The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-30
THE ONLY PEAoEAB1E REMEDY.
A Constitutional Amendment Wanted
The Views Of the Hon. G. G. Mem
minger.
CHARLESTON, March "a, 1871.

CHARLESTON, March "a, 1871.
His Ercellency R. Z. Scott, lGouernor Of South
Carolina:
| DEAR SIR-Not having been present at the
conference to which was recently invited by
your Excelency, I have thought 1t due to you
that should, as soon as it Was 10 my power,
submit to you the counsel which, in my opin-
ion, the present exigencies of our State call
for, z...t
The remedy for any existing evil must
depend upon the exact character Of the
evil; and the first step to be taken towards
proper application of q remedy is to observe
| Carefully the nature and cause OF the evil. The
| leading TACT which has probably induced your
/ actiane is the formation Of combinations In
maj, Of the upper counties OF the State, which
exhibit themselves In acts of violence upon
those whom they deem fat subjects for extraor-
binary visitation. There can be no difficulty
in ascertalning the cause OF these comolna.
tions. 1t is undoubtedly the conviction that
the existing Government Of the State is ut
eriy corrupt; and that It has failed In all the
duties which are required at its hands-that
there Is no adequate security for life or proper
| ty, and that the taxes laid by the Legislature
must eventuate In virtual con6scation OF the
entire income Of the citizens.
! is this conviction we'll founded :?
+ l. The corrupt character of the Legislature
OF the State has been 80 distinctly evinced
| that 1t may be set down as an admitted TACT.
| 2. The failure to discharge the duties of gov
ernment eliminated In the action OF the LeSls-
| ture at it's last session upon the Chesterfield
election. This action, following upon the pre-
vious election laws, which refused any check
upon the majority, satisfied the white people
| of the State that they had no rights, recog-
nized by the government, and that they must,
| therefore, protect themselves in the best way
they could. The arming OF the colored mill
| tia, and exclusion Of the whites from any par
ticipatlon, placed one class distinctly above
the other, and plainly exhibited TO the whites
| that force would take the place Of law.
3. The wasteful expenditure OF the. public
money. and the corrupt schemes for increas-
ing the public debt, which have found favor
with the Legislature, proclaim in the future
Kan Indefinite Increase of taxes, while corrupt
tofficers foment these evils and render hopeless
l;any effort at amendment.
|. 4. The formation OF secret societies among
1.-THE colored people, under the name OF Union
l,I leagues, have banded them together in secret
Denomination, and while these societies render
|inseless any appeals to the better Judgment of
their members, they naturally suggest like
Organization among the whites as their only
means oil defence.
i These various evidences have settled con-
viction IN the minds Of the whites that they
must seek protection outside OF the existing
|tgovernment, and, as your Excelency doubt
less sees, these evils must result In anarchy Or
civil war, unless some remedy be speedily ap-
plied. The active cause Of all this evil is
clearly the Legislature OF the State. There it
all originates; there it has It's abode, and from
thence 1t must be removed before peace or
security can ensue The character OF this
body must, therefore, be changed. Instead Of
representing Ignorance and vice, 1t must repre-
sent knowledge and virtue. This 1t cannot do
until you change Its constituency. There is
no possible method Of reforming an agency,
while the principal continues the same, and
ignorance and prejudice viii never select for
it's agents the wise and the good. Our troubles
result from this cause and from neglect OF the
great American aphorism, that taxation with
out representation Is tyranny. In our present
system OF State government, those who pay
the taxes have no voice in the government.
This Investigation clearly points to the only
possible remedy, to wit: change in the con-
stituency which elects the Legislature. Let
this be improved, and the Improvement Of the
other follows of course. A more intelligent
body Of voters, and one directly responsible TO
pay the taxes which are imposed by their rep
resentatives, would speedily provide remedy,
Under their auspices, an Intelligent and virtu-
Gus Legislature would again make its appear
snce, and the laws of the land and the public
officers appointed;tD administer them would
again command public confidence and insure
the peace and tranquility OF the State.
All this can be obtained by simply following
the lead of that State which our present rulers
would regard as the fountain Of political wis
dom, and amending our constitution 80 as to
conform The qualifications of voters to that re-
quired In Massachusetts. Let the voters be
only such as can read and have paid some tax
for the support Of the government, and the
representatives will at once change their char
acter. Such qualdcaion.in in the voters would
discriminate only against ignorance, and would
place il In the power OfeVery man to take part
in the governr ent, whatever may be his race
or color.
The difficulty of such an amendment arises
from the fact that 1t must find sufficient favor
with the existing authorities to command
two-thirds vote. This difficulty Is real; but Is
1t not worth the effort to overcome it? Without
some such change the State must inevitably
DRIFT into anarchy OF civil war, and surely we
already have had q sufficient experience of the
evils Of war to induce every one TO seek their
avoidance. II you, sir, would commence the
movement by an earnest appeal to the Legis-
lature, Immediately to submit the call OF
convention TO the decision OF the people, it is
not at all improbable that the movement may
Succeed.
1t Is true that 1t will take much time, and
that much agitation must ensue But let every
man weigh against these considerations the