The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-02-06


Carolina.
THE TERRIBLE PARALYzAT1oN OF THE PEOPLE
HOW THE SOUTH COSTS THE COUNTRY HUN
DRIED MILLIONS, INSTEAD OF ADDING HUN
DIED MILL oNs TO IT'S RESOURCES.
The following letter has been addressed by
Ex-Governor Perry to Captain o. N. Butler, Of
this State, at present residing in Baltimore
City. Governor Perry writes as he speaks,
strongly and graphically, and his letter will
doubtless have some effect:
GREENvnLE, s. c., January 10, 1868.
D. ". Butler, Esq:
My DEAR FRIEND-In your letter to my son
You say that the Northern people are not aware
Of the true condition of the Southern STATES,
and that you wish me to write something on
this subject for publication. am Wiling, as
always have been, to do anything and every
thing in INV power to enlighten tho Northern
mind as to the fightful and appalling condl-
tion Of the South, But it does seem to me that
I can say very little not already known,
through the public press, to the whole reading
community. a..
Southern States have been stripped Of every
vestiee OF republican liberty, and placed, by
the wicked and unconstitutional legislation OF
a Radical Congress, under military despot-
lam. for partisan purposes. 1t is equally well
known that negro conventions have been or
dered in all those States for the purpose OF es-
tabIish1ng IN them negro supremacy. In order
to accomplish this, very large portion OF the
rnoat intelligent virtuous and patriotic OF the
white race have been disfranchlsed, ano are
hereafter to be governed by their former slaves
and unprincipled adventurers from the North
These facts are well known, and their conse-
ouences every intelligent mind may well an
Hcipate.
statas. il the people had been let alone In their
state legislation and restored to the Union, all
would have been well. They would soon have
recovered from their exhausted and crushed
condition, and been once more happy and
prosperous people. They would have added
hundreds Of millions annually to the wealth OF
the republic, instead Of costing it, as they now
do, hundred million every year, through the
Freedmen's Bureau and standing army: But
the unjust, unconstitutional and suicidal iegis-
lation Of Congress has paralyzed them forever,
I fear. The negro is no longer that lnoustrl-
ous, useful and civil laborer which he once
wss, but an idle drone and pest to society. In,
asted with his new and marvellous ponucai
Importance, he has abandoned his former In
drstr1ous habits and spends his time IN attend
ing public meetings and loyal league gather
ings by day and BY night The whole race
eeem disposed to quit their work and resort to
the towns and villages, where they may exc
cut an idle and wretched existence In pllferlng
and begging.
The consequences are that our helds ana
plantations are uncultivated; the country pau,
OF fho nf
with every grade Of crime. Not day passes
over our heads that we do not hear OF some
Ii eft. house-burniug, robbery, rape or muir
der. will mention one or Two instances OUT VI
thousands which might be enumerated: FlVe
negro men, last week, in Darlington District
went. armed with guns, to country store,
robbed the store, killed the clerk, shot wo,,
man IN the house, and went to this dwelling OF
the owner and killed him. A short time since
a parcel of negroes placed distractions on the
South Carolina Railroad, which threw on
train Of cars in the night time. AGAIN, at
another point on the same road, parcel OF ne
groes fred into the train, and came very near
Killing several passengers. Last fall, at Pick
ens court. seven or eight negroes were con-
victed Of murder, and seventeen or eighteen
others sent to the penitentiary. Highway
robbery, an offence which was scarcely ever
heard OF in South Carolina for years past, has
become very common crime in the nelghoor-
hood Of TOWING and villages. Theft and burg
lary are OF constant occurrence. In the country
it ia almost impossible to raise hogs, sheep
and cattle. A gentleman told me the other
dsy that he had lost the last one Of his sheep,
forty in number, all stolen by the negroes:
Another gentleman, who had been Governor OF
the State, informed me that he had eighty-hve
hogs to kill last fall, and that they were all
stolen by the negroes except seven. ,a ,o,,
The support Of 80 many prisoners and con-
yicts in our jails and penitentiarles IS becoming
alarming. We shall not long be able to feed
them; nor will the prisons contain them. Inc
country ia 30 much impoverished that 1t ls dlt.
hoult for the negroes to get employment, u
they really wished to do so. The failure OF the
cotton crop throughout the United States, with
the government tax and low price OF the staple,
has rendered it impossible for the planters to
continue their business the present year. The
difficulty, too, in getting the negroes to work
during the past year has discouraged and dis
eusted great many. A very large cotton crop
was planted last spring, and great effort was
made by the planters to retrieve their fortunes
and give employment to the negroes, but uni.
versal failure and bankruptcy nave ensueo. -.
am not able to state the falling of Of the cotton
crop this year, but the rice crop has fallen from
one hundred and thirty or forty thousand tierces
to twelve thousand tierces.
The present year every one will have to de-
vote his attention to the raising Of provision
crop. He will not require so many laborers,
and would not be able to feed them il he did.
The negroes have nothing to live on the pres
emit year, and are unable to make crops by
themselves. They will have to steal or starye.
This greatly discourages farming in the South
ern States at this time. II you make good
crop Of provisions, you have no security that 1t
viii not be stolen or burnt up by the negroes.
In regard to the political condition OF the
Southern States, / am in deep despair, and
have no hope except in returning sense OF
Justice on the part Of the Northern people.
The idea Of placing the government OF these
States in the hands OF negroes is preposter-
ously absurd. None Of them have property,
and not one In Ave hundred csn read or write.
In the recent election for members Of con-
vention, many of the negroes had forgotten
their names. and scarcely one in hundred
could tell after the election for whom he voted
They were controlled blindly by the loyal
leac11es. The tickets were printed in Charles
tom with g. likeness OF President Lincoln on
, them. There never has been before such 9
wide field opened for the demagogues and un-
principled aspirants to Office. The negro is
the most credulous being in the world, and
most easily imposed on by vile wretches who
! are disposed to pander to his ignorance anc
nassion. Emissaries from. the North, white
and bla sk, have come here and prejudiced him
a0ainst the white race. He has been told tina
nnless he voted the Radical ticket, he woulc
he nlaced back in slavery, and that II ne votee
tbat. ticket he would have lands and mules
oven him. In some instances the negIoe:
sctually brought with them brides to tak'
their mules home with. :, ,.-.
Nv ro;,;tarv order In South Carolina negroe: