Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-03-09

pointed by the President. They ale also a
unit in sustaining the constitutional amend
ment proposed at the last session as baais Of
reconstruction. And since this has been re-.
jcctcd by the Southern States, they now unite
in the determination that no State shall be re-
admitted, nor shall tho State governments of
the insurrcctonary States he recognized or
established till each State has adopted the
constitutional amendment, and incorporated
into its Constitution guaranty Of un'UcySui
manhood suffrage. They are. in my opinion,
also unit in their determination, so soon ns
three.fonrths Of the States which they call
loyal by which is meant, the States represent
I'd in Congress, have ratified the constitutional
amendment, to declare it adopted, and to en-
force the instruction This, they have the
p.wcr to do. 1t is, therefore, fixed fact
that the constitutional amendment will be
adopted i'll very short time, as it was said
when | left Washington, they lacked but u
single State, and it was expected that more
than one would uct very soon.
Upon the above points there exists no div.
sion of opinion which is worth notice in the
Radical party. Just here, however, diver.
sity of opinion commences. The more Rad-
cal wing of the party, which is not a majority,
nor is it at present sustained by a minority of
the people Of the North, is for setting aside
the present State Governments as absolutely
mil and Uoio, aud declaring all acts done un-
der them void, except such as Congress choos,
es to approve; as the Reputation Of our State
war debts, the abolition of slavery hy the
States, &c, which they would ratify. They
aso desire to place us under military govern
ment till State governments can be organized
upon their plan. In the organization they
.1, to l,jn ~ al;
Office. but from the ballot box and the jury
box, oH persons who coiuntanly participated
in the rebellion, aud to place the government
of these States in the hands of the few whom
they call loyal men among us and the freed
men, who, rs they expect, would form State
Constitutions forever DISTINGUISHING us, and
dcpriying US of all participation in the gov.
erpment, or in the execution of the laws. The
bills known as the military bill and tho Lou
isiaua bill, which passed the House, cmbody
substantially these measures. In addition to
this, it il believed to bc.their ultimate design
to coniscate the property of the South for the
payment of the war debt of the United States,
SO soon as the popular mind North can be ed
ucutcd or excited to the proper point; and to
ohyiatc constitutional difficulties, if any are
admitted to exist, by amendments comforting
the necessary power ratified by three-tourths
of the oyal States This class il not believed
to be large one at present, but if we contin-
ue to reject the terms proposed by Congress,
it is believed, it will grow rapidly i'll popular
favor, in the Northern States and that poiti
clans now disposed to be more moderate will
be obliged to bend to the storm.
The other wing of the Republican party,
called the moderate wing, do not desire to de-
stroy or drive us from the country. They
know that commercial aud general prosperity
cannot long continue, if the present difficult
ties rcmaiR unadjustcd, the labor and energy
uf the South parayzed, and that financial
panic aud great dcpressions must be the ulti-
mate result. They, therefore, desire settle
mcnt Of the question. But they are rs de-
terInincd us the ultra wing in their opposition
to the Presidents policy, and will, ut all haz-
ards, maintain the power Of Congress over
the whole question Of adjustment. They tell
us that we complied with every requirement
made by the President, whose jurisdiction over
the question they deny, but when Congress,
possessing 6s they claim, all power in the
premises, rendered us the constitutional
amendment as settlement, which they claim
WAS liberal when rendered by the conqucrors
to the conquered, we rejected it, and. in their
language, hurled it back in their teeth. This
they say greatly irritatcd the people of the
North, and caused them to demand of us, not
only the constitutional amendment, which we
have rejected but to add to ii universal suf-
rage. Aud they now tell us that nothing less
will ever be accepted by Congress or the pco.
pic of the North, aud that the rejection Of
these by the Southern people will be followed
by increased rigor, and the general exclusion
Of rebels from all political privileges, if not by
the appropriation Of their property to the uses
or the government.
When asked why they did not inform us
that tho adoption of the constitutional amend.
ment by us should be received as settlement,
they reply that they sointendcd itand that such
would have been tho result. And as nm earn.
est Of their good faith they point to their
action in the prompt admission of Tennessee