The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-06-06
Letter From Hon. B. F. Berry.

To The Editors Of the Coinnibid Phsnia:
There is one important and vital fact
which should be remembered hy those who
are going to vote for convention. The
military bill makes it obligatory on the
convention to provide for unqualified negro
snffrage in the State Constitution. No dis,
erection is left with the convention. to ADOPT
or reject this odious feature. Thev are not
allowed TO establish Impartial fGroge. and
require property or Intelligence in the
voter, whether white or black. All must
vote who are twenty lone years old, wheth-
er or not they have property, or can read
and write, or are white or black. This
fundamental error, this black Trojan
horse" full of strife and woe, must he In
troduced into the State Constitution. There
10 no help for IL, II we 60 into o conven-
tion.
II the military bill LEFT Il discretionary
with the convention TO form such Consti-
tuition as they, in their wisdom. might see
proper to adopt, then there would be some
excuse In voting for convsn,ion. But
when ordered and re9mred, In violation Of
all right Of selfgovernment, TO incorporate
10 misebievous and degrading q feature in
their Constitution, IL does seem that the
people Of South Carolina. prompted by the
epirit Of liberty. should cry out, touch
not handle not, the unclean thingp They
must know that IL will be impossible to
maintain just, wise and permap ent repub.
lican form Of government where majority
of the voters are ignorant, stupid, demi.
that the peace and quiet OF the State can
not be preserved where there are two an.
tagonistic races clothed with equal political
powers, and the inferior race superior to it
In numbers. They must come In collision
In their contests Cor power. In two.tbirds
of the Districts Of South Carolina, the ne.
groes have the majority Of voters. They
may and will elect their SherifSs. Clerks.
Ordiharies and Tax Collectors. They will
send their own members 10 the Legislature,
and elect their own Governor and members
Of Congress
If we lived in o monarchy. or were to b.
continued under military rule, then both
races might be properly governed and made
TO do justice towards each other In n re
public, the people are the sovereigns snt
they must be wide and virtuous. or theii
government will practice the most revolt
Ing tyranny and operession. Look at Mex
leo, where they have had Q republic found
ed on o stupid, ignorant. mongrel popuia
tion. Their Government has been nothip,
but q succession Of bloody revolutions an'
cruel military usurpations. Without tn
highest virtue and great intelligence on tn
pcTs VI tuc uinrsts W pOpututtout - 10 wv
possible for q republic TO stand. Englan,
attempted one In i64O, but IL was melan
choly failure. owing to the ignorance an
viciousness Of the massea France has trie,
the experiment twice, and after wadiH
through rivers OF blood. bad to GEEK repos
in despotisun. In both England and Francs
pt the Time those efforts were made, ther
were thousands distinguished for their vi,
tues and talents; but The great masses wer
ignorant and unin!ormed, and were swaye
by their passions and vices. But how 10
fiuitely superior were those masses 70 th
freedmen Of South Carolina
We have foretaste Of negro Legislation
assisted By radical cunning, in the plstforl
adopted &C their Charleston eonvention.-
Before they have been SLOWED to cast
vote, or exercise the frst political privileg
they boldly proclaim that property slon
and not persons, 10 10 be taxed Remen
Der. this avowal 10 pebiicly made by tho,
who have no property to be taxed.
other words. the negroes are 20 Fay no to
% towards the support OF the Governmen
but all taxes are to be paid by the viii
race Next they declare that their chill
rem ouet be edueated st our expense, sr
their eyed and infirm parsnt rnust be su
ported By usl We must support too, the
Idle and vicious Who become pauper
The hearty, hale negro man, who max
his hpndred or two hundved doliare per q
mum. and spends u foolishly. must not
taxed one cent 10 educate his own childre
or TO lsupport his own father and moths
They declare, also, thot the lards must
divided into small tracts, stt,l that 10 10 o
good policy for lope 4ap 80 own Tar