The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-26
aDNEsDAY MORNING. AUGUST. 26. 1868.

plaint-who were opposed to the Republican
party and it's purposes-than there are noU
who approve Of the political supremacy which
has been given to you. The Republican party
was then, as you are now, In minority. Mr.
Lincoln and his party went into power by mi
nority vote of the whole people. A great MAORI
ty Of the american people was opposed to the
war. It could not have been carried on against
us. Artful and designing men of the Republican
party, seeing this, contrived to lead us on TIL
they made us appear before the world as the
ageressors and the authors of the war. F 'rt
fred on and lowered by Us. And then it was at
once the North, and ths East, and the West
were united against us. So it will be with you.
You will begin the conflict. You are now be-
ginning it. II you go on, our race with It's
thirty millions will be as one man against your
race with it's three millions. Ten to one! DO
you see it2 Do you doubt the result, or your
inevitable fate2 Consider what will then be
your condition which you will have accepted
and chosen in exchange for your present hopes
and the assurance Of equal laws, equal justice,
peace and peaceable prosperity. Again (third):
we know and fully understand the arts and false
hoods by which the false and Infamous white
men excite you into your present danger. You
are arming and drilling in warlike practices
to protect your freedom to prevent your
being again reduced to slaveTyll These
infamous men tell you it is the purpose OF the
Democratic party to restore slayery-that we
intend this-that if you vote with us you will
vote to make yourselves again slaves. No
falsehood ever exceeded this in wickedness
and audaclty. If you would stop to think one
moment you would see and detect it. We will
expose it to you; We will not ask you to take
our word for it, but we will establish what we
saw by public records. 1t is double false
hood. For they know that We are not only
guiltless of the charge, but we are the party
hat 4roo 10 Gya a md
forever settled; that it is not aud cannot ever
be questioned or discussed, while the Republl.
can party have made 1t an open question and
have left it 30; il they prevail now, at some fu-
ture day the lawful extinction Of slavery may
be denied and discussed. We will tell you
how this is: On the 9th day Of January, 1855,
Congress agreed to an amendmsnt s1.o OF the ne
be submitted to the several States for their ap-
proval. in the words following: 3
"ARTroLE XIII. SECTION /. Neither slavery
nor involuntary servltxde, except as punish
ment for crime, whereof the party shall have
b .en duly convicted, shall e{ist within the
United States, or any place subject to their ju.
risdiction. IA
force this article by appropriate legislation"
This could not become q part OF the constl-
trtion without the consent and approval OF
three-fourths in number Of the States. That
number Of States could not be had without the
Southern States or several OF them. The abo-
lition OF slavery. therefore, could not be made
lawful and binding without our aid. We gave
that aid promptly and honestly. South Caro-
lima was the first to do it. We who address
Won were parties to it. It was done by the Le-
gislature Of 1885, on the 18th day Of November.
Other Southern States followed, until on the 18th
day Of December, 1856, 9 sufh lent number OF the
Southern States, namely :: South Carolina, Ar
kansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Geor-
gia. having ratified and approved OF the amend ls5
States, published the lawful certificate, with
the great seal OF the nation thereto, and from
that day the amendment and the eternal aboli-
ton of slavery, and the perpetual freedom
Of the colored. man. became the irTeyocable
highest Law OF the land. But mark youl This
is what zoe say. It is what the Democratic
party says, and insists upon, and is now strug-
Cling to establish. Not SO the Republican
Radical party. They deny this: You doubt
us2 We will show you we speak truth.
This question being, as We supposed, for
ever settled, was reopened by the Radicals, 80
far as they could reopen it, We deny their
right or power TO do this lawfully, but they
insist on it, aud that is the issue to be triedrn
the great contest now going on.
The Radicals, in 1885, proposed another
amendment to the constitution, known as the
fourteenth (14th) amendment. They sent it
to the States for approval. 1t came to the
same Legislatures, for the most part, IN
the southern States which had approved
and thereby. made the amendment abolish
ing slavery. Il was the same Legislature
OF South Carolina, The Southern Legislatures
rejected the fourteenth amendment, and it
was thereby defeated. They did this because
it disfranchised their best men, who had done
no criminal or offensive acts, except such as
they had been encouraged and; aided and sup
ported in dong by the people, and it would have
been mean and disgracetul II the people or their
participants in their own guilt. The Ra icals,
incapable OF distinguishing between meannsss
and generosity, we're hercely irritated at this
refusal thereupon they declared our Legisla-
lures illegal-the same Legislatures which had
abolished slavery and assured your freedom,
whose aid they had invoked and accepted.
They broke up these Legislatures by military
power, because, they said, ,,they were 'tilegai."
They established military governments for q
time, and finally your government. such as it
now is. They call that legal. We deny it. II
we are right, you are safe. If they are right
and tho Legislature which msde you free was
illegal then the legality Of your freedom is an
open question for the future discussion OF dema-
gogues, Radicals and scalawags. 1t will be
open merely for discussion and mischief, OF no
practical avail, because we, every man OF us,
and Of the Democratic party, would stand by
you to resist such q fraud. We ask you to
stand by us for your own sake-not for our
sake. We Can and will take care Of ourselves.
+ We know how to do that, or to see that 1T ls
done. Their hatred to us was 30 great that,
for it's sake, with all their pretend
ed love for you, they would give up
your freedom and declare it "llegal."
Their hatred to the slavery Of the colored man
was less than their hatred to the white man of
the South Their love Of freedom for you was
less than their love Of slavery Tor us. Do you
not see it? Do you not see that II the Legis-
lature which gave you Il eedom was illegal"
its act also must be illegal? Do you not see
who did this, and that they have failed to Sc
cure from the Legislatures they call Legal rati-
ncation Of the amendment of the constitution
which makes you free2 Does not all this show
to you what tricksters and cheats are leading
YOU to your destructionP After this exposure
Of them, when it is your aotsh to find pretence
for hostility to us, you will pretend TO believe
these men; otherwise you will not believe them.
We have not left you one particle Of reason for
trusting them except your toish to do 30. IT, in
fact, you are not deceived, but, knowing their
falsehood, desire hostility 70 us, we cannot help
it. We shall regret it, more for your own sake
than our own.
We have another very grave complaint
against you. You have been placed in possess
sion Of supreme political power in South Caro-
lima; you are responsible for the manner in
which that power is administered. The popula-
ton Of the State has two distinct general classes
your race, The colored race, and our race, the
white race. There ls also another and third
class, or more properly, fungus Of the white
race, insignificant in numbers and degraded IN