The Van Buren press., 1867-04-19

IparcQ W say all tnat y want 10, on Iuls
occasion but we know what we, hays
come here for. We have come to cele,
ibrate The right Of sufi,fage577the one thing
lneedfIil to place as op 4 p common platform
Jas citizens. The question has been, ask
! cd, whether We are prepared for this con
tdiu0nofs things or not, / do not, blame
Foal people f9E Their SdoSbIs qn fhis sub
kjecbl because our, f9p99sp Condition was AS
Calculated 70 make tkeHo doubt: bit
whether we are prepared sr, not. We arc
lnow entitled to vote, under the .recentlaw.
II must confess that I Sd6 not fiilk!c that
Slaw ia all respects, becaus d II dtsfiahchisSs
IgentleMen M VII ON we :hascmore conf
denee' 'thano alrv body elise, rand lforbids
them TO- represent soar 0 aSaatry as IL
should be represented iiarSke councils OF
the people. MY doctrinewis that every
man, whether iga olsintO or hot who Is
compelled to psystaxesi is entitled to vote.
Itis a mattersof pablicp policy that we
bshoak be- because there Is tsadiscontented a
element in OUT midst, bcomposed Of the
ignorant people OF both classes. which
would be egrsAtlyI disturbed III they we're
prevented 10y aiconventien of the State
from exercising the rightsto vote, and
We should have regulation in a tea ket-
itle.9i For the purpose Of peace and'quiet,
therefore, inC CohreState, Inwant to see
'eveubodyvote, except the women.
believe, my offiends and fellow. citizens,
we are notprepaped, for this suffrage =
But VIC, can lsarp h Give man tools, and
let him commence to use them, and, in
time, he learns q trade So it is with
voting We may not understand it at
the start, but in timcawe shall learn to do
1t has been said that Calhoun !, was as mas, a
ter of.Sagsh Carolina, Clay the dictator
Of Massachusetts. Hut hereafter we are
to vote for principles-not men. And
we have good MEN In orr midst; men we
can trust tieii wii6 are our friends, and
have pt0ved, BY tlreir acts, thatl they are
the friends Of estate. nthesc gentle
men we niust have confidence, until they
have proved that they do mot deserve it,
l do not believe that there 'is a man in
this district who,' II you win reason With
him about these things, will not agree
with what / say We recognize the
Southern white man. as the true friend OF
the black man. You see upon that ban.
ner the wonls # United we stand, divided
we fall n and ifyou could see the seal OF
the society which that banner represents,
you would find the white man and the
black man standing with their arms lock-
ed togetherpas atype Of the friendship
and the union which We desire We feel
that, the, white man has not understood
the black man as the black man has un-
derstood the white man; and it the citi-
zens Of South Caroline had all acted after
the close ofthe war as these gentlemen
have done today, and spoken their kind
sentiments as freely, our State would not
regret the loss Of twenty thousand color
ed citizens who have gone abroad because
they had not sufficient confidence to stay.
After the remarks we have heard to-day
We believe there is q better time coming.
Twelve months ago, Mr., Gibbes, said
Z" Fellow;citizen we re,willing to NEE,
you half way;," and we are glad to say
that the representatives and public men
Of Richland district have done so on the
present occasion! z . We feel that we are
understood here; hnd We believe that col
ored mcntwill thereafter enjoy the rights
and privileges whiel, now belong to their
race. There isoIessr prejudice here, less
prejudice everywhere South of tue rPo.
tomac against the Icolored man than there
is North of,it.to [Applausal ! saw in
Washington, q few days ago, men more
violently opposed to our advancement,
than gentleman here and We know
TIM. the States OF New Hampshire, Ohio,
and pcri,scs some others, have refused
that political cq.ality which exists in
South Carolina. II is our duty, therefore
to identify ourselves with this sol. Here
we have grown from childhood to man
hood. Many Of US, white and black,
have been brought up together; we love
the people, we respect their honor; VIC
know their worth, and. / ask whether UNI
der these circumstances, having the powes
to do 50, we ought not to petition Con,
gress 70 remove the disability which SHUTS
out that portion of. our people from the
elective franchise in whom we have such
long tried confidence, ,soos te s,osieelt
II We, are to have q convention in tht
State for the purpose exchanging its con
stitution, let It be convention full Of In
tellect and power. II tho, black man Il
to cast d vote, let him rest that vote upor
a standard OF ability, and not be content
cd to sec d body lof. inen who are no
competcnt'to discharge the high dutie.
that will require OF them. We know th'
| old saying that " fools rust in where an