Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-05-11

-. ''N!' "S W 20 to tue polls ana cast
their vote for convention, with this destiny
staring them in the face. in order TO save their
lands from confscntcn? No. They will hc
voting the ultimate coniiscation Of their lands
and their political rights ms surely as thew are
voting away their honor as men and Carolip.
iuns.
There arc in the State only ten Districts
out of the thirty in which the white voters
are in the majority, and these Districts arc
the smallest consequently two. thirds and
more of the convention mny he negroes or
Black Republicans. Tie Legislature will he
similarly composed. DO the people of South
Carolina really think Of these CONSEQUENCES,
or arc they prepared to accept them Better
thousand times let Congress eonscatc your
i"ndS than entail such degradation and mise.
ry ON yourselves and postcrity Do your du-
~, and leave the consequences to God Act
''Ke men and Car"lininns. Declare hy voting
against convention, that you will never voun.
thrl'y y'cld the right OF self government. and
place yourselves under the control of your for
mcr slaves. Bcttcr--fur bcttcr--to remain
IS you arc, under the military rule of your
conInerors, and await their returning $, nsc of
Justice feel assured that nothing but mis-
taken appeal to base fear, and that dastnraly
virtue, called prudence, could have wrought 50
wond ariul change in the public sentiment
of South Carolina. And it is melancholy to
Sc" the rcople-a proud, gallant people
scared into their own ruin and DEGRADATION by
the false cry of confiscaton, like the consumn
'iv" lunatic, who had such terror of death
Tint he buttcd bis brains out auainst the wall.
ot his cells to avoid it. In order to save our
lands from Congressional coniscation. we arc
persuaded to let tue negroes parcel t!,,m out
amongst themselves.
Let n" one charge ne with ,lis!oyal,y tn The
American Union, or infer from what have
said. that am not in favor of rcconsructin.
the Union of the States. Nv whole political
nc BIS hcc" spcnt in fighting for the Union,
and trying to ward off that fell sriti: Of dis
union which has brought all these unnumbcr.
rd woes upon South Carolina. wish to see
the Onion restored under tho Constitutions
l Know the Amcriccn people never can he
tree anu happy. great and prosperous, without
tue Federal lni"n; but will never degrade
myself, or my State, or Snrrcpier my copsti
tutlon"i rights or Republican principles, to
get back into the Union. | will live under
military government, no matter how absolute
aud despo,ic it may be, and bcqucath it to my
children. so"rcr than vote negro govern
mcnt for South Carolina, which every man
il is a source of proud satisfaction to me 20
gee such Union men as Governor Sharkey, Of
Mississippi, Governor .jc,kins OF Gcnruiu,
Coy. Worth. Of North Carolina and Gov
Marvin, of Flurdn, who never craScd their
opposition to The sriri, of d;sunion till the
mon cc"sed to exist, standing firmly, aud
hrcasting the storm of tyranny, oppression and
degradation Which has bcen hurled ut them,
whilst leading scccssionists and disunionists
are connc ling Tie people to their own tl,.r,-
dntnn and destruction, for the r,,rrnsc oc nrt.
ting in'ck into the Ininn; and in order to
accomplish their purposes. holding up to their
view the 4" raw head and bloody bones" Of
-nnli>cntrn Such counsel comes with bad
grace from those who bn,*tcd, at the begin.
ming Of our civil or sectional war, that they
had drnwn their swnrds and thrown away the
Scabhnrt!S determined to die or live separate
from the vile, acrurScd Yankee nation
Let no one charge me, either, with unkinl
ness to tho African race. have always been,
their friend and protector, and rs they show
themselves capable Of exercising the right Of
suffrage. by their intelligence and property,
| am willing to conccdc the right to thcm-
But am not willing in their present debascd
and degraded condition, to throw the political
power of the State into their hands. | know
the result will be disastrous. both to them and
the white race. 1t will end in bloody con-
test OF determination to one race or the other
| very few OF the Northern States, are the
negroes allowed to vote, where they have only
few, aud they far superior to those in the
Southern States. 1t is monstrous, that the
representatives Of those States, in Congress-
should attempt to force us to yield the right
of universal suffrage to the negro, whom they
refuse it TO him themselves.
There is no danger of conGscaton by Con-
srcss The members of that body mny not
be superior to tho negro in honesty. but they
have not the same motive to vote a division Of
| the land. They will get none of them. A
man is not so likely to rob or steal for another
as for himself But is it not better to be rob
bed and plundcrcd by Congress than by con-
vention of South Carolina? AS wicked as
Congress is, the members may have somc re-
gard for tho opinion Of tho world. They may,
too, have some apprehension of agrarianisn
at home.
| I greatly fear there nrc manv white nersonn