Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-01-29
Gov. orr's Address to the Radical

Gov Orr began by thanking the president and
"ccntlcmen" of the Convention for their invita-
tion, constituting the samo rather rs compliment
to the "e1sting executive authority of the State
than to the individual. And just here we must
sny that Gov. ORR hugs to his bosum huge de-
lusion. The idea of his bring the "exsting execu-
tive authority of the State" is profoundly absurd.
We have now no State, no Governor A military
dcspotism rules over US by the arm Of lawess,
unauthorized power This same "august body"
is holding its sessions upon tho fragments of our
ruined government and upon the grave Of our
freedom.
The f.llowing paragraph from his address,
will show that he has still not spark of State
pride, or Of decent consistency; and that ho is
still in the market for the Radicals at any prico
they may offer him:
say to you, very frankly, that regard this
body as invested with the sovereign power of the
! State and that the constitution which you may
adopt for the people Of South Carolina, is one
which will not only be ratified aud accepted by
Congress, but under which all classes in South
Carolina will live for years to come.
But we are not going to abuse either Gov. ORR
or his address, Indeed we must say that the
latter was more honest and candid performance
than the Gov. is usually guilty Of Imagine him,
for instance, telling the ringed-stresked-and-
striped gentlemen, to their very faces that they
did not represent the wealth, intelligence and re-
fnement of tho State. This was, of course, as
much as to say that they represented puuperism,
vice, ignorance. barbarism: And so theyao, most
emphatcally. And for this plain truthwe give
Gov. ORR one good mark.
AS regards the framing of n new State Con0ti-
tuition by the members Of this Convention, Gov.
ORR advises as follows:
The party which has passed the Reconstruction
laws. has undisputed control of tho government
in both Houses of Congress- and will retain it un-
Ill the 4th of March, 1859. Prior to that time
Presidential election will occur. Tho probability
is that IN individual representing the Conserva-
tive anu Democratic clement in the North and
West will be elected President. 1t may be that
Conservative element will largely prepondcrate in
the ne1t election for moubers of the House of
Representatives on the 4th day of March, 1869,
arc Conservative or Democratic, and opposed to
the legislation that may have been adopted, it
wilbe impossible to effect repeal Of these acts,
obnoxious rs they nre to the new party, prior to
tho 4b Of Mtrch, 1871, Confirmed us am, there
fore, in the opinion that the legislation OF tho
| present and preceding Congress will remain in
| iorcc until the 4th of March, II. and that any
con.titution adopted by this convention will con-
tinue to he of forco until that timc at least have
felt it to DO my duty as the Executive of the State,
and as an individual, to be present in Charleston
during tho sessions Of your convention, in the
hone that through official if not personal nauence,
| may accom- pish s5mething in occurring from the
convention, liberal, just and wise constitution.
If such 4 constitution is adopted, harmony,
good feeling und prosperity will prevail. If,
however, extreme views and measures are en-
grated upon that instrument, it will increase the
interest, which now exists between tho two races,
and force tho whites of The State, who hDTe the
means to do 60, to leave its borders and seek
homes in other communities. 1t will produce
discomfort and disquiet every where, and conf
doncc, trude and enterprise will MI be paralyzed.
AS responsible dutiss are, therefore, devoved upon
you as were ever devolved upon n similar body
Of men in any S'ate, the interest and prosperity
Of South Carolina depend not only upon law and
good constitution, but upon the kind relations
which are to he established between tho two races.
And us regards the Suffrage question, thus:
Tn voting upon the ratification of the consttu-
ton you may adopt, all registered voters will Of
course be included, which will Of course secure
it's adoption. With the view of carrying out fully
the views of the convention, the first legislature
to be elected under the constitution may DO elected
by all male voters over twenty one years Of age,
but after that ti:nc if not before, urgently re-
commend that qualified suffrage extending to all
classes aud races be provided for in the consttu-
lion. 4 man who goes to the polls after January
|, 1870 whether he be white or black, who is not
able to read or write, should be excluded from the
privileges Of avoter.
homecoming as You do, almost exclusively the
coloured element of South Carolina, you are not
invisible to the fact and to its legitimate results
that very many Of the voters who havo sent you
here have not that intelligence with reference to
men and measures which should entitlc them to
east a vote. You know that thousands Of them
arc utterly incompetent to exercise this high pre-
rogatiyo.
You may think that to perrctuate your powcr
and to preserve your organization, it is necessary
To continue the franchise to this class of persons
but eventually YOU will f.! that you have been
sadly mistaken. Many Of the coloured men of
the State have an intelligence which entities
them, in their new relations, to the privileges Of
citizens; but very many are incompetent to ex-
ercise them with discretion or judgment. These
will become tho prey Of evil, vicious and indis-
posed men. When an election is to occur with
such voters, the bad will get their votes, and not
the good.
In view of the fact that the coloured population
have large majority in this State, and that the
bulk Of them are to be controlled by these evil
influences what kind of judges, legislators and
executive officers you hopc for Is vice and
ignorance to elect your judges? Arc tue repre-
sentatives of vice and ignorance to elect your log
slators? II 70, what security have you for the
rights of life, liberty and property? I, therefore,
in view Of the responsibility before US, and in all
probability in antagonism to the sentiments of Il
very large majority of this body, recommend
earnestly that in framing that feature Of the con-
stitution comforting the elective franchise you
establish m educational qualification for tho voter
but-not being able to read or writc-that you
establish Il property qualification.
And qs regards Homestead Law. thus:
If ,yu desire that this convention should COM
mend itself to the favorable consideration of the
people Of the State, white md coloure9, l recon-.
mend that you adopt in the constitution proviS-
ion for liberal homestead law-thnt you mnko
it applicable 70 all those rho now own home-
stead, and protect them against antcccdent debts.
The disasters resulting from tho war, the uboli-
ton Of slavery, and, thcrsby, the wiping out of
the fortunes of very many of those who were
wealthy prior to the war, as a matter of humani-
ty demands that you should protect them Us to
the past by n liberal homestead laT, and securing
TINT home to its owner in the future. Tho bome-
stead law which guarantees to family fifty dol
lars or one hundred acres in tho country, and
town lot or house in the city, is not only humane
but patriotic. In the country, whore the head of
Il family knows that his homestead is protected,
he goes to work to beautify nnd adorn the same.
Ho plants his orchard and his vineyard. He
crrcts hi. buildings, dccoTatcs his dwelling, and
makes all of his surroundings comfortable, and
invites happiness and content to his hearth
Perhaps one of the greatest troubles in Amcri-
can legislation has been in not protecting tho
homestead. It has made the American people
almost MS great wanderers us tho Arabs. When
father planted on orchard or vineyard he
had no assurance that five years thereafter, tho
result of his care and abour would not pass into
the hands of strangers. Grant, therefore, lib.
crul hnmestend Inv. prouidiAg agninst past and