The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-19
E1-Governor Pickens on The situati0 n
OF Affairs.

The Laurensville Herald publishes letter
from the Hon. F. W. Pickens, in response TO
an invitation to address Democratic meeting
at that place. After alluding to the circuns
stances which prevent his acceptance, the e1-
Governor says:r 1lsa-. % .-.s.
I am satisfied II the people were 10 meet and
agree amongst themselves upon some plan of
each other, it would save much ill-feeling and
really be better for the creditor ss well as The
debtor. It was common war, In which We
all engaged with enthusiasm, and all is lost;
and we ought now to try and settle with each
other all old debts by liberal compromise. If
we are freed through the courts by legal pro-
cess, at least one-haH Of alldpoperty will be
divided with the lawyers, clerks and general
costs Of suit. In nine cases outof ten the land
ed prices for it will not settle more than one
fourth Of the debt attempted to be collected.
Who, then, is benefited by suoh q process2 1t
really is no benefit to man TO see his neighbor
ruined, and no one to get any profit except at
torneys, sherifs, clerks and cgnstables. In any
general compromise that may be made, there
must be particular cases Of hardship, and may
be great wrong, but If all are forced to settle
ment by legal process then there must be uni
versal ruin. Now, too, when the Radicals are
about to inaugurate their courts, with negro
juries and negro officers, and, what is worse,
vile white skunks, who have betrayed their
race, and are merely trying to plunder the
State; under these circ9pstenoes " u, 10 no. Only
who feels for his State, to cordially agree with
his neigblor upon. some principle OF compro-
mise, or I'VE every thing to arbitration made
by. three or four men. I suppose you have
seen the principle agreed upon by the mass
meeting at Edgefeld, sale day,in April last. l
prepared the report and resolutions, which
were unanimously adopted, aud the people are,
for the most part, making settlements upon
the district. II suits should be brought think
the juries would bring in verdicts upon this
basis generally.
The upper districts will be first to move, for
the desolation Of the war was not 80 great upon
them, because. they were not 80 much rayaeed,
and because they had more white population,
and wherever there are more whites there will
be more labor and more productions. We
never can be rich in our day and generation ;
but what we need is abundance OF provisions.
We are too poor now to feed any population,
and cannot support any great enterprise, be-
cause we have no provisions to spare. II we
had an abundant provision clop, we would at
least be independent, and would invite immigra-
ton Of white labor but, as it is, we have no
means to feed white labor, on any large scale,
for we can hardly feed ourselves. We could
not retain foreign white labor II we had them,
unless we had more cattle and sheep, for white
labor requires milk and cattle, and mutton and
beef. And mutton and beef are easier and
cheaper to raise now, with our waste lands,
thsn hogs are, and far more healthy. The
first thing to be done, then, by the upper dis
tr1cts is to raise more provisions and less
land in cotton; then we can make provision
for white immigration amongst us, and be able
10 support them. If we could have just and
pure government, I think we could advance.
If we will settle our debts, and plant less cot
ton and raise breadstufs, cattle and eheep,
and have less ambition for wealth, we would
be happier and more comfortable people. :.
The loss of our slaves is nothing compared
with the loss of character, integrity and man
liness. at one time owned five hundred and
sixty-s ,ven, and, as God is my judge, 1 would
not nave them back as they we're. have
been relieved of them by violence and brute
force. The care, anxiety andresponsibllity that
oppressed me in relation to them now feel
relieved of. True, the degradation and ruin OF
nv State is q constant source OF pain to me,
PARTICULARLY wien know, with high command
ing craftsmanship in 1858 at the head Of af-
fairs, the result would have been different to
our country. o.,
We now have nothing left but to. bear, with
Christian resignation, our fate; ct least. sucn
is the case with those as old as am. Ihere
is some hope, suppose. OF change in the
goYernment from the election in November
next. I trust It may be, and that God, in his
mercy, will still preserve ub much OF the con-
servatiye principle OF constitutional govern.
ment. have the honor 10 DE,
Yours, &C.,
F. W. PICKENs.