The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1870-08-03

power into just and proper chan
nels, to bring it in harmony with
the social and material interests of
society as then existing, rather
than TO stand idly by and SEQ it
perverted to the most malignant
antagonism, and tho vilcst pur-
poses Of corruption, by foreign
adventurous. How fur l was right
or wrong, let the annals Of tho
Scott dynasty in South Carolina,
resting alone upon tho votes Of
tho African, declare.
Tho people Of South Carolina
made no effort to avert or to con-
troll tho progress Of tho Recon
struction acts. They contcnted
themselves with dcnouncing their
iniquity and tho unconstitutional
ity. Alas alas this has not az
rcstcd their progress. An appeal
was mado against them TO tho
people Of the United States in tho
late Presidential election. In COM
mon with othor Democrats, [ ap-
pcalod to the colorcd people to
vote for their own disfranchise-
mcnt, but, sad to tell, thoy wouldn't
do it. They had not yet reached
that point Of sublimatcd magnan-
unity. Tho majority Of the white
people Of tho country, too, deaf to
tho appeals to their pride or pre-
juQicc Of race, affirmed tho policy
and principles Of tho Rcconstruc-
tion acts. The Supreme Court re-
cognizcd them as law, and all tho
South "acccpted tho situation"
The Fifteenth amendment to tho
constitution, however, adopted,
has acquired the form Of law-has
been accepted rs law in tho prac-
Lice Of all tho States, and can nov
CT be reversed, but by ycrotution
or repeal. 10 which Of those mca-
surcs do you, sir, invite us, as
means Of maintaining tho "Prin-
cip!cs Of Right, Of Justice, of
Truth, which we practiccd and
upheld in tho past ?"
What wcro those principles !?
Tho right of secession ? Undoubt-
cdly it was right. but we lost it
by tho war, and surrendered 1t
whom we accepted life, property
and civil law, conditioned with
the amended oath Of allegiance.
Tho justice Of self-govcrnmont
under tho constitution and laws of
our fathers, as construed by Cal
houn? When tho perfection of
human reason is attained, in tho
ago of millcnial glory, l bcliove
wo may hopo for restoration of
that justice.
The truth that human slavery
is consistent with Christian mo-
rality? BY tho constitutional
cnactmcnts Of the people Of South
Carolina, in convention assembled,
in 1865, that has been rendered a
nero abstraction, which l caro-
not to discuss.
J. know Of no party in the South
whose bannor is inscribed with
tho watchwords "Rcpcal or Rcvo-
lution," and because / sec no hope
for South Carolina to escape from
grovcling ruin, poverty and de-
spair, in any other way, have
aided in olcvating tho bloodlcss
banner Of "Unon and Reform"
and have at my side. thank God,
tho best and bravcst Of those who
upboro tho Conquered Banner,
until God and reason bade them
furl it. That my friends abroad
may judge Of tho Justice Of your
criticism, [ havo traced my
thoughts in connection with tho
events Of the past few years, that
they may comprehend my course
in the late convention. My friends
here know that / went into that
convention to tako no leading
part, but to aid in preserving the
ancient landmarks, while promo
ting the proposed reform.
Tn order TO do so tho moro adj
visedIy, I havo cndcavorcd to put
in writing what l hoIicvo TO bo
the principles upon which those
who approached the subject from
our standpoint could invite tho
cooperation Of the colorcd pooplc,
without whose assistance t h Q
whole movement was an imprac-
ticablc absurdity.
[Thcn follows tho resolutions
which General Kcrshaw intro
duced in tho convention, on the
evening of it's organization, and
which havc already boon pub
lished.] -.
If know what truth is, these
declarations embody truth, and,
thus believing, noithor tho tongue
of slandcr, misconstruction, tho
falling away Of friends, tho vitu-
peration Of oncmies, tho gibbet,
nor tho stake can mako mo unsay
them.
You, sir, can find in these rcsolu-
tions that which justitics you, in foro
conscienti@, in imputing to mo n
conscious dcsortion Of principles,
L. l. ns -