Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-05-21

wonderful change In the public sentiment OF
South Carolina. And it is melancholy to see
! the people-a proud, gallant people scared in
| to their own ruin and degradation by the false
cry of confscation, like the sconsumptive luna
tic, who had such terror of death that he but
ted his brains out against the walls of his cell
| to avoid it. In order to save our lands from
| Congressional confscation, we are persuaded to
| let the negroes parcel them out amongst them
selves.
| Let no one charge me with disloyalty to the
| American Union, or infer from what I have
| said, that am not in favor OF reconstructing
the Union of the States My whole political
| life has been spent in fighting tor the Union,
and trying to ward Oft that fell spirit OF dsunlOn
which has brought all these unnumbered woes
upon South Carolina wish to see the Union
restored under the Constitution. [ know the
| American people never can be free and happy,
great and prosperous, without the Federal Uni
on; but [ will never degrade myself or my
State, or surrender my constitutional rights or
| Republican principles, to get back into the Uni
on. [ will live under military Government,
| no matter how absolute and despotic it may be,
and bequeath it to my children, sooner than
! vote a negro Government for South Carolina,
which every man will do who votes for Con
| vention.
It is source of proud satisfaction to me to
Mississippi, Governor jenkins, Of Georgia,
| Governor Worth, of North Carolina, and Gov
ernor Marvin, Of Florida, who never ceased their
opposition to the spirit of disunion till the Uni
! on ceased to exist, standing firmly, and breast
| ing the storm of tyranny, oppression and deg
| radiation which has been hurled at them, whilst
| leading secessionsts and disunionists are coun-
selling the people to their own degradation and
destruction, for the purpose of getting back In
| to the Union; and in order to accomplish their
| purpose, holding up to their view the raw
| head and bloody bones of confscation. Such
counsel comes with bad grace from those who
boasted at the beginning of our civil or section
| al war, that they had drawn their swords and
thrown away the scabbards determined to die
or live separate from the vile accursed Yankee
nation.
Let no one charge me, either, with unkind-
ness to the African race | have always been
| their friend and protector, and as they show
themselves capable of exercing the right OF suf-
| frage by their intelligence and property, L am
willing to concede the right to them. But |
am not willing, in their present debased and
| degraded condition, to throw the political pow
er Of the State into their hands. | know the
| result will be disastrous, both to them and the
white race. 1t will end in a bloody contest of
determination to one race or the other. In
very few of the Northern States are the negroes
allowed to vote, where they have only few
| and they are far superior to those IN the South
ern States 1t is monstrous that the represen-
tatives of those States in Congress should at
tempt to force US to yield the right of universal
suffrage to the negro, when they refuse it to
him themselves
There is no danger Of confscation by Con-
gress. The members OF that body may not be
superior to the negro in honesty, but they have
% me n q
lands They will get none Of them. A man is
not as likely to rob or steal for another as for
himself. But is it not better to be robbed and
plundefed by Congress than by Convention OF
South Carolina? AS wicked as Congress is,
the members may have some regard for the
opinion of the world. They may, too, have
some apprehension of agrarianism at home.
greatly fear there are many white persons
in South Carolina who will vote for Conven-
ton, under the hope of its repudiatlng the IN
debtedness OF the State. This class may inhu
ence the negro vote to unite with them, and
then, in return, they can unite with the negro
In parcelling out the lands Of the State. One
step leads to another. Stay law first-repudla-
ton next; and then follows division of lands
and an equal appOrtionmento of property amongst
all persons. And last Of all, the honest, hard
working, industrious and prudent class must
support the idle, dissipated, extravagant and
rogulsh class
Who cares to be represented in Congress by
negroes, Black Republican Or perjured South
erners? All others are excluded by ''the iron
clad oath" And this is the great boon South
Carolina is to receive for her voluntary aban-
donment of honor, and principle, and constitu
tional liberty? We are to be represented in
Congress by men whom we despise. and who
will only increase the Black Republican major
ity in that body; whilst at home we shall have
a Legislature composed of negroes and their vile
representatives!
Congress has left it discretionary with the
people of South Carolina whether to call a Con-
vention or not. They have ordered registra
ton of voters and an election, and authorize ev
cry one to endorse on bis ticket Convention"
or ''No Convention Therefore let every man
who is not disfranchised, as he values his life,
and honor, and property, and the peace of So
ciety, go forward and register his name. and
then vote at the election, endorsing on his
ticket "No Convention In this way alone,
can we maintain our honor, preserve the peace
of society, prevent black suffrage and division
of lands among>tthe negroes.
B. T. PERRY.