The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-04-12

for it. Do you think they will stand.
side by side with you. as SsColonels,"
or rMajors, ~ or even "Captains,"
and as equals, to fight for this
Constitution, which e you know
nothing about?l Now, do you be-
lieve any one of them would be
found lin South Carolina, if o diff
'fculty should arise in this matter of
any serious nature? If yon haiave
these white brethren would be true
to you and their Constitution, well,
then, believe it; but we. have no such
idea-and you will find it out in due
time, according to all appearances in
aud of the future. But you say
these men are our friends; they have
come here to help us to our rights,
to show us how to get, them, to keep
them, and to stand up for them.
Now, do you think any white man
would come to Carolina, all the way
from Vermont, Connecticut OF any
other distant State, Just to give you
what you call your rights, and to
help you fight the white men for
those rights? Such love for you is
certainly very unusual, and these
white men, and the black ones, too
these lawyers, who have come to help
their white brethren to do all these
great and good things for your race
deserve much gratitude from you;
provided, always, they hold on and
out to the bitter end-for bitter it
may be to some Of them, if they stay
here, rs we'll as to many others. No
threat is intended, for that is not the
purpose Of this talk; but. from oil
the present indications, which are
being seen and shown in these United
States, it requires no prophetic
vision to determine that the North
and West of this country do not in
tend to endorse the principles of this
Constitution, for which you are told
to vote, and, if need be, to fight.
Remember that.
Well, now, let us talk little more
about this Constitution-leaving your
white and black friends from the
North to enjoy their prospects for
Office, and your white home friends
also. Let them pass. Let us soc
how this. bill of rights, these ordi-
nances of this mixed up Constitution,
and this charter, called "THE Con-
sTTTUT1oN," will work up, if the
white race of South Carolina should
give you "ht for tat." We can't go
into the entire thing-it is too long
and too deep. We will only talk u
little about what it may do for you,
when you are told what nre the white
mans privileges to do under it. To
make the matter brief-we tell you,
first, that great many of the best
white citizens of South Carolina
your kind old masters, who have
cared for you from your childhood
to your manhood-are deprived of
their votes as freemen; we tell you,
in the second place, that these old
masters, who are your best friends,
are by that Constitution taxed on
their estates, and so of every property
holder, for your exclusive benefit,
and that of your children. so far us
regards schools; we tell yon this Con-
stitution requires, by compulsion,
that white and black children shall
oe educated alike and together, we
think; but this matters not in this
place--enougE to know that the
white man is taxed, without vote,
to school n black mans child, while
the black man pays no tax ut all,
unless he owns property. Now,
this is plain English, and you
can all understand it. Let us
see how this part OF the Consti-
tuition may work up things for you.
Many thousands of you are laborers; /;
a portion of you, and but q small
portion. are mechanics; q very few
are divines, preachers or ministers.
We will admit that very many of you
are disposed to labor honestly for
your support. You come to the
white man to employ you; he is will
ing and ready to do it, but first wants
to talk with you; ho asks you if you
voted for the Cnnyantion2 You tell