Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-09-01

Constitution without the consent and ap-
proyal OF three fourths in number OF the
States. That. number Of States could
not be had without the Southern States
or several Of them. The abolition OF
slavery, therefore, could not be made
lawful and binding without our aid. We
gave that aid promptly and honestly.
South Carolina was the first TO do i. We
who address ycu were parties 10 Il. II
was done by the Legislature OF 1865, on
the 18th day Of November. Other South
ern States followed. until on the 18th
day Of December. 1865, q sufficient num-
ber of the Southern States, namely:
South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama,
Nsrth Carolina and Georgia, having ra-
tilted and approved the amendment,
the Secretary Of State Of the United
States published the lawful certificates,
with the great seal OF the nation thereto,
and from that day the amendment and
the eternal abolition Of slavery, apd the
perpetual freedom of the colored man
.ecame the irrevocable, highest law Of
the land. But mark youl This is what
we say. II is what the Deme ecratic party
says and insists upon, and is now strug-
Cling to establish. Not so the Republic
can Radical party. They deny this. You
doubt us? We will show you we speak
the truth.
This question being, as we supposed,
forever settled, was re-opened by the
Radicals, so far as they could re open it.
We deny their right or power to do this
lawfully, but they insist on it, and that is
the issue to be tried in the great contest
now going on.
The Radicals, in 1866, proposed
another amendment to the Constitution,
known as the fourteenth .(l4th) amend
ment. They sent it to the States for APP
proyal. Al came to the same Legisla-
lures, forthe most part, in the Southern
States which had approved and thereby
made the amendment abolishing slavery.
1t was the same Legislature Of South
Carolina The Southern Legislatures
rejected the fourteenth amendment, and it
was thereby defeated. They did this
because it disfranchised their best men,
who had done no criminal or offensive
acts, except such as they had been en-
couraged and aided and supported in
doing by the people, and it would have
becn mean and disgraceful if the people
or their Legislatures bad punished those
who were only participants in their own
guilt. The Radicals, incapable of dis
tinguishing between meanness and gen
erosity, we're fercely irritated at this re-
fusal; thereupon they declared our Leg
islatures illegal--tbe same Legislatures
which had abolished slavery and assured
your freedom, whose aid. they had in
voked and accepted. They broke up
these legislatures by military power,
because, they said, they were "illegal." "
They established military governments
for a time, and finally your government,
such as it now is. They call that
legal. We deny it. If we are right,
you are safe If they are right,
and the Legislature which made you free
was illegal, then the illegality of your
freedom is an open question for the fu-
ture discussion of demagogues, Radicals
and scallawags. 1t will be open merely
for discussion and mischief, of no prac-N
tical avail, because we, every man of us,
and of the Democratic party, would stand
BY you to resist such fraud. We ask
you to stand by US for your own sake
not for our sake. We cap and will take
care of ourselves. We know how to do
that, or to see that it is done. Their ha-
tired to US was so great that. for its sake,
with all their pretended love for you, they
would give up your freedom and declare
it illegal" Their hatred to the slavery
of the colored man was less than their
hatred to the white man of the South.
Their love of freedom for you was less
than their love ofslavery for US. Do you
not see it2 Do you not see that if the
Legislature which gave you freedom was
illegal, its act also must be illegalf Do
you not see who did this. and that they
have failed to secure from the legislatures
what they call legal ratification of the
amendment of the Constitution which
makes you free? Does not all this show
to you what tricksters and cheats are
leading you to your destruction ? After
this exposure of them, when it is yonr
wish TO find pretense for hostility to us,
You will pretend to believe these men
otherwise you will not believe them. We
have not left you one particle of reason
for trusting them except your wish to do
80. II, in fact, you are not deceived, but,
knowing their falsehood, desire hostility
to us, we cannot help it. We shall re-
gret it, more for your own sake than our
own.
( We have another very grave complaint
against you. You have been placed in |
possession of supreme political power
in South Carolina you are responsible |
for the manner in which that power is
The population of the
State has two distinct general classes
your race, the colored race and our race, |
the whits race. There is also another
and third class, or more properly, a fun
gus of the white race, Insignificant In
numbers and degraded in character.
But small as II this is again subdivided
into two very distinct parts. They are
very comprehensively described in the
dialect of the Hastings as "carpet-bag
itiuerants and resident scsllawsgs.' This
with its two parts, governs
you, aud by your consent and folly, gov.
erns the State. Your race greatly ex-
ceeds ours in numbers in this State
you have large msjority of the votes
With this power in your hands, you have
misused it. Although you
are for the most part uneducated and
in public affairs, yet
here are among you men Of ability and
education. These men you have set
lside, and have committed the State ad-
aud its representation in
patronage aud power-its
character and credit-to the csrpet-bag-
rers and scallawags. Not of course be-
,ause your men are, in any merit, inferior
o them. You are their superiors, and
you have shown it whenever there has