The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-11-16
NUMBER 3g.
4 lsitni Il .tns .TtfU0y

than two to orc il most If tiGh' tGh'e othsr h ssatih-
crn States, the negro niajqrities f. not 81 graas
arc almost MS decided. In those States Fhsyc
the white vote is in the ascendsntIfEs election
districts layc been 50 arranged; as t totskc the
political power from the white Setq AND easSit
in favor Of the negro yate; NXl,at, y tisR. is Tho
inevitable result 1t invests tll}e negro With
absolute political power in ,3a',si epeh # zig .s
Southern States and at tlc same ting, iays;ts
him with the balance Of power in ;tLc Tinted
States. Nor is this all-.--thc .reconstrYcii0n
scheme closes the balot-box against ths BEST
informed and educated glasses in the COM
munity, and opens it to the negro, of whom
not more than. ono, in y hundre1 can read
word, and not more than one in fye linndrsd
can write his nanc;. nml muhHu,les, ,e ghops
arc 50 p'.tonm1A iyporant, as e be xnaJls- 10
yemrmJcr Mc "an'c IN ,ehich Me.y hage Ieem
r'yistr'r'1 Verify, this seems to be conyefttipg
a popular Government, of whom We have 6sen
justly proud, into a poplar farce; md We would
be content so to consider It, if it did not in
volvc the issue of life and death to the larnsp pf
Government established by our fathers Is. tie
benefit of themselves d1thcir postcFity, If
the object Of the trainers Of the Ieconsit1rrhnc-
ton Acts was to degrade the Southern people,
it. is time for them to consider whether tho Ic-
graduation may not be brought to, ,tkeiE laM,.
doors oorFs+-whcthcr the poisoned cup hay not DO
returned to their own lips Bpt i may pc
asked, Why do not the, Southern peppllSi accept
the situation and control the nesEo e!cmcSt
This question i. much n:orc, easily asked than
answered IN, II to FIRST place it,IlgY be- sid
that the influence Of lthe; corrupt and inlt5ig;p
Ing demasosuc, who will appeal t9 passion atld
prejudice. has always been found to be mqfc
powerful with excited and igpqrant mpbs than
the wisest cou,sels Of f TIC best t ffi9HI ffEi9HIdaA Be-
SIDES tic foundation stole tami ipoaIf af' 'wkiah RsPb
can tfovernmcst rtsy "h2 Is, a{ the 3}ft sfstivc ~
chise sto be ;cScrcisscd By ii}cts s"fntstiSkt
and nnblslcd ughient and ShcihetHxssfr cihtHxssfr &c is
admitted that this 4ane11;l il to bs itacS,I11,g teacS,I11,g,
Or. in other words, 70 &c mr,dc TIC ssub} e5f
undue influences and of Grsbis, the, to- tfSaSu'it it
must be admitted that Republican, G3ytesfRhhiSSht
is end, and must sooner Of later, give.
such other Government is Say tt l5fese upon
u dcpravcd and already corruHir people But
if it is proposed in advance to place tlb5c? 1eh-
rranchiscd negro under control, why confer, the
franchise at all Surely, the part of Wise
government is fl prevent the evil, aid hot open
the door to the mischief Which others saro atl-
monisicd they must be prepared, by tfiekr6r
management, to avert. lsut why press the Sub
jectiurthcr 1t is c,ong for us to knaw that
this Wild and reckless experiment comes iloihc
to the hcarth:tonc of every citizen, add In
wolves family and property, society, liberty and
life itself. Nor il this all Fhc courts Of ijtfs-
tcc dragged into the n,ire from thGiE high
position; our rostintclliycnt white citizeiisa are
excluded from the jury while the Ignorant ne
gro is elevated to that responsible position; qhc
jury lists arc male up from the lists of iegfs-
tered voters. which, as we have said, arc InSfo
than two to one in favor Of the negro ttN6t
Only, be ii remembered: is the negro admitted
to The irry bnx but the white mali is excluded
thercfronna Think yoi, that WHEN th6r great
masters Of the common law of1En4,kiiid pro-
nounccd their cncomium upon the trial by jury,
that they contemplated for a moment such an
instrument as All ignorant negro psTicl? Think
you, that when the ra,ncrs of tho Constit:st;eh
of tho uni,cd States incorporated into that in
strumcnt the provision that tllo trial ibyjury
should always be held invioatc, that istlldy,i,,-
tended to cnglnft upon it sucl, unscnormityas
negro jurymcn, fresh from thc-cottnn and rico
fields Of the Sonth? Think yu,h2 fthhs, xnhGir
John Rutcdgc and his illustrio,ls compeers
signed that instrument on the part Of SoutIp
Carolina, that they intended to forgc:p chain
which, in period no longer than an ordinary
lifetime, would drag their grand children, lwho
were then playing around their knees, ami
some of whom arc now. livins,) for trial heforo
Il jury of their own slaves? Talk of additio,i-
III humiliation, talk of cnnfiScation, complain Of
clcmcncy to rebels, after this. God forbid !!
The Government Of the United States has en-
forced against the Southern ncopic the most
stupcndous act OF confscation that has ever
been enforced i'll the history of nations; their
property in slaves has been confiscatcl to tic
amount of three thousand millions Of tlollnrs;
oihcr pcrpcnal property, in tho shape Of cottoh,
| r,i,,;.;,,nu etn.ti nlotn ,,,d ,oy,ny Il, ,,u hHpp