {? If
you reffse to vote for Convention, are there
no voNss in the State to whom Congress could,
by a ?utsy law, give the exclusive right to vote,
and who would very readily call u Convention
Supp&y3;:ia new law, which should extend the
dlstrasst i,iscment to "all who participated in
the rGerllion' and whero would the white
vote sof. tho State be? The United States
Government has said, call Convention, frame
your own constitution, provided it be repub-
lican insert certain provisions which we
think the late civil war renders necessary for
the felilre quiet Of the country, and come
h,ot (, A. ~, -, A. I
reply--,Ao, we will have no Convention, no
dictatea constitution, will not come back to
tue Ug!s,n on your terms Will not Congress
freely, Son can be brought back forcbly. A
m'litaR..t5soyernmensis a costly experiment at
best; lf'yc powor to the freedmen, and they
will soIsplace the State in loyal relations with
tho Unb1L Aud; when yot have elected
this rlssafs srece nstr,,ation, YOU will find, too
late, til SSasySt tsye mi ndefs nod the temper
and UNI Errated the.s Of those who offered
it. Yo sknow thatt the Republican Party. was.
diyide this It !, ~ se
yist ss n . So. ii your re. *
ieotidAspf this plan be reckless defiance,
which will strengthen those who wish to com
pass your utter destruotion7
But suppose that your rejection Of the Con-
vcntion is not followed by any snoh vindctive
legislation Tint the present military govern
ment is retained What have you gained
What is this military government, which is so
muolr better than any you can frame, but the
armed representative Of the very power you
wish to defeat? Is it reasonable to suppose
that when you rcecta Convention, for the cx
press purpos. III avoiding the consequences
of the Reconstruction Act, that the military
commander who is the creature of the Act it
self-who exists solely to execute it-who is
part of the Government who has imposed it
on you--cithcr can or will join you in carrying
out your purpose? This is not matter of argu
mcnt, but Of experience. You know already
what military government is, and what is there
that che Convention can do, except restore
you to Tho Union, which it cannot and will
not do--nay, which it has not done? The
| Act, by express provision, has conferred upon
tho freedman the privilege Of suffrage, which
noithor you nor tho military commander can
take away and within the last few months,
the orders issuing froa, military headquarters,
have, in anticipation of the Convention. do
cared that the colored voter IS entitled ms an
equal of any other citizen, to take out liccn-
ses, ride in public conveyanccs, sit on jGries
and hold oflicos Indeed, in the very last or.
dor appointing Registers, he has been put in
office. Does it need argument to convince
you that this military government must be
and is simply an absolute power, irresponsible
to you, ond bound by tho very law which crea
ted it to do for the negro all that you will NOT
do, or that you refuse to cnl Convention fol
fear that the Constitution will do for him.
| And this brings me to the third reason
urged against the vote for tho Convention
that htyon do call Convention you will have
t6 recognize and incorporate into your State
Constitution tho principle of universal sulf
ragc--that this principle will place the con
troll of the State in tho bands Of the numer
ical majority. which is eolcrcd and that th'
legislation of the State viii, in consequence
bo used to the injury and degradation of tn
white citizens, who arc helpless minority.
The first and most practical reply to this ar
} gumcnt, is, that if it is SO you cannot preven
Convention. This numerical majority whicl
you fear will either exercise its power, an'
) call Convention against your wishes, and il
spite of your votes, or if You have influcno
tRodsh hss" "a DC Comfortable have no fu3eaattr. KIT q.
Gus appendagcs. The currency ,is in green.
backs. They trade in silver and gold and tho
brokers receive the benefit.
" 4>-----
LAST week distillery was seized in Neck.
lenbnrg comfy, Va, by deputy United
aies,mnrshal in obedience to mandate of
the Bnitod States District Court. The es.
was locked, aud guard of one