Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-09-24


grave duties and responsibilities, al
'uesc arc tempting subjects Of discus
sion, but | refrain at this time"
he is opposed to the Fifteenth
Amendment, and for the following
substantial reasons:
Il oppose the adoption Of the Fiji
tcenth Constitutional Amendment. be
cause it is material radical change
in our system Of government; be
cause it destroys the relation Of tho
Of tho States to tho Fedora! UrioY
which the Constitution cstabf"Los 90
and dcgrades them; becarHout their
away from the States Attribute Of -
consent that essSsG.imHiunity; tho right
self ,governpwho shall exercise tho
to dete'sutfragc.
fieOtjcct TO its adoption, because il
@as Intended to. and it will, introduce
negro suffrage in Chic agains. tho
will Of tho people. Two years ago,
tho people Of Ohio, without distinc
ton OF party, b. IN immense maiori-
ty, rofused to amend the State Cons,i-
tuition. They do this aftcr fair ar
gumcnt-aftcr full consideration Of
negro suffrage. SEQ no reason to be-
lleyo they havo changed their opin-
ion. Yet now tho attempt is to be
mado to force thcm to submit to the
system which they 80 cmphatically
and deliberately rejected. The Con-
vcntion which nominated General
Grant declared, as part Of its creed ::
"IEe question Of suffrage III all the
loyal States properly belongs to the
people Of those States" And vet in
ono short year the test of loyalty and
patriotism, Ly this Sumo party, is to
deny to the States tho regulation of
the suffrage.
l object to its adoption, because BY
the strongest implication it conters u3-
on Congress, and reserves TO the S,atos
the right to exclude from the ballot
persons Of our own white race be-
cause OF their nativity or their creed
or their want Of education, or their
poverty, and prohibits the exclusion
only ct another race. And thus. if
the Interpretation OF Senator Morton
ana Senator Howard bo correct
under this aincndmcnt of Con-
grcss the State may exclude an Irish
man, or German, or q Catholic, or a
PROTESTANT, or poor man, from the
enjoyment of tho suffrage, but NAV
not exclude the Negro or Mongolian."
lie is opposed to Chinese cmisra-
ton, and gives his reasons. They arc
well worthy Of consideration, but ap-
Ply especially to tho free States Of
the North where tho population is
homogeneous and labor is abundant ::
but have !ittlo application to the rice
fields, and cotton fields, and sugar
Plantations of tho South, and to that
antaGoniam cf interests here, social
and material, which tho introduction
Of new clement would serve rather
TO reconcile, t'.an to mako "confusiop
worse confou.dcd."
We shall not follow Mr.. Pcndlcton
in his elaborate review OF tho cnor-
nous receipts and expenditures Of
the Government: amounting each TO
moro than 100000 per annum; the
unequal taxation, which violates cvorv
sound financial principle, in imposing
nominal duties upon l"~urio-, but the
most oncrous upon articles Of neccs-
sary consumption; the lavish expen-
diture Of tho public money in buy
ing up the {. S. Bonds at 25 per cent.
above their Par va'ue-the increase
of the debt, &c. These arc all dis
cussed With mastery ability.
Ee thus concludes:
"Ihe whole policy of tho admins
tratlon should be reversed. Pay the
debt, pay it honestly, according to the
contract, pay it in money as valuable
as that which was received for it: nav
it in legal tender notes; abolish tho
National bank system; pay off the
bonds 'hl which they are founded :;
save tho yearly interest; use every
appliance OF economy and manage
ment in advancing this policy. Then.
when tho debt is paid, when taxes arc
reduced, when scvcnty-fvc million
suffice for tho Government, whom oll
property is subjected to a Just rule
of taxation, if it be advisable to con-
tract the currency and resume specie
payments, it can be effected without
great disaster, and tho inevitable suf.
fcring can be borne"