The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-11-16
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South, and it must be felt through all her rcla-
tions with tho North-whcther commercial,
political or social. Should Northern man
and how often must necessarily be the casc-
DO brought to, trial i'll the State or Federal
courts at the South, his life or liberty must be
passed upon by ignorant negro jurors. Should
shc most. difficult and complicated questions of
property arise in Southern courts-und how Of
ten must such bcthc,,casc, arising from intcr-mar-
ringe, Inheritance or trade-the cause of the
Northern man must be decided by tho same iy-
norant tribunal. Nor is this yet ALL The
highest prerogative of government is the
taxing power, and the efforts of the wiscst
statesmen have been expended to guard this
great power against abuse. No power has been
more jcalously watched than this No power
has given rise to SO much strife and bloodshcd
in the history of the world. The contest BE-
tween the mother country and the colonies
originated i'll her assumption of the right to
tax without representation. BY tho Recon-
struction Acts of Congress, the taxing power is
placed in the hands of those who own no pro-
perty, and is taken away from those who hold
the property and must pay the taxes. The
war that has always existed between capital
and 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 sup
posed for moment that it will bc exercised
in any other way than to impose such burdens
upon the Taxpayers as will amount, in the end,
to practical conGscation of the small remaining
substance Of our people? But We must for
bear. Such are some Of the immediate cotlsc-
qeunces of the Reconstruction Acts upon the
people Of the South and upon the whole coun-
Try.
-, We have said and VIC repeat, that ,so desire
peace but the policy now proposed cannot
igiyo ilg , Us peace It is contrary to the voice of
reason and the law. of nature Instead of
the South recovering from her poverty. and
contributing her share to the common wealth
i and prosperity Of the country, she will become
more and moro impoverished The blight Of
snitrule will cut short hpr harvcsts and dry up
hcr resources Tho law'of violence, which has
prevailed for more than two yopra in recon1,rnc,
fed Tennessee, will extend its sway throughout
the entire South, and we shall reap like hor,
the harvest Of crime and blood multiplied two
told.
..ct, We have shown that free negro labor, under
the sudden emancipation policy of tho Govern
fYan 10 I'll H.,
favorable circumstances, it will require years
70 recover. Add to this the policy which tho
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 hopeless ruin the most
prosperous community in the world What
do these Reconstruction Acts propose? Not
negro equality merely, but negro supremacy.
oIp the name then of humanity to both races
in the name of citizenship under the Constitu
,tlon-in the name of common history in the
7Past-ln the name Of or Angln-Saxon luco
and biood-in the name Of the civilization of
the nineteenth ccntury-in the name of mag
3nanimity and the noble instincts of manhood
lin the namo of God and nature, we protest
against these Acts, as destructive to the peace
of society, the prosperity OF the country and
tho greatness and grandeur of our common fu
turc
q. The people of the South arc powcrcss to
avert the impending ruin. We have been
ovcrborne; and the responsibility to postcrity
and to the world has passed into other hands.