The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1868-09-12

WHITE SulrHER SPRINGS, WEST VA,
August &C. 1868.
Gcn~o1:-I have the honor to receive your
letter of this datc and in accordance with your
suggestion, ! have conferred with number of
gentlemen from the South in whose Judgment
| have confdcd. and who arc we'll acquainted
with tho public sentiment Of their respective
States. They have kindly consented to unite
with ne i'll replying to your communicated
| and their names will bc found with my own
appended to this answer
With this explanation we proceed to give to
you candid statement Of what we believe to
be the sentiment Of the Southern people in re-
gard to the subject TO which you rcfer,.aa1
Whatever opinions may have prevailed in
the past in regard to African slavery, or the
right Of State to sccclo from tho Union, we
believe we cypress tho almost unanimous judg-
mpnt Of the Southern people when wc declare
that they consider that those questions were
! decided by the war, and that it is their inteu-
tion, in good faitl, to abide by that decision.
At tho close Of the war the Southern people
laid down their arms and sought to resume
their former relations with the United States
Government. t r j. tpt
Through their State conventions they aabul-
ished slavery, and qqnapllqa their ordinances of
secession, and they returned to their peaceful
| pursuits with sincere purpose to ful6l all
their duties under tho constitution Of the
United States, which they had sworn to sup
port. II their action in these particulars had
been met in spirit of frankncss and cordislity.
we believe that ere this old 1irritations would
have passed away, and the wounds in1ictc,,. by
therMAr4 would ld haye been in "a great peas set
hpalcd. AS far MS wo arc. advised, the people
| Of the South cntcrtain no unfsiendly feeling
| toward the government of the United States,
but they complain that thoir rights uuder the
CONSTITUTION are withheld from them In the ad-
miuistration. thereof
| The idea that the Southern people arc hos
tile to the negroes, and would opprcss them if
| it were in their powor to do so, is entirely un-
founded They have grown up in our -midst.
and VIC have boon accustomed from childhood
to look upon them with kindness The change
in tths gelqtl af.the tvs, races has wrought
| no change in our feeling toward, them. They
still constitute the important part Of our labor
ing population. Without their labor tho lands
of tho South would be comparatively unproduc-
tive. Without the employment which Southern
agriculture affords they would be destitute of
the means Of subsistence and become paupcrs,
dependent on public bounty.
| Il b
| Selt-intcrcst, even if there were no higher
motive, would therefore prompt the whites of
the South to extend to the negroes care and
protection. The important fact that tho two
races are, under existing circumstances, ncccs-
sary to each other, is gradually becoming ap-
parent to both and we believe that but for
Influences eAcrcd to stir up the passions of the
negroes the relations of the two races would
soon adjust themselves OH a basis Of mutual
kindness and advantage
! 1T is true that the people of the South
together with the people Of the North and
West arc, for obvious reasons, opposed to any
system of laws which would place the political
power of the country in the hands Of tho nogro
race. but this opposition springs from no
feeling of cnmty, but from dccp-scatcd con-
victioa that at present the negroes have neither
the intelligence or other qualifications which
arc necessary to make them safe Repositories
of political powers. They would inevitably
become the victims Of dcnagoyacs, who, for
selfish purposes, would mislcad them to the
serious injury Of the public, 4
TIE grcat want of the South is peace. The
people earnestly desire tranquility aud tho re-
s,oratioh Of tho Union 'Thcy .ikprecatc.s dis,