Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-11-13

from these causes their land has deterlorated
to the extent Of one thousand millions of
dollars-lnaking in the aggregate the enor-
mo Is sum of five thousand millions of dollars.
These overwhelming losses fall exclusively
upon the Southern people. The political
evils complained of will, of course, fall chiefly
upon tie people of the South, but not eIclu
sivcly upon them. Faslen negro supremacy
upon the South, and it must be felt through
all of her relations with the North-whether
commercial, political or social. Should
Northern mau-and how often must such
necessarily be the case-be brought to trial
in the State or Federal courts at tie South,
his life or liberty must be passed upon by
ignorant negro jurors. Should the most
difficult and complicated questions Of proper
ty arise in Southern courts-and how often
must such &c the case, arising from inter.
marriage, inheritance or trade-the cause OF
the Northern man must be decided by the
same ignorant tribunal. Nor is this yet all.
The highest prerogative of government is
the taxing power, and the efforts of the wisest
statesmen have been expended to guard this
great power against abuse. No power has
been more jealousy watched than this. No
power las given rise to so much strife and
bloodsied in the history of the world. The
contest between the mother country and the
colonies originated IN her assumption of the
right to tax without representation. BY the
Reconstruction Acts of Congress, the taxing
power is placed in the hands of those who
own no property, and is taken away from
those who hold the properly and must pay
the taxes. The war that has always e1-
listed between capital an6 labor is decided in
favor of the latter, and the wealth of the
country is prostrated at the feet of those who
have nothing at stake but their daily wages
and their daily bread. How will this power
be exercised? Can it be supposed for mo
ment that it will be exercised in any other
way than TO impose such burdens upon the
taxpayers as will amount. in the end, to
practical confscation of the small remaining
substance Of our people? :? But we must for,
bear. Such are some of the immediate con-
sequences of the Reconstruction Acts upon
the people Of the South and upon the whole
country.
We have said, and we repeat, that we de-
sire peace; but the policy now proposed can
not give US peace. 1t is contrary to tho voice
of reason and the law of nature. Instead OF
peace, under the Reconstruction Acts, we
Shall have strife and bitterness. Instead Of
the South recovering from her poverty, and
contributing her share to the common wealth
and prosperity Of the country, she will be
come lnvre and more impoverished. q The
blight of misrue will cut short her harvests
and dry up her resources. The law Of vio-
leuce, which 'hss prevailed for more than two
years in reconstructed Tennessee, will extend
its sway throughout the entire South, and we
shall reap. like her, the harvest Of crime and
blood multiplied two fold.
We have shown that free negro labor, un-
der the sudden emancipation policy of the
Government, is disaster from which, under
the most favorable circumstances, it will re
quire years to recover. Add to this the poll
cy which the Reconstruction Acts propose to
enforce, and you place the South, politically
and socially, under the heel of the negro
these Influences combined would drag to hope
less ruin the most prosperous community in
the world What do these Reconstruction
Acts propose? Not negro equality, merely
but negro supremacy. In the name, then, oi
humanity to both races-in the name of citi-
GeRSHlp unuer tne CouSlltutlon-ln the natne
of common history in the past-in the name
of our Arglo.Saxon race and blood-in the
name Of the civilization of the nineteenth cen
tury-n the name of magnanimity and the
noble instincts OF manhood-in the name OIL
God and nature, NC protest against these Acts
as destructive to the peace Of society, the
prosperity of the country, and the greatness
and grandeur of our common future.
The peor' of the South are powerless to
've~' H. impending ruin. We have been
c, ,ruorue and the responsibility to posteri-
ty and to the world has passed iptoI Iether