The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-11-20

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any Government, however limited,
may for a time usurp all power.
A single man may rise up and say,
Il am the State" Any assembly,
of men may, for a season, arrogate
to themselves all vpower-exeeu=
tive, legislative and judicial. But
the question recurs, is this law, or
is this usurpation? Is this good
government, or is it revolution?
Mere physical forceis not law. Tt
may compel obedience, but it can
not give to its acts 1.-The sanction; Of
law; unless it be. in those feonn-
tries where the viii d. an absolute
.despotziss the Recognized law Sof,
the land TO admit thatsthe law
has established such a po@er.szin
the United States, is to oadmit that
all constitutional government is:
at, an end, and thatsas states, or, as
individuals, we hold our life, liber-
ty and property at. the will and
pleasure of any maj ajority, which,
for the time being. may hold the
power. esSuch, ,sutosdayss may be
practically the condition of ten
States of the american Union;
But;are we prepared to: endorse
these proceedings and engraft SO
monstrous a proposition into our
-goV oVernment policy q That is the
question that. the people of the
North, as well as of the South,
are called upon to eonsidera The
great obiect3of laws, of eonstitus
.fions, and Of goyernme enfs, is to
protect the weak againstthe strong
Ito: shield minorities against the
.encroachments of majorities: 1t
is a political aphorism. that a ma
:jjtolrity can. protect itself: Acting
by the sheer exercise Of arbitrary
power, a majority may, for a time,
SET at naught all laws. wit bin these
zStates-it may enforce an o6edi-
ence TO- military: DEGREES, from
which here is no 1appeal-it, may
administer a purely military gov
Eernnent according to It's own wllt'
and las such it must be *obeyed.
But when We are called upon to
sanction saeh GOV ernnent as being 6
incaeeordanee. with the teonstitu-;
tion and Che laws, we have a right
to test the2question according to
the rule proposed and Ito withhold
our assent. We admit the fact that
martial law exists in South Caro-
Elina, but: we do not admit the
principle that. martial law: has the
right to imposea civil government
npon us, without our cons Sent. Far
| 1t from: us to raise a faetious OPP
position to- tie Reconstruction
Acts of Congress. We believe
that those acts and the measures
they propose are destructive, not
fsoalyto, our. eohstitntieenss.ll ees.l ( II ighttss, fits
but to our social peace. With us
it is4not a qlestion.of party nor
lsof litieal pc wer. We care no
/ thing for these things.We are
quite willing that. Others should
enjoy alLthe honors; allthe enlotu;
ments of office all the PomP ana q
eircum stance OF place: y : " nal, we
desire is peaceTnotsthe senlolanee osE
Of peace, but the: sqestanee Iol .!
peace peace ateeur oWhSnre-slases 2 re-: s1sse
and throughou out aHsEour: sboraers:
We desire peace to enable sHs sto
build up etlr waste places, opr
temples of worship, our sacred
Ean ruined cities now lylns N q
ashes, our edsmantledf evenings q iy1sil
and our PROSTATE ere die: , " We, e~ae- g ::
sire peace for its own sake sfor + r
Its holy Christian influence, and
for the civilization and refinement
(which spring up in.its path. DO
the Reconst structi ionS Acts .of Con,
I2gress ropeseto give us e thlspeaee
No, they give us war and anarchy,
rather. They SOW the seeds OF
discord in our midst, ana place
the best interests OF society INTO
the hands OF an ignorant 'nnoo'
lney ulSil"uSar1J ne.nnch;sa @ tho newIv
1en aHu t,d es sIann Tbo slave Of
elnaacrpa'eu a,l' ,.,So Sl"lJ Lnsw ~ law but
yes'viI"9 fhs wiII 9f tbe Te0 master is today
si,o shout t'tl to !, be Invested With the con-
HUJ'c tro1 Of ~ the he Government. In all