The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1868-05-20

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succumb This is the law of power
this the decree Of the Almighty Ruler OF
the Universe, and no human arrange
mcnt cua avert the inevitable result
the logical sequence In tho Olympic
chariot course of nationaltics-of con
tending peoplcs-it is blood. it is race,
that wins the goal and enjoys the pr,zc.
Hence the Southern whites, in the faith
oflhe proud race to which they belongs
feel confident and strong and no doubts
as to their future come seriously to dis.
turb their wcll.loundcd cqnanimi,v.
But the cx.slavc.holdcr of the South
though slavery be forever gonc-is not
disposed to disturb he harmony which
| should exist between the races at the
South. Acknowledging the fidelity and
the services of the negro in the past, he
feels that he IS the colored mans best
friend, his natural guide and protector.
In fine, he desires and advocates poll.
cy that will secure the black mans en-
during goo6, and make him valuable
element in the land. Nor are the whites
lnc'"cd to refuse to him anything Of
civil and political status, that he in rea
son may claim. We have said that we
arc willing to conccdc TO him all Of civil
rights, and to give him, according to his
fitness, the high trust Of suffrage. Let
us deal with this question. rs Of RICH: il
is ours so to do, and We will throw
around the frccdman--trccd bv South
| Cardinals own laws-the protecting
| n1 oil f1,,f r Al
sovereignty "f the State. The colored
man is taught by demagogucs and false
teachers to look North for his safety
and his future and yet, we confidently
affirm, that there exists North a far
greater prejudice against his color than
III the South. Nor, rs we believe, is
the day far distant, when, on the floor of
some national body, the Southern man
will be found pleading for the just rights
of his former slave. Thus much for tho
relations between the two classes of the
people at the South.
AS it regards, now, the powers OF
taxation, conferred in the provisions OF
the Constitution under review, we con.
tend that they are unjust, dangerous,
unreasonable, nay, outrageous.
10 this point, we would direct the
special attention of the Reconstruction
Committee, who are to pass upon these
grave matters. Under the workings OF
! the new Constitution, it will result that
Mosc s0ho haze no property are to impose
tHecs upon those eoho hold all the proper
W. The legislator, III laying taxes upon
others, is usually restrained by his con.
sidcration tha. the tax imposed will fall
alike upon his own property, and that OF
his nelghhor; and this is powerful elc-
mcnt III Keeping one from arbitrary cx.
crsscs. But here no such restraining
principle would operate; no such con-
scrvatlve influence moderate the delicate
power Of taxation. The non taxpayer
may lay almost any burden upon the
tax paying and property-holding. The
power exists, and The probability is that
/ the power will be abused The consc-
qnence is. that we may have under the
new Constitution. taxation to the death
Of all enterprise, Of all prosperity, Of all
the States material interests s. taxation
even to con!iscation. But further the
whites or property -holdcrs being virtu.
ally mreprescntcd in the State Lrgisla-
tnrc, there will be. and that, too, in lis
most oppressive form, arution aciihout
representation. Upon this point.-upon
this great wrong-our (orclathcrs went
into the Revolution o. l77G, and yet it
is proposed to enLhronc this odious .prin.
ciplc even in tho Constitution Of South
Carolina! South Carolina, one of the
."Old Thirteen" that fought the battle
for human rights in tho infancy Of this
Republic.
But your Chairman asks me how 1t
would answer to ihsert in the new Con-
stltutlon a provision to the effect that
tho non-taxpaycrs be dcbarred from
voting on questions Of taxation on prop.
crty. lanswer, that were that practl.
cable. and could it be carried out, it
would relieve the Constitution some
what of its exceptlonable features, and
hope your committee may revise it in
This, rs well as in other respects. Tn
addition, now, TO what has been said on
THIS subject OF taxation. lct'us say, Mr..
Chairman, that it is estimated that, un-
der the taxing provision Of the now Con.
stitutlon for our State, the sum Of two
millions Of dollars may be raised annu-
ally i'll the way Of taxes; and yet, in
the palmiest days of South Carolina, the
State, it was thought, could not well
bear tax Of more than three hundred
and fifty or four hundred thousand dollars
per annum. Of this large sum, except.
ing the small amount to be realized from
the poll tax on the negroes and except.
ing the smaller sum to be derived from
the property held by that class, all will
come from the whites Of the State. Fur
ther of this $2,OO0,O00 alluded to, it
IS estimated that nearly one million OF
dollars would be devoted to tho educa.
tlonal fund. Now, observe that nearly
all of this fund will be derived from the
whites and yet the educational advan.
tages will accrue to tho blacks alone