Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-05-15
From the Columbia phoo, tx.
Convention or no Convention.

from ex-Governor B. +. Perry. winch, oi
course, will be generally read lnt. ut the
same time, We must be permitted 10 send
firth with it to our readers our own conv;c-
tions in relation TO tue question discussed
and the arguments ihe writer has brought
forward to sustain his position. e take is
sue with him. both as regards his arguments
and the conclusions d-duced thereirom. we
sincerely regret that Gov. Perry has tslt 1t 10
be his duty, as n man prominent in The coun'
ellis of this State for many years, to attempt
to make this issue before tue people. We
consider it unfortunate, IN every spect, tia'
such an issue should be made at time when
it is uttery futile-an issue which: even II Sc
riouslv considered aud the position OF Its
originator endorsed by q portion OF the peo
ple, can only b productive OF useless and
damaging tiiscord, where perfect unity Is de-
,;rahl:. As matters Eow stand ip this State,
=, far as our observation extends, the people
seen, determined to comply with the provi
s;ons of III. bill commonly called the Recon
struc:ion Act, ani which. until its provisions
are complied with, subjects them TO militia
~ government
We will p,ss over the Governors rciteTa-
tiou o. his own consistency in political lie
oll almi. il; ,.nd although that uniform,
raj ,ht- forward course throughoutw most
iy at variance with the political tenets "i Tie
people Of South Carolna and the teachings
oi her great leadesS, yet his sremarkable adhe
sion to his hetcredox opinions, 50 called,
always attracted general attention. If not ad-
niraiion. We viii also torbeer comments on
the implied cgotism, in the assumption that
he foresaw and predicted all the dire evils
which followed secession for that the results
of the la,e copfct happened to give him a
right to the claim of true prophet of evil,
cannot be denied. But suppose tEcse results
had been oherwise-Supposc the South had
been able to successfully MAINTAIN the cause
she so maufully eSpoused, and escaped all
those evils, ''loss of property IN slaves, the
absorption or destruction OF other property.
and thousand other ills which the desoia
ting storm of war hcaped upon her-wlIa,
then? was q suppo>able case, and had The
supposilion been verified, We imagine We
would have heard nothing OF the Governor.
nntoward prophecy. As it might have been
then, SO is it now, only e little more So Then
men who were possessed OF tha. " dasta,dly
Yltue called prudence" (we use Governor
perry's own words,) in the discretion Which
that virtue teaches aud enjons, clearly saw
that the United States was great nation,
With bouudless resources at home and abroad L;
aud that-using a homcly phrase-the poor
South stood no chance in struggle with her
therefore their gloomy. pfognostications
Nou, when ell their representations have
been fulfilled; now, when the South, through.
perhaps, that same "das!ardly virlue'-but
we won't say what cause-feels that she made
a mistake, and her prominent leaders confess
that she did make grand mistake, and con.
sequent'y urge upon her to retrace her steps,
aud take tie only coarse left her to retrieve
her error-they are told that their counsels
are .appeals to base fear"-such men as
Generals Lee, Deauregard. Longstreet and a
host ci others can afford to stand that, how
eyer-and to hear the policy the, command de-
nounced as "criminal folly,'" +" delus;oa," dc.
We appeal from Governor Perry. invested as
he is with lifelong devotion to tic Union, to
the pc;ple of South Carolina, and ask them if
there is any just cause for such denunciations
of the couusels of their tried and trusted
leaders, who, after doing all-with the gallant
cooperation OF their people-that men could
do to maintain the cause they had cspoused,
and failed, now advise them to return to their
allegiance to that Government which they had
renounced, and to that Union they had vain
ly essayed to dissolve. No The counsels
are those of manhood, courageous endurance,
and we may add, under our present political
condition, of craftsmanship whilst the other
coUrse-fruitess carping. cavilling and snari-
ins, and the policy urged. inaction-leads to
bnt one inevitable result. the utter annihila-
tion OF the status of Sonth Carolina as State.
the entire disfranchisement Of her people, and
it may be and probably will be-not the fig
ura,iye spectre of . the raw head and bloody
bones" of confiscation introduced by the Gov.
ernor-but the actual fact, brought, in the
most indsputable mode, to the homestead and
plantation or farm of every mau in the State.
A calm reyiew of the legislation of the ma
iority in Congress, for the past two years, will
sustain US in this conviction, If the people re.
fuse, or negatively reject, by inacion, the
terms Of reconstruction proposed to them.
But we pass on to The so called arguments
of the writer cf this extraordinary letter,
which he adduccs to sustain his position. The
specious and. at one time, very popular ap
peals to the State pride, ETC.. of Caroiinians-
at that time, however, very much decricd by
Governor Perry and his few followers in this
Sta.e-are not arguments, md are scarcely
worthy of attention. When Gov. Perry tells
the citizens of this State that, by complying
with the requirements Of law ,hey have ne
power TO resist, "thcy are going to sacrifice
their honor as people, when he asks this
question of the people, while acting under
these requirements. can it be, that the pride
cr Carolina has sunk so low and been so de-
graded ?r and when hc tells them that, by so
doing, they are ' voting away their honor as
men and Caroiinians,' we are bewildered. if
not astounded, for the moment, and begin TO
thinl. We are wrong, and that our counsel and
exh&tations are mischicvous, if not traitor
Gus. to the State. But when We turn to the
conduct of such man as Robert +. Lee,
when he surrendered his gallant army; and
when we reflect on his course and the authen
tica,e.l expression of his opinions on the po
litical situation since when we read the de-
l;bera.e and ,statesman.liEe views Of such tried
men as Generals Beauregard, Hampton,
Loncstrect and many other OF the military
leaders of the Southern people, who have
been tried and not .' found wanting;' aud
when, in addition to these, we have tue per-
sisten, and urgent counsel of large mum
ber of distinguished leaders in the field of
Southern politics, men of talent, ard expe-
rience, we are consoled by the reflection that
we are in good company, and that, if we are
6 counseling the people to their own degrada.
tion and ruin" (the Governors words again.
we are doing so in concert With some OF the
brnvest ard purest men, whom not only the
South, but the whole country, can boast oil.
But. before we leave this flippant talk-we
nse the word with due respect-.about sacri-
ice of honor, voluntary degradation. and all
,,a. which the no-convention" men SO glib
" indulge in, we beg leave to call the atten-
ton of Gov. Perry, and al those who think
frop, lotion