Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-05-15
Letter From Ex-Governor Perry.
10 the Editor of the Columbia Pzoeaair :


To the Editor Of the Columbia PAochir:
The people of South Carolina, were per-
suaded, six or seven years,ago, that their only
hope of maintaining African slavery was in
the destruction of the American Union and
the formation of.a Southern Confederacy. |
did not think so, end raised my warning voice
against this fatal delrsion. 1 said TO them
that slavery was safer in the Union than it
could be in separate confederacy. l told
them that the extinction ofsthe Union would
be the death linell Of slavery. Trey spurned
my counsel, and madly rushed into bloody
civil war, which ended in the abolition of sla-
very.s Now they are being persuaded, again,
that the only way to save their lands iromthe
. conliscation- of Congress. is in adopting the
provisions of the military bill, giving univer-
sal suffrage to the negro, aud disfrancnlsing
their leading public men. 1t is with a sad
heart that see indications, all oyer the State,
of o. preparation to adopt this secoud delu-
sion, which Will prove more fatal to tie STATE
than the first has been. It is true, they, lost
by the first, their property in slaves, and in
voved their country in q long and bloody war,
which desolatcd the State and sacrificed thou
sands of their most gallant ssHs; it is trne,
also, that. they were conquered, and have been
placed under, q military government. But
now they are going to sacrifice their honor as
q people and lose their lands into lhe bargain
They are going to eniranehise G0,00) black
votes, and surrender the political power of the
State into the hands Of the negroes! Tie
inevitable result of this deluson and criminal
folly will be the establishment of e most
atrocious. government aHd horrible tate of
society that civilized, people were ,"ef SUD.
Ejected to-
Already the negro watch cry in Virginia
and elsewhere is, Lands for the lardlessl'-
Homes for the houselcss !" 6 Political
equality to all men, regardless OF caste or
color!'' What avail will 40 600 white votes
have in South Carolina, with this wntch-cry.
riuging at the polls? Itis against nature and
reason to- suppose that an ignorant and de
based majority will not pursue their own in
terest regardless of right. and carry out their
wicked purposes, whatever they may be. It
is possible to restrain then at first: before
they acquire concert Of action. Hence the
importance of defeating the call of conven-
tion at tue first election, before this majority
is organized and emhOldened by agitation and
evil counsels. It cannot be controlled after.
wards, but will make South Carolina poIti
cal and social pandemonium. . Is there an in
stance in the worlds history Of g class Of men,
invested with political power, who did not
unite 10 promote their own interests
Just as sure as general suffrage is given to.
the negro, in South Carolina, he will feel his
numerical strength, and sooner or later, under
the vile lead of Black Republican emis.aries,
seize the political power Of the State aud ex-
ercisc 1T to oppress and plumber the white
race. There are thousands Of unprincipled
white men amongst US who will unite their
destiny with the negro for the sake of spoils
and plundcr. They will easily be persuaded,
and persuade themselves. that it is right and
proper that tue lands OF the State should be.
divided out equally amongst all CT her,citi
zens. Every one should have aEone-the
poor freedman as we'll as his former rich mas,
ter Having the POKER i'll their hands, with
this belief, it is FOLLY and stupidity to suppose
they will not execute it. They must serve
on aries and hold Office, ride with you end
Your wives and daughters in the Cars and
eat with you al the hotel and sit WITH you in
the church. All this, aud len times more,
you must endure from your black political
masters. And can it BE- that tue pride tof, Car
olna has sunk s, ow and be. II So degraded
as to vote i,.r this voluntarily, Cor lhe purpose
Of getting back into that Union which her
citizens pro.essed 10 hate and dtspiSs so cor
daily a lew years since? A:c they willing
to 20 to the polls and cast their vote for 4
convention, with. this deStn;' staring them in
tue face, in order to save lher.aud>.lgom con-
/ iiscation No. They will be votios the ul-
innate copfscation OF their lasn.s and their
political rights as surely as they a'e voting
away their honor as men and Caro!inians.
. There are in the State only ten districts
out OF the tilirty.i! which the white voiers,i
arc in the majority, and these districts arc the
smpliest-conSeQuent two thir4s AID more
of the coavehtion may lie negroes or Black
Rrpabicans. The Legislature wil.l be Similar.
by composed. Do:he people ol SqnlL. Carolina
really. think Il these conselrapcga,. or, arc
they prepared t5 accept the'n? Better Il
thousand times let Congress. canEscate your
land than .cnrail such u GoYe:nmer: a..l si,eh
degradation and misery on yourself aud PCS
ter;y. Do your duty and leave tie c2nsc
Quences to God. Ac; like men ard Carol
mans. Declare. by voting aga;nst. 8 cosycn !.
ton, that you will never voluntarily YIELD tue
right oil sel:.gayernment or PLACE yourselves
under the coatrol Of your former slves. Bet.
ter-tar be;tcr;Ito remain, Us YOU are, padcr.
'the military rule of Your ccaqne.ogs, AN!
await their returning senSc Of justice. | lee.
assured that but mistaken appeal to base
fear, aud that da?taraiy virtue, called ,pru,
dence, could have wrought 50 wonderful! q
change ii tic public seuimcntC CT siQuth Car
ofiua. And ii is melancholy tqsee the people
IA proud, gallant pvope-scared into tLeir j.
own ruin and degradation, by the false cry. of
conf. cation, like the coasump i've lunatic, who
had such ;errrr of death that he bnttcd his
brains out against the, wall of lis cell 10
avoid it. In order to save our lands from
Congressional .confscation, We ar persuaded
to les the negroes parcel them ont amongst
themselves.
Let ne .oue charge me with d;sloyalty to
the American Cnicn, or infer from what
have sapl, that l am not III favor Of recon
structng the Union OF the States. Mywhole
political. life has been spent in fighting for the
Union, and trying to ward off tina; fell spirit
of disunion which has brought ali these un
numbered wpeSt upon South Carolina. l.
wish to asee the Union restored unler the
Constitution. u know the American people,
never can be free and happy, great and pros
peroas, without the Federal Union; bu. I
will never degrade myself, Or my State, or
Surrender my constitutional rights or repub-
ican principles, to get back into the Union.
l will live under military government, 30
matter how absolute and despotic it may be.
aud bequeath lit to my children, sooner than
vote negro government for Sohh. Carolina,
which every man will do o'who votes for COR
pen,on. .hg 49,. ;''
/. isa source of proud satisfaction to me to
see such Union men as Governor Sdarkey, of
Mississippi, Governor jenkins, Of Georgia,
Gov. Worth, of North Carolina, and Cover
nor Marvin, of Florida, who never ceased