The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-05-09

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8ccepi them T.. Beiteri a, a,;housaRd times
let Congress cppisea,e your lands, than
entail such a Goyegpment and sucl,
degradation and misery on yourselves
and pesierity. Do your duty, and leave
the equeacesA God!a Act like
men and Garoliniaus. .aI Declare, by vol,
ing against a fconyention; that you will
never voluntarily yield the right Of self.
government. or place yourselves under
the control of your former slaves. Bet.
ater-far better4to remain rs you are.
under the military rule Of your con,
qnerors, aud await their returning sense
Of ofjustice. I feel assured that nothing
but mistaken appeal to base fear, and
that dastardiy virtue, called prudence.
could, have wrought so wonderful a
change in the public sentiment Of South
,Cafolina,, And II Is melancholy to see
the peopleT;a proud, gallant people
scared into their own ruin and degrade
ton bv the false cry Of confiscation, like
the eonsumptiye lunaiic. who had such
.aterror Of death that he bu,ted his braiss
out against the walls of his cells 10
avoid il. In order 70 save, our lands
from Congressional confiscatiop, we are
persuaded to let the negroes parcel lLem
out amongst themselves. .ug-.
-a'bLet no one charge me with disloyalty
10" the American Union, or infer from
what have said, that am not in favor
of reconstructing the Union Of the
States. My whole political life has
been spent in fighting for the Union.
and trying to ward off that fell spirit of
disuuion, which has brought ali these
unnumbered woes upon South Carolina.
i wish to see the Union restored Under
The Constitution, know the Ameri
can people never can be free and hap-
py, great and prosperous, without the
Federal Union ; but will never degrade
myself. or my State, or surrender my
constitutional rights or Republican rrin.
ciples, TO get back into the Uuion.
sill live under a military government,
no matter how absolute and despotic il
may, be, and bequeath it TO my children,
sooner Than vote. negro government
for South Carolina. which every mao
will do who votes for a convention. ..-.
1t is source Of proud satisfaction TO
me TO see such Union men rs Governor
Shsrkey, of Mississippi, Governor Jen-
kins, Of Georgia, and Governor Worh.
ofiNorth Carolina, and Governor Mar
vim, Of Florida, who never cea- led their
opposition to the spirit of disuuon till
:he Union ceased 10 exist. =; andipg fun
ly, and breasiing the storm of tyranny.
oppression and degrsdaIiOn which has
been hurled al them, Whilst leading Sc
cessionists and disunionists are coun
selling the people to their own desrada
lion and destruction, for The purpose Of
getting back into the Uuion (; aud. LIN
order TO accomplish their purposes, bold.
ing up TO their view the " raw head
aud bloody bones" of coufiscation.-
Such counsel comes with bad grace
from those who boasted, at the begin
ming OF our civil or sectional war, that
they had drawn their swords aud
thrown away the scabbards. determin,
ed 10 die or live separate from the vile,
accursed Yankee nation.
Let ne one charge me. either. with
unkindness to the African race have
always been their friend and protector,
and, as they show themselves capable
Of exercising the right OF suffrage, By
their intelligence and property, I attn
willing to concede the right to them. -
But / am not willing, in their present
debased and degraded condition, &c
throw the political power Of the State
into their hands. l know the result
will be- disastrous, both to them and
the white race. II will end in bloody
contest of determination to one race Of
the other. In very few Of The North
ern States, are'the negroes allowed tc
vote, where they have only few, ant
they far superior to those in the South
ern States. II is monstrons, that tn,
representatives Of those States in Con
gress, should attempt TO force us /,
yield the right Of universal suffrage I,
the negro, when they refuse it TO hin
themselves. a .... ... .....
There is no danger of confiscaliol
by Congress. The members of tha
body may not be superior TO the negr
in honesty, but they have not the sam
motive TO vote a division Of the land:
They will get none of them. A man
not so likely 10 rob or steal for anoihe
as for himself. But is 1t not better t
be robbed and piundered by Congres
than by convention Of South CAROL
nsi AS wicked as Congress is, th
members may have some regard for th
opinion Of the world, They may, TOD
have some apprehension Of agrarianisr
at home. rrs .-gs.-..gt rsr,
] greatly fear iher. are many whit