Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-06-29
LellGr from IIon. d. h. Perrl.

fact which should bc remembered by
/ those who are going TO vote for
convention. Thomiitary bill makes
| il obligatory on the convention TO
| provide for unqualified suffrage in
the State Constitution. No discro-
ton is left with the convention to
adopt or reject this odious feature.
They are not allowed TO establish
impartial suffrage and require prop
orty or intelligence in the voter,
whether white or black. All must
vote who are twcnty-onc years old,
whether or rot they have property,
or can read or write or are white or
black. the fundamental error, this
black >1rojan horse full of strife
and woo, must bo introduced into
! tho State Constitution. There is no
help for it if wo so into a convcn-
tion.
If the military bill left it discrc-
tionary with tho convention to form
such constitution as they, in their
wisdom, might see proper to adopt,
then there would be some excuse for
voting for convention. But when
ordered and required, in violation Of
all rights Of sclf-govcrnmcnt, to in
corporate so mischevious and de-
grading n feature in their constitu-
/ ton, it does seem that the people Of
South Carolina, prompted by the
spirit of liberty, should cry out,
'touch not, handle not, the unclean
thing p They must know that it
will beimpossiblc to maintain n just,
wise and permanent republican form
of government where majority of
the voters are ignorant, stupid,
domi.savagc paupers. They ought
to soc, too, that the peace and quiet
of the State cannot be preserved
where there are two antagonistic
races clothed with equal political
powers, and the inferior race supe-
rior to it in numbers. They must
come in collision in their contests
for power. In two thirds of the dis
tricts of South Carolina the negroes
have the majority of voters. They
may and will elect their sheriffs,
clerks, ordinarics and tax collectors.
They will send their own members
to the Legislature, and elect their
own Governor and members of Con-
gress.
If we lived in monarchy, or were
to be continued under military rule,
then both races might be properly
governed and made to do justice to-
wards each other. In Republic,
the people are the sovereigns, and
they must be wise and virtuous, or
their Government will practice the
most revolving tyranny and opprcs-
sion. Look at Mexico, where they
have had Republic founded on a
stupid, ignorant, mongrel popula
ton. There Government has been
nothing but succession Of bloody.
revolutions and cruel military usur
pations. Without the highest virtue
and great intelligence on the part Of
the masses of population, it is i'm
possible for a Republic to stand.
England attempted one in 1910, but
bit was q melancholy failure, owing
| to the ignorance and vicousncss of
the masses. France has tried the
experiment twice, and after wading
through rivers Of blood, had to seek
repose in despotism. In both Eng
land and France, at the time those
efforts were made, there were thous-
ands distinguished for their virtues
and talents; but the great masses
were ignorant and unimformed, and
were swayed by their passions and
vices. But how infinitely superior
were those masses to the freedmen
of South Carolina.
We havo a forotasto Of negro log
islation, assisted by radical cunning
in the platform adopted at their
Charleston convention. Before they
had been allowed to cast q vote, or
exercise the first political privilege,
they boldly proclaimed that proper
ty alone, and not persons, is to be
taxed. Remember, this avowal is
publicly made by those who have
no property to be taxed. In other
words, the negroes are to pay no
taxes toward the supportofthe Gov
ernment but all taxes are to be
paid by the white race Next, they
declare that their children must be
educated at our expense, and their
aged and infrm parents must be
supported by us! We must sup
port, too, their idle and vicious who
become paupers The hearty, hale
negro man who makes his hundred
or two hundred dollars per annhm,
and spends it foolishly, must, not be
taxed one cent to educate his own
children or to support his own faith
CT and mother They declare also,
that the lands must be divided into
small tracts, and that it is not good
policy for one man to own large
landed estate. In other words, ev-
cry negro must have a home. The
ways and means of getting that
home will be explained hereafter, in
the convention or Legislature.
1t would really seem, from this
programme, that the black race are
TO be a sort of aristocracy in South
Carolin9. They are, by their supe
rior numbers, to have the reins of
government in their own hands, and
elect all the State and District Off
Gers, TO make all laws, and to be ex.
empted from taxation, like the feu-
al no5lesSe of France, prior 10 their
revolution in 1890. The white man
must cultivate his lands, pay the
+ taxes Of the Government and obey
the laws made by the freedmeni-
This is what the friends Of conven-
tion are innocently preparing for
themselves and posterity What
worse can a Black Republica
"Rump Congress" do for us
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