The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-11-16
ADDRESS OF TIHE
Conservative Convention.
To The People Of South Carolina.

bhi.o" NlTlHESS I'LL times OF great pub
lie danger, the instinct of scfprcscryation
prompts people to assemble and confer to-
gcthcr upon the issues that the stern logic of
events forces upon their attention. The cii-
zcns of South Carolina stand. to-day. in this
position. 1t becomes our duty, therefore, to
take counsel together, and to announce our
conclusions tcmrcratcly, but firmly and fear
lcssly to the pubic.
In performing this duty, we shall avoid all
terms Of anima,lvcrsion upon men, parties or
sections. The vice OF misrepresentation and de-
Traction, has become the order Of the ~, and
both Nnrtl, and South have suffered from the
evils which had their origin in this fruitful
source Of mischief. The Northern people.
flushed with victory have not been solcitous
to ascertain the temper "I' the Southern mind /;
and the Southern people. crushed by the loss
of their cause and their most cherished hopes.
have been. alike Indifferent to events for Which
they do not feel themselves <pomsibc. and
over which they have mo-. He power of control
In the meantime wicked and designing men.
both ut the Nortl, aud at the South. have not
been wanting. to keep alive the fires Of section
al hate. until now they threaten to involve the
whole country in mSvuc and anarchy
OF the late war, it is NOT ,,: purpose now to
sicak--thc san.unary fact will stand forth
forever in the history orthc<c American States.
Our duty now is Will, present evils, and their
future consequences. The emancipation poll
cy of the Government was an; is the grea;
i"untain-hca' from which springs. and will
continue to spring, the thousand c:ils by which
we are invironch
What TIT disaster could follow in the foot
steps Of the hasty inconsi,lcratc policy hy which
l,Go00.o0a of slaves, without education. AM
without the least preparation for the change.
were turned adriIt from the discipline aud IN
icr<frI care Of the master, to provide ior them
selves. Must it not ic scli:cvi,lrnt to any
thinking man, no matter what his prcju'liccs,
that nothin:s he can now propose will bc able
to convert all idle, rowing, thriiicsS ./.'c ncy,n
population into the steady, healthy, laboriny
population that We Formerly employed in our
fields at the South But gloomy rs the pros
pcct may be. the people AT tic South must re-
gard this disastrous result .s now fixed and
settled beyond recall. Slavery is at end.
We tln not propose that what has bees, done
should be nndonc; but we do propose to show
that with the present free ncy.~ labor, the
industrial resources OF the South are in no con-
dition to contribute to the prosperity Of the
country. IT is the part Of wisdom to Look
our mi>!urtuncs in the face. We should not
deceive ourselves, either al the North, or ut
the South. Three years Of experience by both
Northern and Southern men attest the fact that
the cultivation Of both rice and cotton--the
great staples of the South--is under the pre-
sent system of free negro labor. the most un-
certain, the least rc,nuuerativc. and tho most
l,arrassing employment in the world Had II
gradual system Of emancipation been adopted,
men would by degrees have accnn.nlotlatc,l
themselves to the gradual change. and the in
tl;lstry of the country would have received no
such shock as now prostracs the South and
oycrwhcms hcr i'll despair lpon the ayr, ;,ui-
turc Of the country mainly ".crcnds the wealth
and prosperity Of the country. But Il few
years ago, the cotton exported from The United
States controlled foreign exchange, and held
the monopoly i'll foreign markets. How is it
to-day, and how will it be in the future? H.
stead ,f five millions of bales, sent forward to
...crcisc the f..-mcr influence upon trade, We
h,,o ,ot ore han one. third Of the crop Of
1860. coming into market. and 'hat at price
per pound. III r"yycmy--tnc revenue IAN o"
sidercd----yery little, if anything il" advance OF
what was realized per pound for the Iars:
crops Of former years, paid in gold. Why is
this? it may be asked. The lands arc the
sanle-thc seasons arc the samc-thc climate
is the samc-why: then, the difference We
uns,rcr. tie hL,r IS aoi the sao,c Instead Of
industry, VIC have idlcncss instead of systpnl,
we have disorder; and instead a: prolits, We
have losses. Shall VIC he ahlo to ,lriyo out
competition in tho future us VIC hayc iG the
past Surely not. But y few years before
the war. QUO Of our most intelligent planters
represented this State ut the Worlds EShihi-
ton, in Paris, and, upon his return, rcportcd
that lie saw upon exhibition there, the cottons
from Algicrs and from the Ess. which were in
y