The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-05-15

prepared to accept them I Better a thou
sand times let Congress- confiscate your
lands. than entail sucha Government, and
such degradation and misery on yourssl,
YES and posterity. Do your duty and
leave the consequences to God. Act like
men and Carolinians, Declare by voting
against convention, that you will never
voluntarily yield tho right of self governl
ment, Or place yourselves under the con
troll OF your former slaves. Better-far
hetter to remain as YOU are, under the
military rule of your conqnerors, and
wait their returning sense Of Justice.
feel assured that nothing but mistaken
appeal to base fear, and that dastardly
virtue, called prudence, could have
wrought 20 wonderful change in the
pubic senIment Of South Carolina. And
it is melancholy TO see the people-a
proud, gallant people-scared into their
own ruin ard degradation by the false
cry Of conf<cation, like the consumptive
lunatic, who had such terror of death
Tint he buued his brains out against the
walls Of his cell to avoid it. In order to
save our lands from Congressional con6sr
cation, we are persuaded to let the negros
parcel them out amongs, themselves.
Let 10 one charge ME with disloyalty
to the American Union, or infer from
what have sad. that / am.not in favor
Of recorstruc'inC the Union of the States.
Ny whole political life has been spent in
fighting for the Union, and trying to ward
off that fell spirit o' disunion which has
brought all these unuumbered woes on
South Carolina. | wish to see the Usion
restored under the Constitution. | know
the American people meyer can be free
and happy, great and prosperous, without
the Federal Union but I will never de
grade myself, or my State, or surrender
my constitutional rights or Republican
principles, TO. get back into the Union.
will ive.unGer a military government, no
matter lrow absolute and dsspe,tic it may
be. and bequea!h i. to my chi 1as soon
er than vote negro govetn1et for
South Carolina, which every man will do
who votes for "A convention. .
1t is a source Of proud satisfaction 70
me to see such Union men as Governor
Sharkey OF Mississippi, Governor enkins,
sof Georgia. Gov. Worth Of North Caro-.
lima, and Gov Marvin. Of Florida, who
never ceased their opposition TO the spirit
Of disunon till the Onion ceased to exis,,
standing firmly, and brsas,ing the storm
Of tyranny. oppression and degradation
which has BEEN hurled at them, whilst
leading secessions,s and disunionsls are
counseling the people 10 their own deg
radiation and destruction, for tho PURPOSE
Of getting back into the Union and, in
order to accomplish their purposes, hold
ing up to their view the raw head and
bloody bones Of con6scation. Such
counsel comes with a bad grace from
those who bossted, at tho beginning OF
our civil or sectional war, that they had
drawn their swords and thrown away the
scabbards, determined to die ~ live sepa
rate from the vile. accursed Yankee ba.
ton. ...
Let no one charge ma. either, with un
kindness to the African race. have
always been their friend and protector
md, as they show themselves capable ot
exercising the righ. Of suffrage, by aheir
intelligence and property. am willing tc
concede the rght to them. Bu, I am moi
willing, in their present dehssed and de
graded condition, to throw the poIitica
power Of the State into their hands.
know the result will be disastrous, botl
to them and tbs white race. It will enc
IN bloody contest Of extermina alton tc
one race or the other. Ia very few of tn,
| Northern States, are the negrces aIIo w ec
to vote, where they have only a few, anc
they Tar superior to those 10 the Southern
States. 1t is mons,rous, that the repre-
senta'ises OF those States. in Congress
should attempt 10 force as to yield III,
right Of universal suffrage to abe negro
when they refuse il 10 him themselves
There is 20 danger OF con6scation b,
Songress. Tho membefs Of that bod,
may not be superior to the negro i,
honesty, but they have not the sam
snoliSe 10 yo.e . division or the land.
They will get none Of them. A man i
rot SO likely to rob or steal for another a
for himself. But is it not better 10 b.
robbed and Plndered by Congress than b,
convention Of South Csyolinai A
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