The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-11-21
LANCASTER @. H., S. c., Nov, 81, 1867.

up and say 81 am the State" Any as.
sembly Of men may, for a season, arrogate
to themselves all power-execu,ive, legis-
lstive and judicial. But the question re
ours, is this tato, or is this usurpatiou p
Is this good governmsnt, or is it revolu.
toni Mere physical force is not law
1t may compel obedience, but it cannot
give TO it's acts the sanction OF law, unless
it be in those countries where the will Of
an absolute despot is the recognized law
OF the land.
To admit that the war has established
such a power in the United States, is to
admit that all constitutional government
is at an end, and that as States, or as in
diriduals, we held our life, liberty and
property at the will and pleasure Of any
majority, which, for the time being, may
hold the power. Such, to day, may be
practically the condition Of ten States Of
the American Union. But are we pre-
pared to endorse these proceeding and
engrsft so monstrous a proposition into
our government poltyl That is the
question ,ha, the people of the North as
well as the South are called upon to con-
slider! The great objsct Of laws, Of con
sututlons, and Of government, is to protect
the weak against the strong-to shield
minoritles against the encroachment of
m"jorities. 1t is political aphorsm tha.
majority can protect Itself. Actin: by
the sheer exercise of arbitrary power, a
majority may, for time, set at naught
all laws within these Sta,es-it NAV en-.
force an obedience to military DEGREES,
from which there is no appeal-it NAV
administer purely military government
according to its own will, and as such, il
must be obeyed. Bot when we are called
upon to ssnction such government AS be,
ing in accordance with the Constitution
and the laws. we have a right to test the
question according to the rule proposed,
and to withhold our assent. We admit
, the fact that martial law exists in South
Carolina but we do not admit the prin
, cipIe that martial law has the right TO
( impose civil government upon us with
, out our consent. Far be il from us to
raise factious opposition to the Recon,
s,ructon Acts Of Congress. We believe
that those Acts and tho measures they
propose are destructive, not only TO our
constitutional rights, but to our socia!
, peace. With us It is not question OF
party, nor Of political power. We care
nothing for these things. We are quite
willing tina. others should enjoy all the
honors, all the emoluments Of office, all
.he pomp and circumstance Of place
What we desire is peace-no. the sem
blance Of peace, but the substance OF
, peace-peace a. our own fresides and
throughout all our borders We desire
peace to enable US to build up our waste
places, our temples Of worship, our sacked
and ruined cities, now lying in ashes, our
disman,led dwellings and our PROSTATE
credit. We desire peace for its own sake
for its holy Christian influence, and for
the civilization and refinement which
spring up in its path.
Do the Reconstruction Act. ofConpress
) propose to give us this psscei No, thev
, give US war and anarchy, rather. They
SOW the seeds Of dIscord in our midst, and
place the bes, interest Of society into the
} hands Of an ignorant mob. They dis.
franchise the white citizen and enfrancbiss
the newly emsncipated slave. The slave
; OF yesterday, who knew no law but the
will Of the master. is to dav about TO be
invested with the control OF the Govern.
ment. In all popular Governments, the
two great sources Of power may be traced {:
ls,. To the exercise OF the ballo.. cd. To
the franchise Of the jurybox Invest any
, people with these two great powers, and
: they have at once the government OF the
country in their hands. By the Recon.
struction Acts Of Congress, these powers
are conferred upon the negro.-he can
} make and unmske the Constitution and
the laws, which he will administer accord
ing to the dictates Of others, or bis own
caprice.
We are not unfriendly to the negro {;
on the contrary, we know tha, We are his
best friends. While be occupied the po
sition Of slave, he was protected by the
laws, according to his condition in life.-
Aud now ihst he has been made free, we
, are not only willing to confer upon him
every civil right, but to protect him in the
full and free enjoyment OF those rights