Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-11-02
p O T. 7 i I @ a IL
Suffrage for the Blacks.

Under this caption, the F" New York Times
OF the 10Th, has the following remarkable ar.
tlcle, which argues that tho States themselves
should regulate the question Of suffrage and,
moreover. shows the Inconsistency of the
Democratic party on the question
wade Hampton adhcrrs TO the opinion he
expressed some tune since. Tint negroes in
the Honthern States should be recognized os
citizens, and admitted to the snflra.ye. he
octievcs that such course would contrihu,c
largely to the peace and prosperity of the
whole community. He thinks, however tbnt
fthis should be done by the State and nor Inv
Congress, and that suffrage for both whites
5nd blacks should be made TO dcpend u,nn
scharacter and intelligence.
r We do not doubt ttat the thinking men of
the South generally concur in this opniou.--
There is much less Of mere prejudice against
the negro in the South than aninnr certain
CLASSES in the North F~en before the aholi-
tionrOf Slavery, negroes were su1e III Dctter
personal treatment from Southern people than
from Northern. The South very naturally
objects to universal sufiraac, because they
know very we'll that the great body of the
negroes are utterly unqualified for that
thcv know nothing whatever nf the questions
y.
they will inevitably become tools in the hands
of demagoeuca. But there can be very little
doubt that if Mr.. Linculn had lived, or if the
policy Of reconstruction which he devised
and favored had been carried out, negroes
would have been allowed 70 vote IN nearly if
not quite all the Southern States, lust as fast,
as they might have become qualified so to do.
lie himself recommended it, as did also Mr..
Jahnson when he succeeded to the office +;
aud the general sentiment Of the intelligent
political leaders OF the South was decidedly
Ia favor Of it. The shallow prctcncc that
this IL the white mans governments" aud
that none but white men should ever have
any share in making the laws and choosing the
rulers which are all required to obey, died
with slavery anong all sensible aud rcilrctins
men, South, as well AS North and it has been
reserved for the Democratic Bnurhons of the
present day to revive il and make it the basis
of their political creed.
thought to he rrmcni hcrcd. moreover thn,
! the adoption Of n'vrrs i nce,u suffrage. ho,l
in the District Of Columbia aud t|,rnu.hnn
the South. liz due directly to the Democratic
representatives IN the last Congress- a largo
majority of the Republican party decided il,
caucus against il: : and when it was p,opcscr
in Congress to establish Intelligence MS n aual
ification for negro suffrage in the District q
Columbia. the Democrats voted with the cX
. trcne radculs against it, and thus secured il.
defeat.
Universal negro suffIngc. with II disfmn
chisement Of the great body of the whites
forced upon the Southern States by nitar,
power, and Leading in nearly all hose State
to the absolute supremacy of the negroes il
the Government must of necessity be odiou
and intolerablc to the white inhabitants
Even if forced to consent to it., such stcl
must implant in their minds the most bite
resentment toward those by whom the bio,
has been inflicted It's direct tendency, more
over, is to array the blacks md whites agains
each othcr-to make each feel that the othc
is his enemy, and thus to sow the seeds of FIJI
ture collisions and hntrcds between the tw
races. If the work had been done by th
people of those States themselves, tho resu
would have been different That it mus
have been done sooner or later is certain
The negroes in allSouthern States are so n,
merous, the capital and industry of tho sout
are 80 dependent upon them, that their at
mission to the suffrage would very soon b,
7, como absolutely indispensable to the safety ,
y Southern society; and tho Southern white
would have consulted their own interests quit
ka oas mach as those of the blacks, by bringin
Ssthemi in as.rapidly as possible to the cxercis
0frpolitical power ''y'' Z
The violent and arbitrary manner in shic
Congress has seen fit to scttIc this questio
ts unquestionably ono very powerful oleme
IN the rcccnt rcvcrscs which the Republicc