The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-11-20

his person, we are willing that the,
black man and the white man.
shall stand together upon the same
platform, and be shielded by the,
same equal laws. We venture the
opinion, that the people Of South
Carolina are prepared to adopt as:
their own, the Constitution Of any:
New England, or other Northern
State, wherein it is supposed that:
the civil rights of the negro are:
most fully and amply secured. But
upon question involving sneh
grave and momentous issues, we
should be untrue to ourselves, and
unfair to orr opponents, were We
to withhold the frank and full" Leg
preston of our opinions. We
Therefore, feeling the responsibility
of the. subject and the OCCASION /
enter our most. solemn -pro test
against the policy of investing the:
negro with political rights: sIThe
black man@is what God aad nature
and circumstances have made him.
That he isnot- fit to be invested,
with these important rights, may
Ihe no falltof his But, the:factf is
patent to; all ) that the. negro is
utterly unified to exercise the.
.hig hest functions Of the citizen,
The government: of the country
Eshoufd not be permitted to pass.
T from the hands of fhe white man
into the hands Of the negro The.
enforce ment of the Reconstruction
Acts by military power, under the
guise Of negro voters and negro;
conventions, cannot lawfully re-:
establishment governmentinSeuth
Carolina It.may for a time hold
tus IN suhjeetion to q quasi civil
government, backed by military.
force, but it can do, no, more more.
/ As citizens of the Emitted States,
We konid not consent to live under.
negro supremacy, nor should we
:iacquiescc In negro equality. Not.
for ourselves only, but on. behalf
ofth;e. Angfo-SaSon race and blood
in. this. country, do we protest,
against hissubrersion .ofthe great:
social law, whereby an ignorant
and depraved race is placed m
T power, and influence above the.
yirtaous, the educated and the:
Erefned. BY these a cts of Gsons
gross; INT teHigenee and virtue are:
! put ilnder foot, t,while Ignorance;
sHd Hdsvice are lifted into power. = ::
In South Carolina, the negro ma
iiola:ity;: under the Reconstruction.
( Acts as much more than two to
one. I'm most fthe other South
ern States, the negro Inajorities, if
mot so great, area:aInos as. decided:
I'm those States where the white
vote Sin, the ascendant, the%elecs
Etien districts have. been So ar,
ranged, as to; take the@polltiraE
/ pow Ell from thes3whise vote and
cast ii: In favor of the negro vote.
What, then, is the inevitable re
| suit 2 IT. invests the negro with
Eabsotutes political power in each Of
7 the ten Sout hern States, and iat
fsfhe same time, invests him with;
tthe balance Of power in the United
I States. n , oris this all-the recon-
Estructien scheme closes the ballot.
box againstthe best informed and
educated classes in the community,
and5opens. it3tothe negro, Of whom,
not Inore thai one lin a hundred
can read a Mord, and n OF more.
than, onein FIVE hundred can write
his name !; and laastltitatdes, Of <lckoaa;
Fare so profoundly ignorant, as to be
| ssna5le TO remember tie .uames bs1
1ohliich ttgy~ haze: been registered:
Verify, this seems to be converting
a popular government, of which
f-we&have been sc. justly proud, into
popular farce and we would be
content SO toaconsider it., if it did
not involve the issue Of life and
death to the form of Government
established by our fathers for the
benefit of themselves and their
posterity. If the object Of the
| trainers ofthe Reconstruction Acts
was to degrade the Southern peo-
pie, it is time for them to consider
whether the degradation may not
be brought to their own doors
whether the poisoned cup may not
be returned to their own lips. But
it may be asked, why do not the
the Southern. people accept the
situation and control the negro
element? This question is much
more easily asked: than answered:
In the first place, it may be said
that the influence of the corrupt
and intriguing demagogue, who
will appeal to passion. and preju-
dice, has always been found to be
more powerful with the, excited
and ignorant mob, than the wisest
counsels of the best friends. Be-
sides, the foundation-stone upon
which Republican Government
rests is, that the election franchise
is to be exercised by a free, intellt-
gent and unbiased Judgment; and
whenever it is admitted that this
franchise is to be controlled, or, in
other words, to be made the sub