The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-08-07
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. Sour$ Repres sentative, IhayeS held towards
yep during the last few eyentfal years a
8 snow been dissolved yyno: act OF yours
1 .is s. mine ere is DO longer State Leg.
: islatnre, in which could represent you,
and eTenia there were, am as you know,
{ oneSof those who, by the Rec econstructlon
are bibited from voting or holding
SiiSce III the or ID the United States.
this dosaoss scompla Z am sure
fth atif' those who are situated like myself
could only feel that their diafranchise-
( asij,nt purchase the restoration OF
your ria they would eheerfnlly accept
sheir exclusion from. political privilege,
and would ind in yonr peace and pros
per;ty; ample comp pensation for the hop.ors % IS
;and odHeea to which they are forbiddsn.to
aspire.
am aware that it has been said in
very generous spirit, that those who
!: are dlisfranchised, li are actuated in their
adgice now, by thedesire of conciliating
the favor of the Federal Government, and
thus: recommending themselves to Radi-
cal Congress, as. fl, persons TO be relieved
from their political disability. But surely
1T requires only ordinary intelligence to
SSpcrceiye that such course on the part
sof one ambitious Of future public honor,
IA South Carolina, is fatal as well as fool
ish. Whatever such; a man may hope
must come from you, and the mercy OF the
GoTernment, which made him an eScep-
tionst to his fellow citizens, would be more
S fatal than; its wrath, to- his influence and
reputation. Isolated from the sympathy
Soff his own people, separated from the
honorable association of those with
whom he had sacrificed and suffered,
hssdisability from which he would be re.
sslisyed, issnothing to: that -completer land
eables disability which would be
registered in tho. hearts of his indignant
conntrymen But the men who have
been diisfranch nchised, are not obscure men.
Y You know them, yon have known them
for many years, Through along period
ours trial, to- them you entrusted your
2lhono. IN the field and your interests in
the council. For you: they met danger
and death, imp mprisonment and poverty.
Their fame hangs like a trophy oyer the
graves of your children, and their words
are recorded in history as your yindica-
lion to postcrity If :you believe that
such men can betray the honor of South
Carolina, can sell their. place in theEaffee-
Hons of the State, for the poor privilege
Z of votes or honors, which will be re-
proach. to their names forever-f at the
g1avest crisis of our fate, we can forget all
we have done and suffered together, and
break our. own counsel with angry Grim
ination-iit il not worth while to discuss
our future. Our failure has, indeed, be-
come iignoninious, and il matters little
who completes the degradation Of this
once famous Common wealth.
know that you shrink, with o very
s natural aversion, from a renewed partici-
patton in apolitics. - Disheartened by the
past, embarrassed and disgustcd with the
!. present, you are tempted to stand apart,
{ and let the future take care Of itself. The
necessities Of daily life press hardly upon
you, and you have scarcely the time or
temper, to meet promptly and resoautely
the difficulties which surround you. But
this is not question Of of"politics." 1t is a
8 question Of life or death, of home or exile.
1t will not. be one month aftertbe adjourn
:. sni,ent Of the Convention, soon to assemble,
before.you will feel the consequences OF
its action in your courts and in your
churches, in your schools and at your fire.
sides, in your taxes, and upon your labor.
What sort Of society, that is to be, in
which for the future you will live, move,
and shayo your being, depends upon the
Constitution which that Convention will
! frame. It may bo very painful, it may
make the heart sick and the head weary
toioin in such work, but at such crisis
the only question, with every man, ought
to be, what is his duty to himself, to bis
children, to his State?
For the purpose of the argument, which
i wish to address you, only a very brief
reference to the past is necessary.
In 1860, the State of South Carolina
severed her connection with the United
States, Joined the other Southern States
ii establishing a new and independent
s.5,a1,a,.,, and for four years maintain.