Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-05-29
THE CONVENTION QUESTION.
Auother strong letter from Ex-aOv.
perry, OF sOuth CurOsinR.
o,hs Eaitors Of the Columbia Phoenix

To The Editors OF the Columbia Phoenix:
The people of South Carolina were per-
shaded, six or seven years ago, that their
only hope of maintaining African slavery
was in the destruction of the American
union and the formation of q Southern
Confederacy. / did not think so, and
raised my warning voice against this
fatal delusion. l said to them that
slavery was safer in the union than it
could be in a separate eonfederaey.
told them that the extinction of the
urion would be the eath-knell Of slavery,
They spurned my counsel, and madly
rushed into 8 bloody civil war, which
ended in the abolition of slavery. Now
| thew are being persuaded, again, that
! the only Way to save their lands from
/ copfiscation Of congress, is in adopting
/ the provisions of the military bill, Civ
! ing universal suffrage to the negro, and
/ disfrapchising their leading public men.
/ IT is with a sad heart that / see indica-
| tions. all over the state, of preparation
| to adopt this second delusion, which will
nrove more fatal to the state than the
/ first has been. 1t is true, they lost by
! the first, their property in slaves, and in
Waived their country in long end bloody
( war. which desolated the state and sac
/ rificed thousands of their most gallant
sons; it is true, also, that they were con-
I uuered, and have been placed under
/ military government. But now they
are going to suUIi4sv~ tl--i- honor as 8
! people, and lose their lands into the jail
! gsin They were going 70 enfranchise
SO 900 black votes, and surrender the po-
Nticsl power of the state into the hands
/ of the negroes The inevitable result OF
/ fhis delusion and criminal folly Will be
| the establishment of the most atrOeious
/ Government and horrible state OF society
| that civilized people were ever sub
jeeted to.
Already the negro wateh-cry in Yir-
/ ginia and elsewhere is, LANDS for the
/ landIess p' "Homes for the hOmeiessW
I " Political equality TO all men, regard
/ loss of caste or color !n What avail will
( "a. 1000 white votes have in South Csroli-
/ .SA. with this Watch-cTy ringing at the
noils2 It is against nature and reason
/ To supDose that an ignorant and debased
majority will not pursue theirOwn inter-
| est. regardless of right, and carry out
| their wicked purposes, whatever they
NAV be. Ii is possible to restrain them
1 at first, before they acquire concert OF
/ action. Hence theimpOrtance OF action.
| Hence the importance Of defeating the
| call of a convention at the first election,
| before this majority is organized and en-
| hoIdeued by agitation and evil c0unsels.
/ IT cannot be controlled afterwards, but
I will make South Carolina political and
! social naudemOnium. Is there sA in
| stance iu the worlds history Of class of
/ men, invested with political power, who
/ did not unite to promote theiF own IN
/ terests ?
4 Just as sure as general suffrage is given
/ to the negro, in South Carolina, he will
[ feel his numerical strength, and lnen
( sooner or later, under the vile lead OF
/ black republican emissaries, seize the
I political power of the state and exercise
/ 1t to oppress and plunder the white race.
I There are thousands of uDprinclpled
/ white men amongst Us, who will unite
I their destiny with the negro for the sake
of spoils and plunder. They will easily
+ be persuaded and persuade themselves,
/ that it is right and proper that the lands
I of the stste should be divided out equally
amongst all her citizens. Every one
/ should have a home-the poor freedmen
as well as his former rich master Hay-
/ ing the mower in their hands, with this
| beijef. il is folly and stupidity 10 suppose
thew will not execute it. They m1st
serve on juries and hold Office, ride with
[ Won and yeur wives and daughters in the
ears. and eat with YOU at the hotel, and
sit with you in the church. All this and
ten times more, YOU must endure from
your black political masters And can
il be that the pride Of Carolina has sunk
so low and been so degraded, as 10 vote
for sill this voluntarily, for the purpose
OF getting back into the union which her
citizens profassed to hete and despise so
cordially a few years since? Are they
I willing TO go to the polls and cast Their
| vote for a convention, with this destiny
staring them in the face, III order 10 save
their lands from eonfiseatlon? No. they
I will be voting the ultimate COnfiscauOn
of their lands and their political rights
as surely as they are voting away thslT
4 honor as men and CarOlini9ns.
