The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-07-20

ton of the affairs Of the Stafe-
But this is not all-in many OF tho
Counties, the County ofHces and
County funds are held by individ1
uals irresponsible and notoriously
corrupt, and disposed Of for tho
same illegitimate purposes. Add
to this, that large nsonopoiies are
passed the Legislature through the
medium Of oPss.s. aud notorious
bribery; that franchises are eel
dom obtained bnt by private pur.
chase or for corrupt and fraudu-
lent ends that the commonest acts
of Justice, requiring Legislation
must pay their passage that votes
of members of the Legislature are
bought and sold as merchandise;
that public officers prostitute their
positions and even the Legislation
of the State to the purposes of
stock;jobbing and speculation;
that so stupendons q fraud Ia per-
petrated as that whereby the Land
Commission, aided by the Advise.
ry Board, Of which the Governor
OF the State is the official head, ac-
quired $50, 900 of the public mon
ey In q single transaction and,
above all, that the administration
of the State has not dragged to
light and to punishment even one
of their Infamous band, and cay
where, in all the catalogue of in
Equity which disgraces the history
OF fallen humanity, can be found
a parallel to this picture, family
but faithfully delineated 2 This
carnival of vice and eorYppfiou
flowing from that Pandemonium
OF ruin and disgrace into which
the antagonism of races has con.
verted the Government Of South
Carolina. The question for you to
decide is: Shall these things com
tinue 80 to be2 Is no effort 10 be
made to rescue from utter ruin the
vast materials of wealth and pros
perity yet remaining, which re-
quire only good government to
make you a great and happy peo.
Ple2 Will you continue to be the
slaves, tie hewers of wood and
drawers of water of this abomina-
BILE faction of plunderers, who are
sustained by Your divisions9 If
not, how then will you achieve
your emancipation 1t is evident
that one of two things must be
done. Either, first, universal suf.
frage must be abolished or, Sec
ond, the absolute and sharp antae.
onism of the races must be so far
removed as to enable the good peo.
pie OF both to combine for the pur-
poses OF good government. Let
us examine these. alternatives in
their order. First Shall we un.
dertake to abolish universal suf.
frage2 Where is the hope of sue.
cessa The principle of universal
suffrage constitutes the basis of
democratic republicanism through.
out the world. 1t is the corner.
stone of all existing governments
in the Southern States. The
American Democracy in 1868
warred not against the principle,
bnt contended only for the right of
the States to control it. The
strongest Democratic States of tho
Union have Incorporated it into
their practice and their laws
The American people, In their last
Presidential election, by large ma,
jorities, pledged themselves to
maintain it in the South. The fif.
teenth amendment, prohibiting it's
abfidgement by the United States
or any of the States, has assumed
the form of law, and is sustained
and enforced by tho General Gov
ernment, with all its power. bv
the enactment of the strongest ls.
gal sanctions. The Executive, the
Judiciary, and the people of the
country, are well known to be in
harmony with the measure. No
party has raised the stapdard Of
revolution or repeal. Where.
then, shall the crusade against \
principle thns fortified. beoin 2
Let him who will, undertake The
task, we pnsh the argument to his
own conclusion, and meet him
there. ... - '''->' -'
Assume that the technical ax-
ceptions to the fifteenth amend.
ment should be sustained: that
the Supreme Court Of the Uuitsd
States should declare The Recon.
strnction Acts unconstitutional ana
void that the next President and
the Congress to be elected with
him, representing any majority
possible Of the American peonle.
would undertake to re oreaniss
these States and to wrest the snf.
frage from the colored race doea
any man doubt that the wbole
country would then blaze with tbe
fires Of a civil war, fierce. bitter,
bloody and protractedl WHAT. in
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