The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-05-10
REGISTRATION.

headquarters OF tuls bePaituien', " "
itiates the necessary proceedings for the ac-
complishmcnt of.the registration in this State.
The time selected is, we think, judicious'
by the third Monday in July the wheat crop
will have been harvested, and the corn and
cotton crops pretty generally laid aside, and
the gathering Of these Latter crops Will not be
fairly commenced before the close OF the regis
tration. The appointment Of numerous regis
tration boards will enable the voters OF the Dis
tricts to register in their immediate neighbor-
hoods, and thus there will be no unnecessary
interference with the agricultural labor of the
country.
This is great point gained, and we sincere
ly hope that both employers and employed VIII
recognize the advantage of the arrangement,
and while the one affords every facility and en-
couragement to their laborers to register, the
other will not be misled by designing men to
waste their time in gatherings which can, in no
way, facilitate the exercise of their undisput-
cd rights,
We, of course, regret that the registers should
! be required to take the test oath-an oath,
which simply prevents the very class OF men,
who would best discharge this duty to the
whole country, from accepting these offices.
But this is the explicit requirement of the ACT
and the military authority here has no option
but to administer it, All citizens who desire
to fill these offices, and can take the prescribed
oath, can apply for appointment, but they must
be recommended by those officers OF the State
and the United States whose positions give
them the opportunity of knowing their tltness'
and whose characters will give weight to their
recommendations, for as the order says:
at is essential that every Board of Regis
tration should be composed of persons Of re-
cognized consideration and worth, fairly repre-
senting the population, and in whose impair
tiality and capacity the. body of voters in the
county may have just reliance"
With this brief reference to the Order, we
might leave it to the consideration of our
readers; but we feel tia duty to call their at
tention to fact which is implied in the SEN
tence which we have quoted above. And that
fact is that in this Order we are brought face
to face with the practical application of the Re-
construction Act. Up to this time, while
we have accepted, more or less willingly, the
truth that the colored population Of this State
are free citizens thel eof, we have not yet had
the experience of the joint exercise of political
rights: -
But when appointments to the discharge Of
political duties are to be made from citizens
'stairly representing the population, and in
whose impartiality and capacity the body Of
voters in the county may have just reliance"
and when, in many sections, ''the body of
voters consist of the colored voters, what is
the necessary consequence ?.
We may give, by what we are about to say,
offence to many. We may be forcing upon the
practical consideration of sensible men a sub
,ject they would gladly avoid. But to us there
isneither manhood nor wisdom in refusing to
see what lies before our eyes.
= The object Of this registration is to secure
faithful record of the voting population of this
State. Our object clearly ought to be that
these voters, when once ascertained, shall act
together, with confidence in each other, for
the good ofthe.whole State.
Now, circumstances beyond our control have
divided these voters into two classes, Of which
we are the minority in numbers, but the supe-
riors in intelligence, in experience, IN wealth,
in MI that makes political power.
Those who mistrust US out of the State, and
those worse enemies whom we have in the State,
have diligently taught the colored voters of
this State that from us, the white voters of the
State, they cannot expect justice; that we will
ueter yield to them their rights, except under
the pressure of the military government which
controls US.
Here is the first practical opportunity to give
the lie direct to these charges, to prove to the
freedmen that their rights will be respected by
us, that to q common law there shall be COM
mon obedience.
Now, neither the Republican party, which
has passed the Reconstruction Act, nor the
freedmen, who are an1iously watching it's exc
cution, will believe in the impartiality of q re-
gistration which is conducted solely and entire
ly by registers belonging to one class of voters.
Their conduct may be beyond reproach or sus-
picion, but it will be both rcproached and
suspected.
We do not refer to the probability of the ac-
tion Of the military authority, which has the
power of appointment, because we do not know
what it will be- and because we do not wish to
consider it as an clement in this argument.
We do not refer to the fact that, rs very
great proportion of the registered votos will be
colored, it would be necessary to have upon
the Boards men familiar with the voters, whose
better knowledge would act as check upon
frauds.
We take higher grounds than either. We
say that now upon this first occasion which has
offered, we, the white men of this State who
expect to govern this country, and who with
Justice and common sense will govern tive
ought to say to the colored voters Of the State,
it is of Infinite moment to us and to you that
this registration should be fair and full, with
out fraud or suspicion of fraud. Our
intelligence, our long political experience, our
knowledge entities us to the greater
proportion of these appointments. We mean
to administer this law honestly and impartially,
but if there arc among you men who can fulfill
the requirements of the authorities, men ''of re-
coenized consideration and WORTH "fairly
you," and in whose "impartiality
and capacity you have 'just reliance" we
will recognize their right to share this duty
with us, and we will act with them in good faith.
This has been said in special cases already
in others of the Southern States, and we trust
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