Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-06-29
ny REQUEST.
From thSesNewbe Herald

paper gave d brief notice. of some Of the
points of .yourIlate lotter, which Isaddrcssed
to thu Editors. now address you, because
4 I prefer The use of the second person: to that
y Of tlie third, when eithcr one Or tho ,othor is
to be. repeated. will also adopt tho singular
number Of tho personal pronoun, and hence.
forth it will be-, "you" and I" l."
You have undertaken in these letters to ar
raign, not I, few persons, nor particular class,
but whole people, and to put them on trial
for tho highest political crime,-thc betrayal
of their country. In making tho charges
you have thus preferred, you have exhibited
your true character of bodncss
You have taken no pains to qualify your
words, or to soften the epithets which you
have applied to your political adversarics
Those with whom you differ in opinion you
charge with no less. crime than treason to
the State. =.
In your first letter you say" But now
they (meaning as the context shcws, the pco-
pie Of South Carolina) are going to sacrifice
their honor as people and lose their lands in
the bargain They arc going to enfranchisc
10000 black voters, and surrender the politi-
3sieal power pf the State into the hands Of the
gain siins your second letter yoi, say
30 Strange to say that there are many persons in
the Southern States whose high sense of honor
would not let them adopt the Constitutional
amendment, who are now urging the people
to voluntarily swallow the military bill, re-
gardless of honor, principle, or consistency.
am happy to know that they we're secession
lists and never were Union men,"
In your third letter you say furthcr-tt In
order to hasten their return, they .(tho people
of South Carolina) arc not only willing to
;give up all the rights Of their State, all con-
stitutional and republican principles and self
government, but to transfer the government,
of their once proud aud chivalric State into
the hands Of the negroes"
Aud at the conclusion of your third letter,
you make the announcement-"A A rebcl re-
luctant and unwilling 1 did become. My
father was one in '76. But traitor never
eau be-" The italics are your own.
nov put the question toyou, if the Ian
guage which you have here used, and applied
to you personally; if you were denounced as
atraitor.and your conduct characterized as be.
ing "rcgardlcss Of honor, principle, or con-
sstency," how would you take it If you
could recall few years, | feel quite sure that
you would resent the insult with "stcrncr
stuff" than mere paper missiles. Why then
did you SO far forget the rules of legitimate
controversy, the language OF politencss and
good breeding, the dignity of your position as
an Ex-Governor and quasi United States Sen
ator, as to speak thus of your political oppo.
nents and of tho people of South Carolina
Surely sir, you lost your accustomed equanim-
ity and scf-control when you were engaged in
penning these phillipics. Or will you leave
us to imagine, that you claim for yourself
with limpunity what you please about others !;
that you have the right to hold others to scorn
and contempt, while they have no right to
hurl back upon you your own words? Did
it not occur to you that either pe2ple befidss
for themselves, without having their honor.
motives, or character assailed Are you and
your opinions to be set up as the only model
and test Of honor? Is Gov Perry, par ex-
cellencc, Chevalier de Bayard, while all
others are admirers of Sir Johns better
part Of valor"? Is every man who has the
hardihood to differ with yod, or to advise
course of political conduct which meets
with your disapproval to be denounced as a
trintor to the interests of the State MS acting
"regardless of honor" ? If so, then I re-
tract all that | have said, and dismiss from my
mind all that have thought, about your ar.
rogancc and sclf.sufficicncy
But I join issue with you upon the facts which
you state You have misrcprcseutcd those
who differ with you as to the true policy to be
pursued by the people Of South Carolina at
this important iuncture of affairs. do not
say that you have done it deliberately These
charges were not made by you in the heat of
debate, and when you were hurried away by
tho swelling tide of your own cloquenco; Il
so you might:bo excused. On the contrary,
they were made with cool preparation, in the
closet, perhaps in nights still hours, when
thought and feeling are generally sobered and
tempered by reason and judgments and you
have reiterated them in several communica-
tions. They must therefore be taken as your
we'll considered opinions at least, as charges
which you arc willing to stand by.
You do not make good by proof any charge
that you have made. Naked assertions in
"Jupiter tonans" style, are the great wcap-
ons you WELD. What proof have you adduced
to show, that the people of South Carolina
Gin order to hasten their return Ito the
Union) are not only willing to give ur all the
rights of their State" &c., "but to transfer the
government of their once proud and ohivaric
State into the hands of the negroes" How
dare you make such an imputation upon no.
bic and gallant people, who during many long
years tolerated what they conceived to be your
political heresies, and havelatcly honored you
and sought to confide to yomr keeping their
dearest interests. Who is willing to do what