The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-05-15

Letter from Ex-Goy. Perry.

suaded SIX Or seven years ago, that tbeir
OILY hope of maintaining African slavery
was in the destruction OF the American
Union and the formation Of Southern
Confaderacy. | did not think so, and
raised my warning voice against this ia
tai delusion. | said 10 them that slavery
was-safer in the Uuion than it could he
in separate confsderscy. | told them
that the extinction Of he Union would
tie thas death kn6l Of slavery. They
spurned my counsel, and maGly rushed
into bloody civil war, which ended in
the abolition Of slavery. Now thev are
being persuaded, again, that the only
way to save their lands from the confsca,
ton of Congress, is in adopting the pro.
vision. of'the military bill. giving univer
sal suffrage to the negro, and disfranchis
ing their leading public men,. I. is with
a sad heart that | see Indications, all over
the State. OF preparation to adopt this
second delusion, which will prove more
fatal to the State than the first has beer.
It Is true, they lost, by the fi,st, their pro.
perty in slaves, and involved their counr
try in n long and bloody war, which dos.
oIatcd the State and sacrificed thousands
of their most gallant sons il s true, also,
that they were conquered, and fave been
pIacei under military government. But
now they are going to sacrifice their hon,
or as people and lose their lands into
the bargain They are going to enfran
chiso 10000 black votes and surrender
the political power, r,ofthe State into the
hands Of the negroes The inevitable
result of this -deIusion and criminal folly
will be the establishment Of the mos,
a'rocious government sud horrible state
Of. society that civilized people were ev,
er sui jscted to. .
Already the negro watch cry in Virein.
IA and elsewhere ~. "Lauds for the land
less " "Ilorues for the homeless ~ "Po.
ii'ica' equality to ali men. regardless of
caste or color !" What avail will 10000
white votes have in South Carolina, with
this watch CRY ringing at the polls : I, is
against nature and reason to suppose that
an ignorant and debased majority will
not pursue their own interest, regardless
OF rght, and carry out their wicked pr.
poses, whatever they NAV be. Il is pos
s'ble TO restrain them at frs, before they
acquire Concert Of action. Hence the i'm
pnrtance Of defeating the call OF a con,
venlion at the frs, eIeciien. before this
majority is organized and emboIdened by
agitation and evil counsels. II cannot be
co~trollel afterwards, but wiltmake Sou,h
Carolina political and social pandemo
nium. Is there an instance in the worlds
hiseorr of class OF men invested with
political power, who did not unite to pro;
mote their own interests
Just as sure AS general suffrage is Civ
en- to the negro, in South Carolina, he
will feel his numerical strength, and SOON
e' or later, under the vile lead OF Black
Republican amisaries, seize the political
power Of the State, and exercise it to op,
press and plander the white race. There
are thousands Of unprincipled white men
amongst ia. who will unite their destiny
with the negro for the' sake OF srois and
punder. They will easily be persuaded,
and persuade themselves, that it is right
and proper that :he lands Of the State
should be-lividsd out equally amongst all
Of her citizens. Every one should have
bome--the poor freedman as we'll as
his former rich master. Having the pow,
er in their hands, with this belief. il is
folly and stupidity to suppose they will
not execute il. They mus, serve on 10
riss and bold Office, ride with you and
your wives and daughters in the cars, and
eat w,," you at the hotel, and sit with
YOU in the chbrch. All this, and ten
tmCs nore,you must endure from your
black political masters. And can i, be
that the pride Of Carolina has sunk so
low. and been so degraded, as TO vote for
all this volun,asi'v, ntbs purpose Of get.
ting back into that Union which ber cit
liens professed 10 hate aud despise SO cor.
dial A lew years sincel Are they will
ling to 90 to the pohs ard cast .tseir vote
for a convention, with this destiny s,arin O
them in the face, in order TO save their
lands from confscaiion No. They will
be voting the ultimate confscation OF
their lands and their political rights as
sure as they are voting away their honor
as men and Caroliniana o,..s,.E ,.
There ara in the State only ten Dis
tricrs ou, oi,he thirty in which the White