The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1867-03-06

mcnt."
Our position has been, ever since
the Constitutional Amendment was
submitted to the States, that while We
believed it would be promptly reject
cd by them, yet its provisions would
eventually be forced upon the South
crn States nnlems ccle"s. Can any
man read tho last sentence in the sixth
section quoted above, and known as
Shcllabargers's amend mcnt, without
at once concluding that now the qucs-
ton with the people of South Carolina
is not
"Whcthcr they will accept or re-
jcct the Constitutional amendment :;
but
CIV nETlTER THEY SHALL LIVE UNDER
I'TiIAr AMENDMENT AS ADMINISTERED
EY CoHGREs3 AND A BRiGADIER GENE
RAJ. OUT OF TIE STATE, OR LIVE uN-
DER IT'S PROVISIONS AS ADMINISTERED
ny THOSE ROTH WHITE AND BLACK IN
TIE HTATE WHO ARE NOT DIsFRAN
cnIsEp BY TIE AMENDMENT.
lsnoj the position Of South Carroll
III now, in relation to the Cunsti,u-
tlonal Amendment precisely what her
relation wAs to the cmancipationo of
slavery! Will it be any more incon-
sistcnt with her sclf-rcspcct to accept
the political bondage Of II certain
class of her white citizens, than it vas
to accept the social emancipation of
nearly the whole Of her colorcd popu-
lation ?
These questions arc pnt inquiring-
ly, and not argumcntativcly. We arc
not ont Of our qandary yet.
II is evident that we as a State shall
bo under the arbitrary rule Of vim
dictivc Congress, together with that
of \ oapricious military Governor,
'1cays, if we always reject the Amend.
mcnr. 1t is moreover evident from
the bill mqucstioA, that if we us a
State do adopt the Amendment, it
promises some end to the time of po-
litical bondage on the part of those
whom We arc us really forced to GiS-
franchise, as We were to cmancipatc
| others
Governor Orr cannot remain Gov
crnor ofSouth Carolina one day after
this bill becomes law. lie can never
again be elected Governor, 50 long as
it is in force in the State. Ilc may
be Governor again, irthc Amendment
be adopted, for tho Amcndmcnt car
rics within itself n provision for tho
removal Of his disability.
There is one dark feature however
in tho sHquclto to an adoption of the
! Constitutional Amendment. 1t is
tliis,-lts adoption may BE- throw
! into oar Legislature and into Con-
( gross rs representatives from our
( State, men who having more ambition
than either ability or magnanimity,
would desire to postpone the removal
of the disability, fearing that that
woull defeat them in their schemes Of
aspiration, by bringing them in com.
petition with men superior in ability
and popular approval.
WHOM WOULD THE AMENDMENT DIS
FRANCHISE!
But let us consider q moment who
Of oxr citizens would be disabled by
an adoption of the Amendment. Tho
part of tho Amendment doing this is
contained III these words
ono person shall be Senator, &c.,
"who, having taken an cath
|. Gas \ MEMBER OF CON
GRESs, or
2. CAS- AN OFFICER OF TIE
UNITED STATES, or
8. GAS a MEM BER OF ANY
"LEGTSLATURE, or
d. CAS- AN EXECUTIVE OR
"JUDICLAL OFFICER OF ANY
"SrATE,
"to support tho Constitution Of the
"unitod States, shall have engaged in
"msurroction or rebellion, or given aid
Sand comfort to the cnomics thereof"
Perhaps if we bring the illustration