The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-27

j make prompt rennttanceB. "A great many of
these accounts have been standing for a year
and more, and it is absolutely necessary now
that they should be paid e. I;
i ~. ...:. 60. . -. =. :. =. ~: \. ~;
@ GOVERNOR s,sPEKRx's. .aETTER.~.s
i Governors PEnnr.s advice to the = people Of
the. State is this That, as "a Military Govern
\ ment hassbeea established over them, until; d
Convention has been called and a new Conasstitu-
| tion framed by it has been submitted to and
approved BY Congress, they should use the
! privilege given by the Reconstruetion Act, re-
| fuse to call q Convention, and, by thus per
ppetuating the Milltary Goverhhment, avoid the
necessity of. universal suffrage, and gain time
for the coming reaction of.publc opinion, ut
the: North,sto repealthe Act and restore the
States to what he believes to be their eonstitu-
tional rights. .: ~. - 7s .-.., IT,,
i This advice the Governor bases upon three
assumptions which "he states with emphatic
I distinctiveness 49, - i s '..' . 4. . (. $500 -
i l.. ..That it is to be hoped, and It is generally
| believed, tLat the military commanders in the
i Southern States will exercise their. despotic
powers wisely and humanely. x 4 "a des-
potism&wisely, justly and virtuously administer
| cd, is the most perfect government that can be
established. 1t is the government .:of God,
established by him for the government Of the
| universe" = !. \ q; ' :ti 4's ~ N
This certainly does seem to be strange con
clusion for q people who, tho Governor says,
fought four long bloody years for what;they!
believed,to be o sacred right, proclaimed by
/ all the American people in their Declaration Of
! Independence and ifit is correct conclusion,
il IS still stranger that the Governor should de-
sire q reaction at the North to set aside :. tho
most perfect government that can be estab-
lished:" si:s S1s %t>'t. = ;1:@l;. - ;Ez
And this brings us to the. second aissump i on
in the Governors argument, and that is, that
if we vote emo conventionn=by q majority, then
universal: suffrage will not be established and
the present Military Gov ver1ment win continue
until some indefinite good time which is coming
s.sT To this we would say:,s ...;.
80, That hat there is not the slightest prospect Of
such vote being in the7 majority. The col:
ored vote':of the State will be an unit for the
Convention and the white vote viii be divided,
the only practical result being. that !. as
the freedmen believe that sthe call Of the Con!
vention is necessary to the establishment by
State legislation Of their newly acquired rights,
| they will regard this effort to avoid a Conven-
ton as e symptom Of bad faith on our part and
as proof -ofg our unwillingness to do them JUS
tice,s and we will lose the Opportunity to secure
that harmony Of political action between tih9
TWO classes which absolutely to
the,wen being Of both. ~; $.sE5!. a, ~ ,st
-s2 2; In the next place suppose such q vote to
prevail what guarantee have we that the Mil
| tary Government, as it exists now, would be
continued? If it is so agreeableto us at present
that We Will defy the reconstruction act to pre-
serve it, cannott the same Congress which, ,made 9
it what it is, make itWhat,it chooses, 80, as to
compel US to can q Convention to get rid ofit {
And does Governor PEnRy suppose for an in
stant, that the power which has kept us out, as
long as at saw fit, cannot sforce us to come back
wheneveri it sees fit S.S:st't s':-
g.: And even if this Military ~ government Is
allowed to continue, how does that saye us
from univ ersal sufragef :ss,: -s!:a.. - :s5as
Sec. e'of the Military Bill provides e.That
u until III The people of said rebel States shall be
by law admitted to representation In the Con:
gress ofsthe, United States, any civil govern
ment which may exist therein shall be doomed
provisional iona only and IS all respects subject to
the paramount authority Of the United States
at any time to abolish, modify, continue or
supEesrssde the same and "a a elsetions- TO- eng
Offices under suehaarouisiofal government, aU per
sons shallde eatiledto vote under, the provision.
81 the sectioae this det:''' 5' ~ 't
VI Now, ,! until the registration is effected and
the Convention called, an elections have been
suspended, but when th registration has been
completed and 10 conve .ntion called, who viii
be entitled to vote for. Sherifs, Ordinaries
and lall municipal Offices, ,s-seven 4 if I: we
take & it for; granted that no legislature
will meete Indeed is not Il universal. 's,1f-
1trage ina mino agurated BY the very, vote Convention
or 40 Convention, and howawil g no Conyen-
ton" benefit us, unless the Governor considers
that thai It win be benefit: to have all the Legis-
iatlve I,ower of the State vested in the Militia
~ G, ,mmander, and All the administration: of
G. eer7 selected by uniYers al suffrage .,:f
V The third assumption, Of Goveraor.P PERRY is,
that the reconstruction act is q violation CT the
constit.t rights Of the state, and ought,
therefore, to be rejected. cannot DISCUSS
the principle here involved al: present. but WE
nsk the Governor if tits correct, how can:we
with any more consistency accept the Presil-
dents policy of reconstruction Is the appoint
ment Of Gen., s1cKLEs IS Military Commander
any clearer violation Of the constitutional rights
Of South Carolina, than his own appointment as
Provisional Governor? !? And is tie position
Of universal suffrage any more direct interfer;-
Fence with the rights ofSthe State, than over
nor PEKnY Proclaim lion, calling; Under b the
Presidents direction, aeonyeation sof the State,
upon e basis Of representation in express direct
violation sof the pzoyi of :the .stateeonsti
tuition, and which the Governor himself claimed
did BY his mere will and pleasure, q abo1ishth the
odious Parish representation, 2 and change the
constitutional character of the states Il L
We have had occasion, and We hope to
have still further oecasion;t to express sincere
y. and fully our admiration Of she good Sgense
and good temper Of III 9 military commander Of
this District but We certainly have. not reach
led, and IRE very .sur Tint he himself could
never wish US to8reaeh, that point where8 We
should regard Gen s1cK,IlEs as . dssypst BY: :di-
\ vine right Governor PxnaY y .oYeriookss tie
VI fact that, in hia desire to mainf n a