The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-02-25

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Wright to explain, which that accom-
plishcd darllcy did so much to the salts.
faction of the chamber, that they voted
by large majority to refer the bill. The
sum appropriated, Sl40,0O0, was Just
100000 more than whitc l'gislat' res
used to cost the State, and what addition
al legitimate expense the black sort has,
except for perfume, we were not able to
ascertain. If the scene Looked upon
in that Senate chamber had not been so
very farcical it would have been terribly
exasperating. Our feelings were very
much mixed, like the company at one
time we felt like taking the negroes by
the neck and applying our boot.a postert.
orc to hoist them out of the nearest win
dow. and the next moment VIC would be
convulscd at the surprising humor OF the
situation. But we did wonder that the
resident white men, whom the joke affects
seriously, fpreborc TO hang the black ras.
cals to The nearest tree for their unpar
aIlclcd impudencc in presuming 10 lcgis-
late for them. We wondered if such Il
scene would ever be presented to us i'll
the State Capitol at Harrisburg we
thought it would not, but who can tell !?
The constitutional amendment lately
proposed for adoption hy the House Of
Representatives at Washington, makes it
possible that the experiment may be tried
upon us ut an early day.
lin the South the negro is held in power
cnly by the military force of the govern
ment, which permits every black man to
vote; and has hitherto excluded the mass
of the white citizens from the polls. This
holding up of the negro cannot be main
tancd torever, and when it is tiScontin
ucd, he will fall limp and helpless TO the
ground and pass under his ancient con-
troll The Frecdmcns Bureau people
down here, admit that it is fighting
against fate to strive to make the Glack
man u free agent. One Of them, who
was an officer in the regular amy and
whom we had known at College. seemed
to be greatly annoyed ut the negros want
of stamina, and expressed Il great desire
that he should be enabled to casL ar un
trammelcd vote. lie proposed 10 secure
this for him, by declaring mar&ial law,
putting company of soldiers at every
poll and summarily hanging every white
man who should attempt in any way TO
influence black mans vote, and every
black man who should strive to influence
the vote Of IL white man. We suggested
that this would be rather an odd way OF
securing fair election, and one rather
antagonistc to the genius Of cur insti-
tu,ons y to which lie agreed, but never
thclcss wished TO try the experiment to
settle the vcXcd question, whether the
black fellows had amy opinions which
they would stand by, if they were care
fully protected from every adverse carr' Mt
of Influence that might be opposed to
their real feelings
The truth is, the Republican party
made very grave mistake when il at
tempted to control the political power OF
the South by comforting 1t upon the ne
gro, whom it vainly hoped to have always
with it, when its true policy Was to CON
ciliatc the white people with whom it
should have known the real power must
ultimately rest Its leaders feared that
the Southern people were too greatly
cmbittcred against them to enable such n
policy to cnurc TO their benefit. and that
II generous treatment Of the conquered
people would strengthen tho Democracy.
In this they manifcslly erred When the
war ended the Southern people cared
nothing for tho politics Of the North;
they were conquered, they were dest-
tute. and they had no other desire than to
be allowed peacefully TO reSuscltate their
fallen fortunes. The war hud been
brought to Il close under Il Republican
administration, and that party therefore
obtained the credit OF it's success; it was
in power and SO was in Il position to
render needed assistance to tho South,
the gratitude OF whose people IL would
have earned by Il generous and magnani-
nous course The Democracy would
then havo been nothing but the tail end
of its kite, and would have been utterly
swampod us an opposition party. Politi-
clans are always anxious to bc or the
winning side, and many of those of the
South would have joined hands with the
Republican party, ii they and their pco-
pie had been irccl y restored to tlelr po-
ilcal privileges they felt no attachment
to the Northern Democracy. ais WAS cvi-
dcnced when, after onr defeat i'll 1860.
they sclfshly left Gs to remain in hope
less minority. while they attempted to
set up government of their own. But
the Republican rarty's opportunity has
pdssed; it relied upon the black man to
pcrpcluatc its power and lie has proved
broken reed it has alicnatcd from it
The masses of the Southern people by lis
brutality and folly, and thrown them
bodily into the arms of the Democracy,
with the exception Of Il few politicians
who, unable to withstand the smell OF the
kitchen, to whcl, they have all their lives
been accustomed. may try to gctia under
tie wing of Grant.