There are in the state only ten districts
ost of the thirty, in which the white
voters are in the majority; and these
districts are the smallest-cOnsequen
two-thirds and more Of the convention
= NAV be negroes or black republicans.
The legislature will be similarly COM
nosed. Do the people Of South Carolina
really think Of these consequences, or
are they prepared to accept them Bet
{ terra thousand times let congress confis-
cate your lands than entail such degrs-
dation and misery on yourselves ana
posterity. Do your duty and leave the
conseuuse 5es TO God. Act like men and
CarolinHhs. Declare, by voting against
a convention, that you will never voIun-
tarily yield the right ofsef-goVernment,
or place yourselves under the control OF
vnur former slaves. Better, far better,
to remain as you are, under the military
rule Of your cOnqueTOrs, and await their
returning sense of Justice. feel assured
that nothing but a mistaken appeal to a
base fear, and that dastardly virtue
called prudence, could have wrought so
wonderful change in the public sentl-
ment of South Carolina. And II Is mel
ancholy to see the peOple-a proud, gal
liant peOple-scared into their own ruin
and degradation by the false cry of con-
fiscatiOn, like the Consumptive iunatic,
who had such terror OF death that he
butted his brains out against the walls OF
his cell. TO avoid it. In order TO save our
lands from congressional cOnfiscatiOn, we
| are persuaded to let the negroes parcel
them out among themselves.
Let no one charge me with dislOyalty
to the American union, or infer from
what | have said that | am not in favor
of reconstructiDg the union OF the states
Nv whole political life has been spent ID
fighting for the union and trying TO ward
/. off that fell spirit of disunion which has
; /
South Carolina. l wish to see the union
restored under the constitution. / know
that American people never can be free
/ and happy, great and prosperous, with
out the federal union; but | will never
degrade myself OF my state, or surrender
nv constitutional rights OF republican
PRINCIPLES, to get back into the union.
will live under a military government
. no matter how absOlute and despotie il
NAV be, and bequeGth it TO my children
! sooner than vote q negro government
for South Carolina, which every man
, will do who votes for a convention.
1t is a source OF proud satisfaction tC
me to see such union men as Gov. Shar
kew, of Mississippi, Gov. Jenkins, o
: Georgia, Gov Worth, of North Carolina
: and Gov. Marvin, of Florida, who neyel
2 ceased their opposition 10 the spirit o
disunion till the union ceased TO exist
E standing firmly, and breasting the storm
Of tyranny, oppression and degradatioI
o which has been hurled at them, willis
leading secessionists and disunionists are
coupseiing the people TO their own deg
S radiation and destruction, for the purpos,
D Of getting back into the union and, il
n order to accomplish their purposes, hold
4. ing up To their view the "raWhead ant
i bloody bonesU of confiscation. Sucl
e counsel comes with a bad grace from
e those who boasted, at the beginning o
: our sectional or civil war, that they hal
drawn their swords and thrown ava!
their scabbards, determined to die or liv
separate from the vile and acoursed yam
D kee nation.
, Let no one charge me, either, witt
unkineness to the African race. l hav
always been their friend and protector
: and. as they show themselves capable c
o exercising the right of suffrage, by thei
y intelligence and. property, L am willin
, to eoncede the right 10 them. But | az
P not willing, in their present debased an
= degraded condition, to throw the politi
cal power of state into their hands.
. know the result viii be disastrous, bot
=, to them and the white race. It wi
end in 3 bloody contest OF extermina
e ton TO one race or the other. In yer.
o few of the northern states are the ne
groes allowed to vote, where they hav
only a few, and they far superior
those in the southern states. 1t is mon
If strous that the representatives Of thOs
d states in congress should attempt {
force US to yield the right of uuiverss
suffrage to the negro, when they refus
5, it to him themselves.
I 20 ,F nfiaanffnTa h