Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-06-14

means of getting that home will be exnla;n
| ed hereafter, in the Convention or Tnor;s-
lature.
! It would really seem, from this program
me, that The black race are TO be a sort of nm
| iStOcrdcy in South Carolina They are h.,
| their superior numbers, to have the re;ns
of Government in their hands, and elect aI
the State and district officers, to make al
of our laws, and be exempted from taxa.
ton, Like the feudal nobIeSSe of France. pri-
or to their revolution in 1890. Tho wbito
man must cultivate the lands, pay the tax,
es of the Government, and obey the L.,
made by the freedmen This is what tha
friends of Convention are ipnocentIv nv rne
pairing for themselves and posterity Wbo+
worse can Black Republican s'RHmp Con
gress do for us )?
But 1t is said that 1T is in vain to think of
defeating the call of Convention. This ia
very true, while so many white persons are
determined to vote for it, and a portion of
the newspaper press of the State refused Ia
publish anything on the other side. If the
white race were united as they ought to be
by every principle of honor, patriotism and
interest, they could very easily vote il
down. In the country, remote from the
influence of vile, Radical emissaries the
freedmen know very little at present about
the right of suffrage, and care less. They
will not go out to register and vote, and
many of them will vote with employers -
But this will not be the case long. In all
probability the white vote of the State will
be larger at the ensuing election than the
| black vote. It will not be so in another
election.
| In the last State Convention, which as.
sembled in Columbia, in 1865, there were
gathered together all the illustrious men of
the State. It was body of men unsur.
passed for their wisdom, virtue and talents.
Not one of them can be q member of the
proposed Convention. They are all exclud-
ed by the military Bill and deprived even
of voting for members of the Convention.
| The proposed dSSem6Lage aciH be composed Of
negroes, Northern men, traitors TO tie State,
and q fen gallant and honorable young men,
who may possibly consent to become can
didates, and be elected, in some of the up
per districts. It will be motley, hetero-
genous collection of white, gray and black
spirits around the political cauldron into
which is to be thrown the honor, Constitu-
tional rights, Republican principles and de.
parting glory of South Carolina.
! To the few young men in that Conven-
ton, there will be something inefabiy mean
in knowing that they have obtained their
seats there by DISTINGUISHING and dishonor-
! ing those whom they have loved and hon
ored through life. But this disgraceful So
crifice does not stop with the Convention.
It must be continued in the Government
of the State, and in filling all the offices III
the State. Every Judge on the bench from
the venerable Chief Justice down to the
Youngest member of the Judiciary, must
throw aside his gown and will no longer be
permitted to administer justice Ill South
Carolina. ALI who have served in the Lee
gislature, or filled the Office of Justice of
the Peace, are excluded from any partici-
patton in the administration of the Gov
eminent. In the place of those Judges,
Governors, Legislators and distinguished
men, who are DISTINGUISHED and declared
unworthy of holding Office, the negroes are
substituted
IL is not surprising that The Radical mem
6e,,S Of Congress ShouId 1OiSk to exclude from
the councils of the nation all representa-
tives who are worthy of being regarded as
Southern men. They have so long indulg
ed in vulgar and malignant abuse of the
South, that they would naturally feel I'M
pleasant in having a true Southern man
listening to their billingsgate. It is very
likely, too, that Mr.. Sumner and others
might not, from old associates and Tenoem-
6ranceS, feel ecactLy safe in uttering their
calumnies. But that honorable and spirit
ed Southern men should consent to vote
for such exclusion, is to me most passing
strange.
South Carolina, and the whole South,
with one voice, rejected Indignantly, last
Fall, the Constitutional Amendment, which
only excludes from Office the leading men
of the Southern States, and reduced our
| - of n
franchise any one or establish negro sui
frage. But now, both these diShonorjrg
and fctally ruinouS principles are established
by the Military Bill, and the people are
ready to adopt them? What has produced
this seeming craven and covering spirit
It is urged that unless we vote for con-
vention, establish negro suffrage, and dis
franchise our prominent men, contiscatlon
will be adopted by Congress. A friend said,
the other day, that this ought not to scare
us. for we were all ruined pecuniarily, and
had nothing left to confiscate. He thought
it was too late in the day to dishonor our
selves in order to save the remnant OF our
property think if any one will read the
speech of Horace Greeley in Richmond, on
confiscation, he will see, as L have always
contended, that there is no danger on this
subject from Congress. Mr.. Greeley says
nent member of Congress who has ever sug-
gested such a scheme, and that he has
never, with all his ability and influence,
been able to persuade others to adopt it
He then goes on to show that such policy
would not benefit the freedmen, while it
would entail ruin and starvation on the
Southern States.
But we are told that if we do not adopt
the Military Bill and vote for convention,
something worse will be imposed on the
Southern States. In my opinion, notifying
,corse than negro suffrage and negro Coz;
e7ranaem can be forced upon as: 1t would
be thousand times preferable to remain
under military rule, and submit to all the
exactions of military authority. The off
GERS of the army are generally honorable
men-of our own race, and intelligent men,
who have some regard for the opinion oil
the world and their own reputation. Ihey
are acting, too, under the direction OF the
President and his Cabinet, who are WISE
and enlightened statesmen, and will have
some regard for justice and humanity,
which the stupid negro will not have, when
his selfishness and passions are aroused.
There are some who advocate the voting
for Convention as means OF controlling
1 Nf