The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-05-16
Ntl..'5lsS
Suffering In South Carolina!

Il
The New York Herald sf the 4th.
publishes communication from Gov.
ernor Orr, accompanied BY abstracts of
letters addressed TO Re.. VIM. Martin.
of Columbia, who had issued circuiss..
calling for information in regard to the
extent Of the dexiiiutiou prevailing In
different parts Of the Stste. These ab.
s'facts, which We publish this morning,
lall tale Of wide spread and al, bst
hopeless destituiion, such as the world
has not heard Of since. the famine in
Ireland twenty years ago. 80 sai
The appeal which Ia made TO the bu-
manity Of the country by this mere
statement. is generously aud heartily
endorsed by the Herald. :. ., -
But While we acknowledas the kind.
ness with which tbi. has been done. and
secognize the relief which in many in
stances has been afforded by The exer,
else Of Northern charity, there, 10 a
truth conisined in this statement which
we would impress upon our Nor, hem
friends. Tha, trnth Is that this desti.
tuition and .uffering /, the Direct result
Of the political agitation of the last two
yesrs. .... - ..'.s ~. !. -. -. (.
When the war closed throughout the
South. there was universal preparations
to 90 to work. and il one half Of The
land tha, could have been planted had
been cultivated. If one half of the ener.
gy which could have been exercised had
been employed. there would have been
but comparatively little deslitu,inn, and
10 where any possibility Of starvation.
w hat prevented i'll The unheces-
sary and mischievous agitation in Con.
gress, or II It is a fairer statement, the
unfortunate difference between Con-
g'ess and the Executive. What the
South wanted was capitsl-capitHI 10
buy mules, To supply provisions. to nay
the wages Of freedmen who had no:h-
ing but those wages TO depend UPON
There was ample security for such capt.
tai. and for large and sure returns Of
Interest upon its uss. And this capital
would have come but for the constant
threats Of cnnfiscation and the uncer-
tain political status of the Staies in
which such capital was needed. What
wise man. seeing the influence of Mr.
Stevens, and listening to the declarations
at coming vengeance. "a little mild
confi.cation punishment fist, and then
quiet" would have veniured his capital
in property which might be snatched
| from his debtor.
Then, too. The widest theories and
| the most foolish theorists on the subject
Of negro labor we're all powerful. Ii
seemed al one time "a if the Democrat
ic party had resolved that no freedman
should ba permitted TO labor; that the
whole Of the present generation were
TO be secured in the employ ment Of
perpetual holiday.
And in this State The monstrous INF.
qniiy of ;he confscation Of the Sea Is
land lands demolished labor through
one Of the richest and most productive
sections Of the State, while induce
ments, the most delusive but the most
attractive, were offered in other sections
to persuade the laborers to enigrate.
And both Of these are still at work.
Violent and extreme men are still
threatening conf-ca,ion, and even such
= Democrat rs Mr.. Brooks shows his
love for the South by the declaration
that he would sooner trust capital in
Hayti than in the Southern States.
The condition Of things, however, 10
improving, and we would say TO the
Herald and all other papers or indiVid-
uals who would prevent the recurrence
OF such suffering. thar the surest way
il to pnt an end 10 the political agita.
ton which is consequent upon the un-
settled ststu. Of tlis South, and 10 dis
courage and contradict the thousand
wild and wicked rumors with which
the Northern press teens. that persons
and capital seeking employment in the
South run unusual risks. Tie truth 10
just The reverse, and. much as we have
suffered. Mr Stevens speeches and Mr..
Ste, ems policy, by creating and foster
ing this distrus;, have deprived North.
ern capitalists of more certain and
larger profits than have been offered to
investments for many vears in this
county, Charleston Netos.