The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1868-05-20
Remarks of Col. j. P. Thomas

Remarks of Col j. P. Thomas,
Chairman of tie Committee in
f.. Charge of the. South Carolina
Remonstrance 1aper before the
Reconstruction Committee of the
House Of Representatives.:
Mr.. CHA1RMANAND GENTLEMEN
OF THE CoMM1rrM: Give US leave
to thank you for the courtesy of
this hearing, which will be the
more highly appreciated by the
people whom we represent because
it was unexpected. We were told
! that we would no, be heard before
tyour Committee; ;but we are graft
fed to find that We were not mis-
taken in assuming that your body
would surely not refuse to receive
Fsuch truthful representations as
we might submiton the subject of
FOUR mission. - -. ~ ..,... -. = =. -.
| We are here, a Committee on
| behalf of the conservative people
Of our State. to remoustrate and to
record q protest .gainst the >impo-
sition upon our people Of the new
| Constitution proposed for South
Carolina. And first allow us to
call your attention to the character
and attainments ofthe men who
framed that Constitution. The
world over, Fundamental laws for
free States have been the work Of
the best, the purest and the wisest
Of their citizens. Not SO with us.
We had, indeed, Che severity of
Draco, :butnot the wisdom ofSolon.
/ -
The Constitution we oppose was
| the offspring OF. Northern adven-
tarers, Of inexperienced Southern
whites, and Of negpes, native and
foreign, some of5Mhom -: were sin-
zte1ltgent, but: the. majority ex-
ltremely ignorant aid utterly un-
fitted fer: the duty of their posi-
tom ettIa that
Convention possessed the <unsel
fish spirit, thehigh statesmanship,:
the long experience. the phil.
osophica, cast4of mind essential in
the legislator-absolut lneces-
sary tot those-upons 1whomfis is de-
yolyed the task-the elevated and
delicate task-of forming for Com
mon wealths an organielaw. ~ :. \
: With regard, next to the OBJ.
81 ~ - ? g- ~
jections to this proposed. instra-.
ment, we do not design to con-
slider them in detail. This has
Been done ia the=remonstranee
presented in the House Of. Repre-.
,sentatiHes and referred: to your
honorable. Committee. There are,
however, two points to. which we
invite !. attention-tWo objections
that stand out in bold relief. We
refer to unlimited negro, suffrage
and the : taration provisions. AS
to the former, according to the
proposed Constitution, many of
the best and purest of the whites,
are. disfranchised, whilst every
male negro over theage of.twenty-
one years is,investet with, suffrage.
The negroes beingin a large ma.
iority in our State, the resultyis,
that uegro supremacy, for a time
at least, is established in South
Carolina. This is disastrous inits
tendencies and particularly in
furious in its ultimate results to
the black race. Under such a.
state of things, the negro. grows
arrogant and the white man bit
ter. The consequence is, you pro-
duce ill-feeling between the races.
In such an event, The black man
must suffer most aid if the antag-
onism is made sharp and per-:
manent, it must; sed his doom as
a people. AS to tie white man,
he will take care o. himself, and
will hold or regain nis own. The
fact is, all history, i'll experience,
proclaims that whea two races are
brought together in conflict, the
weaker and less har rdy must sue.
cumb. This is the law of power
this is. the: DECREE of the Al.
mighty Ruler ofthej Universe. and
no human arrangement can avert