Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-09-16
For tho Advertiser.

Mr.. EDIroR In late issue of;your paper.
yop discussed the mooted question" (" whether
or not We should continue to give employment to;
negroes who vote agd;ns, u.s." This is not tho
question, permit me to say, that should engage
our thoughts at fhis time; but ratSst the question
should be, ."S6aIl We continue TO give employ
ment to those negroes who osvotsadt dtl, whether
they vote ,cita-us or against us~ IN osa a
If by any influence which ,maySbe brought to
bear upon him-which he may be, forced to feel
and obey-the negro is pcrsuaded to vote with US,
by the exercise Of such Influence VIC implicitly.
acknowledge RisSright to vOto; and, n.this re-
gard, sancton the bogus constitution adopted by
I" the ringed, .treaked and striped" Charleston
convention and the infamous Fourteenth Amend
ment of the Constitution Of the United States.
Can We, with the least shadow Of consistency,
deny his right to vote, md plant our feet upon
the platform that the Reconstruction Acts Of a
Radical Congress, which attempt TO confer upon
him the elective franchise are Unconstitutional,
revolutionary and void, !" and ut the same time use
his unlawful vote in support of Seymour aud
Blair?i Can we Gallon tho negro to yots for the,
white mans: candidates for our District Offices,
and in the next breath denounce the constitution:
now Of force in the State, which created those
Offices and gave him the right to vote?
IF VIC were, for the first time, called upon to
vote the ratification or rejection Of the cohsti:
tuition spawned upon the State by negroes, scala.
wags and carpet-bnggers, we might With some
semblance of consistency, use the Votes Of the
negroes. to. destroy theswo of the negroes, as
was doHe in Alabama and Mississippi # the
Fourteenth Amendment w"rA referred 70 the arbi-
:rament Of the ballot b then we might with
some proprety use the negr. to defeat that hell
born scheme of our enemies to degrade us be-
meath negro supremacy. Butthv bogus consttu-
tion'is.aj jait accomplfand the Fourteenth Amend
ment apart of The Constitution of the United
States go far as dSey can be made SO by their ap-
thors and supporters; and under them the negro
has the right toyols insall elections that may
come tofors the people,, The white people Of
South Carolina deny the binding obligation Of
tho so.called constitution and the validity of the
Fourteenth Amendment that the negro has
been lawfully or fisatfully clothed with the cleo
tive franchise; aud the question NOW to bc con-
sidercd and acted upon a, shall they 'inducs the
negro to vote at ALTO be present at the ballot
bo1-and thus by. strong implication, admit the
right and so slultfy themselves. Then, whatever
d influence may be exercised over the negro in the
matter Of voting, lot that influence bo scrupulous-
ly restricted to keeping him away from the ballot.
box altogcthcr-let it have this extent md 10
more. "t
There Is another subject, somewhat led
with the ono under discussion, which, challenges
aud should receive the gravest consideration. !
allude to the formation Of negro Democratic clubs
the Write people, and the employment Of negro
speakers ut our public meetings. This is wholly
wrong, is fraught with great mischief, and will
eveutuate in inculculuble injury to. tho cause OF
the white mans supremacy. The participation of
negroes in our public political discussion and
the exercise by them of the elective franchise are
correlativc rights or privileges. II the right to
discuss political questions with us and for US be
conceded, how can the right to.voteppon political
questions be deniOd the negro2 If the negroes
are instructed and encouraged to form political
clubs in afliliation with whito mems clubs, and
ars solicited to join in our political d,monstra-
tiops, what is this but the first step towards social
as we'll as political equality and miscegenafiOn
This practice, which is but too common, even thus
early in the Presidential campaign, will cherish
the belief already cngendorcd in the mind Of the
negro that be s, a the very least the equal Of the
white man, mentally md socially as we'll poiti-
cally and it cannot be too cmphatically condemn
| el as wholly mischievOus and dangerous.
BOB SHORT.