The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-12-11

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petua. If the guarantees of the Constl-
tuition can be broken professionally to serve
temporary purpose, and in part only
of the country, we can destroy them eve
rvwherc and for all time. Arbitrary
measures often change, butthey generally
change for the worse. it is the culsc OF
dcspotism that it has no halting place.
The intermittcd exercise of its power
brings no sense of security to its subjects;
for thew can never know what more they
will be called to endure when its red right
hand is armcd to plague them again. Nor
is it possible to conjecture how or where
! power. unrcstrained by law. may seek its
next victims The States that are still
free may be c.lslaved at any moment; tor
if the Constitution docs not protect all,
it protects none.
1t is manfestIy and avowedly the OBJ
cct of these laws to confer upon negroes
the privilege of voting and to disfranchise
such number of white citizens as will
rive the former clear majority at all
elections in tho Southern States. This,
to the minds of some persons; is so i'm
portant, that IL violation of the Constitu-
ton is justified us 4 means of bringing 1t
about. The morality is always false
which excuses Il wrong because it pro-
poses to accomplish II desirable end. We
are not permitted to do evil that good
may come. But in this case the end it.
self is evil. as well rs the means. The
subiugation of the States to negro dom
ination would bc worse than the military
dcspotism under which they Are now sui
frrng. 1t was believed beforehand that
the people would endure any amount of
military oppression. for amy length OF
time, rather than degrade themselves by
suhlcction to The negro race. Therefore
they have been left without choice. Ne
gro suffrage was established by act OF
Congress, and the military officers were
commanded to supcrintcnd the process of
clothing the negro race with the political
privileges torn from white men.
The blacks in the South arc entitled TO
be well and humancly governed, and 10
have the protection of just laws for all
their rights Of person and property. 1t
it were practicable at this time to give
them government exclusively their own,
under which they might manage their
own ati;lirs in their own way, it would
become Il grave question whether we
ought TO do so, or whether common hu-
manty would not require us to save them
from themselves But, under the circum-
stances, this is only speculative point
1t is not proposed merely that they shall
govern themselves, but that they shall
rule the white race, make and administer
State laws, elect Presidents and men,
bcrs of Congress, and shape to greater
or less extent the future destiny of the
whole country. Would such Il trust aud
power be safe in such hands?
The peculiar qualities which should
characterize any people who are fit to de-
eide upon the management Of public af-
fairs for Il great State have seldom been
combined. 1t is the glory of white men
to know that they have had these quail
lies in sufficient measure to build upon
this cortlncnt Il great political fabric. and
TO preserve its stability for more than
ninety years. while in every other part OF
the world all similar experiments have
failed But ii anything can be proved by
known facts-if ail reasoning upon evil
dcncc is not abandoncd-it must be ac-
knowlcdgc,l, that in the progress of ma
tions negroes have shown less capacity
for government than any other race OF
people No Independent government OF
any form has ever been 81 ccessfnl in their
hands. On the contrary, wherever they
have been lett TO their own devices they
have shown Il constant tendency to re-
lapsc into barbarism In the Southern
States, however, Congress has undertaken
to confer upon them the privilege of tho
ballot. Just released from slavery 1t may
be doubted whether, us IL class, they know
more than their ancestors how to organ
izc and regulate civil society. Indeed, II
is admitted that the blacks of the South
are not only regardless OF the rights Of
property, but SO utterly ignorant OF pub
lie affairs that their voting can consist III
nothing moro than carrying a ballot to
the place where they are directed to de-
post it. ] need not remind You that tho
+ cxcrtisc of the elective franchise is the
highest attribute OF an American citizen
and that when guided BY virtue, intclll'
Scncc, patriotism. and Il proper apprecia
tol, of our free institutions. 1t constitutes
the true basis of Il democratic form o
government, in which the sovereign pow
cr is lodged in the body of the people
\ trust artiticialy created not for It's
own sake. bu; solely as Il means Of pro
noting the general welfare. its influence
for good must necessarily depend upon
the elevated character and true allcgi
ancc of the clector. 1t ought, therefore
to be reposed in none except those who
are fitted morally and mentally to admin
lister it we'll; for if conferred upon persons
who do not justly estimate lis value, and
who are indifferent IT'S to its results, it will
only serve as u means Of placing power
in the hands Of the unprinciplcd and am
bilious, and must cvcnluatc i'll the com
nlcte obstruction Of that liberty OF which