Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-05-18
PlcKESs G. H., s. G., SATURDAY, MAY 1s, 1s
The True Basis of Action.

State as in Virginia:
Our newspapers and our people should all
be united, and should advocate the rcdcmp-
ton of Virginia by all Nrsinians, of what
ever color, or party antcccdents aud political
crecds. Our interests are the snme-our OBJ.
| legations aud duties Identical When we sec
our common country impcrllcd by dissensions
among ourselves, we show more selfshncss
than patriotism Dy continuing thcm-a blind
seltishncss, too, that promises no good to any
body--a pcrverse wilfulncss for which no jus.
t!fication cnp be offered We are al under
the military law, aud by uniting and co ope.
rating ny sensible people should, We can get
from under that law; escHrc disfmnchsemcnt
and confiscation; get sclfgovcrnmcnt, and be
| placed in practical relations with the General
Government Every rejecting man must
| know that, if the white people keep to tl;rm.
selves, vote against Convention, and defeat
1t, when Congress again assemblies, it will pass
another bill more stringent than the present,
under which the handful of loyal" whites
ana blacks will be authorized to hold Con
vcntion and frame Constitution whose nc
ccptancc hy Congress will be certain. Not
only this, l.ut that all Of us who shall have
voted against a Convention will he marked
| Tor perpetual disfranchiscment and for coufis-
cation.
| But suppose the whites keep together, vote
| tor Convention, and maintaining a separate
organization, nominate their own peculiar can
dldatcs. elect tLcm excluding all other rep.
rcscntntivcs, frame Constitutions and then
still maintaining their separate organization,
elect Governor, Judges, Legislature, and
all State "ilccrs-supposc all this is douc, will
Congress rt'iy this work when it learns that
the original Union men and the negroes have,
| ny our refusal to act with them. and by means
OF our majority, been studiously and entirely
excluded from participation and representa-
| ton We shall not further elaborate these
points, but ieaye them tnr the reflection of
our readers, with the single remark that Con-
J grcss will not, i'll our judgment, accept any
such work if opposed by the so-callcd "loyal"
whites and the blacks. as opposed it most GER
tainly would be- Ii We selishly exclude those
clements, Congress will exclude us.
Our duty is plain 1t is to unite with all
men who can be prevailed upon to unite with
us, vote for the Convention, elect to it mon
who will follow the provisions of the military
bill, frame a Consultation that will command
the support of the several classes referred to,
aud that will he acceptable to Congress- and
elect Senators and Congressman who can take
the iron-clad oath. 1t is not worth while to
DO anything unless we do all these things
III we think to hOodwink and deceive Con.
gicSs by any device. We deceive ourselves
The eyes of that hody are steadily fixed upon
us, and its great business is to see that recon
struction shall not be affected in the interest
alone of the Confederate whites, and TO the
exclusion and injury of the Union whites,
and the blacks. If VIC would get back into
the Union, we must get back on the basis OF
a Union among ourselves. Let us all bear
this in mind
LoNroS, May s.-The Peace Congress met
yesterday. The following are the names of
the pl"nirotcntiarics England, Lord Stan
| ley: President; France, Prince De La Tour
tria, Count Appoinyc; Russia, Baron Brun-
now Italy, Marquis d. Azzio; Luxembury,
/ i'aron Tornace; Belgium, Nj. Van Dcnyr;
| Netherlands, Baron Bcnvillc. The proceed
ings arc secret. This much is known, how.
cvcr France is willing to accept the dis.
mantlipg of Luxcmburg, SO it will not remain
mcnacing. Prussia will not consent, unless
all the powers guarantee n settlement. Eng
| land hcstatcs to give any guarantee. The
session adjourned, to enable the delegates to
receive instructions from their respective Gov
crnmcnts. Meantime, the war preparations
proceed. France is buying arms in both Eng
land and Spain. The Prussian troops of the
regular army arc held in readiness to support
luxemburg. Bismarck declares the situation
more serious than heretofore Russia is con-
verting muskcts into brccch.loaders.
PEAT IN TIE SOUTHERN STArEs-A new
aud important branch of Southern industry is
developed in the swamps of North Carolina
and Virginia, from which large quantities of
peat are now extracted Tn the Dismal Swamp
peat can be manufactured at 81 SO per ton,
which now costs sc in New York. Hitherto
the great difficulty in making peat scrvccablc
was its great bulk, but this objection has been
overcome by newly patented COMPRISING ma.
chinery, which reduces a ton of peat to nine
| ty-four cubic feet, or third more than ton
of coal, which contains sixty cubic feet. Peat
generates steam faster than coal, and is now
extensively used in the manufacturing dis
trcts of the New England States, principally
for smelling purposes. 1t is moro economical
| flno - s1.,o ~c L. Il.