The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-04-25

b l0Fiai erticles, that We are
"a that Gov. Perry, and will
I&ko ocC11jon to make some comments
upon the present communication:
The United States shall guarantee
to every State in this Union republi.
can form of government."--.Seetio 4,
Article ~. Constitution Of tie United
States of America. q
Under this authority, the Congress
of the United States, after excluding
from their seats the Senators and Rep
fesentatlves Of ten Southern States,
has established in all of the excluded
States military gov absolute
and unlimited in its powers lis well
known that these States have exhausted
their power aud resources 10 gallant
and heroic struggle for independence
and self government. They now have
no alternative but unqualified submis-
sion to the military despotism thrown
over them. 1t is to be hoped, and il is
generally believed, that the military
commanders in the Southern States,
will exercise their despotic powers wise.
ly and humanely, 1t is the 'Gdninis>
tration of government, and not the
form Of a government, which, makes It
odious and oppressive. A desPotism,
wisely, Justly aud virtuonsly adminis-
tered, is the most perfect government:
that can be established. Il is the gov.
ernmeut of God, established by Him
for the government of the universe.
Five or six months ago, South Caro-
lima, with all the other Southern States,
rejected, with scorn and indignation,
the constitutional amendment, which
proposed to exclude from Office their
leading men, and reduce their repre-
sentation iu Congress, unless they per.
mitted universal negro suffrage. Now,
it is proposed by the military hill not
only to exclude this class Of persons
from office, but to disfranchiss them
and exclude them from voting in all
elections, and at the same time to en-.
fraachise their former slaves and give
universal suffrage to the negro. Strange
to say, that there are many, persons in
the Southern States whose high sense
Of honor would not let them adopt the
constitutional amendment, who are now
urging the people to voluntarily swal3
low the military hill, regardless ofhon-
or, principle or consistency. am hap
py to know that they are secessionists
aud never were Union men.
The inquiry is, which, then, shall We
dot Whilst have been writing, the
telegraph brings the glorious news that
Mississippi and Georgia have appealed
10 ,he judiciary for the protection Of
their, constitutional rights as sovereign
States of the American Union. Would
to God that South Carolina stood BY
the side Of Mississippi and Georgia, in
this their last noble effort to maintain
their dignity and honor as States, and
the just rights and liberties Of their cit.
izons. II this last grand, expiring ef-
fo,t in favor of freedom should fail,
then tbs South win have to quietly
meet the tyranny of Congress but,
in meeting, she need not embrace the
hideous thing. When the military. or.
der is issued for registration Of voters,
let every man, not disfranchised, go fors
ward and register his name. When
the election is ordered for convention,
it will be the duty Of every voter to cast
his vote for the wisest, best, and most
trustworthy men, who are eligible to
seats in that convention. This much be
is forced to do for self-protec,ion, and
to keep the State Government from fall
ing into the hands Of unworthy and
base men. he need 90 no further
Let him then endorse on bis ticket,
"No Convention.n II he is patriot
and an honorable man, he cannot de-
sire the change which the military bill
contemplates, and he should NOT vote
With the cunning which always
characterizes the tyrant, Congress has
enacted that the people themselves shall
endorse the cell Of a conventions, in Or
der to give legal validity to i,s acts.---
Without this endorsement, the whole
proceeding might be regarded as forced
on the States BY Che military govern.
ment, and, therefore, null and void
Hence, the trick Of making the people
endorse the cal Of convention. II h
to be hoped that they willnot be caueh.
by this cunning device, and that t6e7
may be able to ;nfiusnce their freedmen
to act with them. But should msjors
ity Of the votes be for convention, then
il Is TO assemble, and not otherwise. |
When II assemblies, the honor and des-
tiny Of the State will be- In It's keep.
ing.
Bat II the people shonl vote q no
convention" what theni The honor |
and dignity Of the States will, at least, |
not be thereby sacrificed BY their cili !