Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1867-09-12
HON. BEN HILL AND GEN. GRANT.

Hon. B. 81. HILL, Of Georgia, who has become
quite prominent on account Of the vgor with which
he OPPOSES the Reconstruction Acts is now en-
gagged in writing series of letters addressed to
General GRANT, in reply to the letter OF General
Pope, on the political situation in his District to
which allusion was made in late number Of the
ENQUIRER The Augusta Chronicle and Sent'-
nel of Friday last, publishes the first one Of Mr..
Hills letters, and as itcontains truths which can
not be ignored by any unprejudiced mind, we pre-
sent several extracts for the consideration Of our
readers: r..f
''First then let us ascertain distinctly and cas-
sfy carefully the menin the South who accept these
Military Bills, or profess to accept them, and learn
from them why they accept them. These are they:
l. OEce-holders.- The most active Of these are
Federal oce-holders, and the most active again, OF
these, are those who came or were sent from the
Northern States Among these, it is pleasure to
say, there are some gentlemen forming exceptions
to the rule; but nearly all of these exceptions are
opposed to the Military Bills. Some few among
them know to be gentlemen and who accept the
Bills, but the great body of these officers seem only
intent upon making themselves and the Govern
ment odious to our people. The civil officers Of
the States may be described as quieseent rather
than acq,aescent. A few accept what they are or
dered not to reject
g. Aduentre7s. these mean persons who
never act with any consistency of principles, nor
from any settled convictions of right, nor in any
spirit of devotion to the public good. They are
bred by all revolutions, and, in their turn, breed
the chief horrors of all revolutions They gather
on States in trouble like flies in the room of the
sick. They are always on the strong side, General
They composed the unprincipled portion Of the
Secession party. These are they who committed
the frauds; deceived the people; stirred the pas
sions of the masses; who went into secret societies
with an Indian name, and pledged themselves to
force the State out if the people did not vote it out
These are they who led ''the people into their
present desperate condition. and who seek to plunge
them still deeper into misfortune"
8. Tiuaid nae1-We have among us some good
meaning men. They want peace. So, Heaven
knows, do all of us! Peace! 1t is sweet word !!
Some of our people so long for peace that they
will run after any who cries peace, like hungry
sheep after the man who shakes bundle OF fod-
der never thinking poor creatures, they are beng
led to shearing house or a slaughter pen! So,
some are alarmed with the idea of confscation and
further dsfranchisement "We must take the
best we can get, they say ut is no use to talk
about the Constitution. The Radicals are too
mean to regard that. They don't care for their
oaths. Trey don't care for the Union. They don t
mind johnson. They say if we don't take these
Military Bills they will put on us something worse
and they are mean enough to do it, and the North
ern people don't seem to care They'll take our
lands and every thing else. We had better 60
with them to keep them from running us" Such
are the arguments we hear every day in favor OF
the Military Bills!
f. Policy n,en.-These are of various kinds
Some say it is policy to give suffrage to the ne;
groes, because the Southern whites can control
their votes and disappont the Radicals. Some
say we can seem to So with the Radicals until we
get in the Union and then We can do as we please.
Others say by accepting the Military Bills we can
get control of the Convention oith the right kind OF
men, and form Constitution to suit u.s. or, if we
must form one to suit the Radicals we can after
wards ehange Sga All these RSey sy dns,dS men feel
swear they are not Radicals; they are only going
to trick the Radicals. They are going to beat the
Radicals at their cwn game of deception. They
also insist that the Constitution rs ghost the
Government is gone-tbst the Radical party ls the
only existing government, and we can do more to
destroy it by feeding it than by fighting it.