Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-11-16

er OF later, give way to such other Govern
'nent as may be ./orccd upon dcpraved and
already corrupted people. But if it is rro.
posed IN advance to place the cnfranchiscd
negro under control, why confer the franchise
| at all! Surely, the part of wise govcrumcn,
Is 70 prevent the ryil, and not open the doc,
to the mischief which othcfs are adlAonishcd
they'must be prepared by trick or ,nanagc
ment to avert But why press the subicc,
tu!tlcr IL is enough for us to know that
ths Wild and reckless cxpcrlncns comes home
!" the hearth-sonc of every citizen and in
wolves family and property, society. liberty,
ana even life itself. Nor is this al. The
court OF justice are dragged iuo the nire
from their high position; our mu>t intelligent
wh'tec'''zcns are excluded from the jury, while
me ignorant negro is elevated to thn, rcspnn
SibIe position; the jury lists are made W from
the 'iSts OF registered voters which, us We
have said, are more than two to one in favor
OF the negro. Not only be it Remembered
IS the negro sdmit,cd to the jury box, but the
white man is excluded therclron rEin!
yon that when the great masters OF The com
mon law OF England pronounced their cnco
'nlum upon the trial hy jury, that they con.
templatcd for moment such an instrument
aS IN ignorant negro panel? Think YOU that
United States incorporated into that instru
mcnt the provision that tie tra! by ury should
always be held inviola.c, that they Intended
to cngraft upon it such an cnormiy ns ucrr,
Jurvmcn, fresh from the cotton and rice fields
of the South? Think You. that when John
Rutledge and his illustrious compccrs signed
that instrument on the part Of South Carroll.
ma, that they Intended to forge chain which,
"A ny 81,
tl'nc, would drag their grand children (who
were then playing around their knees, and
some OF whom are now l;viny,) for trial be-
1ore jury OF their own Saves Talk Of ad.
ditlonai humiliation, talk Of confiscation, com.
rl'in OF clcmenry to rebels, after this !? God
forbid The Government of the United
states has enlurcrd against the Southern pco
pie the most stnpcn1nus act of contiscntion
ina, has ever been enforced in the history of
nations; their property in slaves has been
confscatcd to the amount of three thousand
"'iHi"'o'.og a,ll ., 80,
- til" vanc Of one thousand millions of dol
lars; and from these causes their lands has
Il 'triinratGa tn the extent of one thousand mil
lions of dollars making in the aggregate
the rrnr.no,,S sam Of five thousand sri!ions
of dollars. These ov~, wtri."ng ECcHn;ary
losses fall exclusively upon the Southern pco-
pie. The political evils complained Of Will,
OF course, fall chiefly upon the people Of the
Snnth. but not exclusively upon them. Fasten
negro supremacy up"n the Sohth, and i: must
hc felt through all of her relations with the
Norh-whcthcr commercial political or so
cial. Shond Northern man--,nd how of.
ten must such necessarily bt the case-br
brought To trial in the State nr Federal courts
at the South his life or ih"rty must he passed
upon bv ignorant negro jurors Should the
most difficult and complicated questions of
property arise in Southern courts--and how
often must such lie the case. arising from in
tcr-marriagn. Inheritance or trade-thc cause
OF the Northern man mu>t bc decided by the
same ignorant tribunal Nor is this yet all
The highest prcroga.ivc o. government is the
taxing power, and the efforts of the wsest
statesmen have been expended to guard this
great power against abuse. No power has
been more jealously watched tlan this. No
power has given rise to 40 much strife and
blood. shed in the history Of the world The
contest between the mother country and the
colonies originated in her assumption OF the
tight to tax without representation. BY the
Reconstruction Acts Of Congress, the taxing
power is placed in the hands of those who
own no property and is taken AWAY from those
who hold the property and must p"y the tax
es The war that has always existed between
capital and labor ia decided in favor Of the
latter, and the wealth of this country is pros
trated at the feet Of those who have nothing
at stake hut their daily wages and their daily
bread How will this power be exercised
Can it be supposed for moment that it will
be exercised in any other way than to impose
such burdens upon the tax payers as will
amount, in the end, to practical condscation
of the small remaining SuhStaEcG ~ u"t Pc"-
ple? But I'VE must forbcar. Salch are some
OF the immediate consequences OF the Re-
construction Acts upon tho people Of fhe
South and upon the whole country
We have said. and VIC repeat, that we dc.
sire rcacc; but the policy now proposed can
not give us peace 1t is contrary to tho voice
of reason and the Law Of nature. Instead OF
peace, under the Reconstruction Acts we
shall have strife and bitterness Instead OF
the South recovering from her poverty, and
contributing her share to tho common wealth
and prosperity Of the country she will be-
como more and more impoverished The
blight of .misrulc will cut short her harvests
and dry up her resources. The law OF VIC,
lencc, which has prevailed for more than two
years in reconstructed Tennessee, will extend
its way throughout the entire South, and We
Shall reap, like her, the harvest of crime and
blood multiplied two.fold.
We have shown that free negro labor, un-
der the sudden emancipation policy of the
Governments, is disaster from which, under
the most favorable circumstances, it will re-
~ 4. = ~ 4 i ~ Al, l,nl