The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-08-09
WHAT SHALL WE DOT

The order of General srcKLEs, requiring tho
registration of voters TO be without delny COM
mcnced, brings to the people Of the State at
once the necessity for their decision as 10 the
conduct thcy will udopt in reference to that
matter. Hitherto /, has been thing antici-
pacl, not that which required positive action.
And various opinions hnre been expressed in
the form of advice TO our people We lnvc,
with others, expressed our opinion; in Tint
opinion we, with others, have given our advice.
Wo have done 80 honestly, rs we believe others
have done; and wo know, influenced by no
pas..en, swaycd by no prejudice Believing
that the welfare Of our people Forced upon their
consideration and recommended 10 their ndop-
lion certain course Of conduct, We have urged
49,, conduct upon them. We propose now and
"S"'i ~ w oV ~ '-"i IN prcss IL upon
them while there is room for argument, a..,
timc left to induce them TO concur with us. II
we shnll succeed, We have the most thorough,
conviction that never in the future will we
have cause 10 regret the advice we have given.
We are equally sure the people will never re-
grct that They have ;ccpted il. If we shall
not succeed, we will know that no effort ON our
part Inns been neglected 10 save them from con-
sequences which, when fairly provoked, wc
believe will be then alikc inevitable and intol-
cradle.
In the discussion which we hnye conduc ted,
in which others have participated, we have
heard objections often, in the way of 'sugges-
tions, some of which, we believe, have been not
without effect. To one Of these some consider
nj iinn hoo hnn, AL ll,.,.
TO dispose Of before we present, briefly, clearly,
and, we hope, conclusiyely, our views in rein
tion TO the grent question: What shall W. do
1t would he scarcely irrererent in u connection
30 deeply important, involving. ny we believe
it docs, the most monentous consequences, TINT
we should repeat the startling question us it
was once asked: Men and brethren, what shall
We do TO he saved?
The objection to which we refcr-maLc some
times positively, at other times by way Of sug-
gestion-of the difficulties encountered in the
conduct we have advised, nnd do advise, is that
il affects us. md all who concur with us, with
the charge of Inconsistency. And we arc free
to ndmit our surprise at the effect which this
objection, scarcely even spccions, hns pro-
dnccd. We propose now to estimate its value,
to understand its worth. And that We propose
TO do by nscertnining its truth. With what
hoctrino, or orinan. or conduct, 10 that which
we have advised, and do advise, inconsistent
II must he either the conduct we adopted he
fore the war, during the war, or since the sur
render If il is meant Tint such conduct rs we
hnvo urged upon the people of the State, to ac-
complish its restoration to the Union, is incon-
sistent with our conduct before the war, then it
is meant that the opinions represented now by
such conduct rs we advise is inconsistent with tho
the war. This, then, assumes TINT the opinions
we entertained before and during the war; and
the conduct which we adopted because of such
opinion, are opinions which VIC still may, and
do entertain; and thnt the conduct which was
inconsistent with those opinions is, therefore,
conduct which now it is still proper TO adopt
And as these opinions were then rested upon
certain political doctrines, the proposition is
still more simplifed by referring the charge of
Inconsistency TO the difference between the
political doctrines we entertained before the
war, and those which we now recommend for
adoption. Wo are free to acknowledge that we
do not know what political doctrine, entertained
by the people of this State, and considered as
the doctrine Of tho Slate before tho war, has
not been, in the results of that war, regarded
MS wholly rejected, which, by the action of tho
Statc, has not been wholly renowned; and
which, If now affirmed, is not inconsistent with
the conceded Interpretation of the oath taken
by all who, since the close of the war, have
renewed their allegiance to The Government Of
tho United States. viii they who ink or write
about consistency in this connection, tell us
whnt portion Of that political doctrine which
was cherished in these States survives now in
and acknowledged existence as the justification
of our conduct, according TO its requirements
OF That political theory which in this Slate
was recognized rs true, was not the essential,
The vital element, that Of the sovereignty of the
sintc' Wns thore. any political duty enjoined
upon the old, and taught TO the young, with
more conviction Of its truth, than that the pri-
mary allegiance of cnoh was duo to his State {?
Can any man who has renewed his allegiance
to the Government Of tho United States, hy
taking the oath which lie has been required to
take, pretend 10 soy thnt his adherence to such
opinions as he entertained in conformity with
this political theory adopted by this State, is
now consistent with the meaning and obliga-
lion Of the oath which he has now taken? IL
there consequence of the war more positive
and unequivooal Than that II settled by IN np
peal to tho uliima ratio, the logic of the sword,
the truth Of this doctrine? And when Tho
SCARED legions Of Ire and JOHNSTON gave up
their arms and returned to their homes, was
notthe political doctrine for which they had
fought lost with their hagf Did apy man
then believe, did any man, even to himself,
venture to assert, that tho State still had the
right to secede; that it's secession, II Il then
pleased IL TO ordain IL, mol only justified but re-
quired that; that lis citizens should acknowl.
edge its authority as paramount to that of the
United States Surely moi. And was IL dis
puted or questioned, that whom the Convention
of tho people Of tho Slate repealed the Ordi-
nance Of Secession, IL signifed to tho people of
tho United States, that while the people of this
Stato had believed that measure 10 be right
when Il wao passed, thenccforh they did not go
believe And can we forget that this intention
of tho Convention of The people of South Caro.
lima was mol only thus manifested by its own
acts, but that the Court Of Errors, the highest
Court in the Slate, Inns gono further when IL