The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-09-11
1ntelieenef AMI the improvement Of the 9tae ano cour
GREENVLLE SOUTH CAROLINA VI

will, or who will risk his property and
NE sooner than / will, to vindieate our
rights or defend our honor. But while,
feel this, and ] trust my life has shown l.,
l at toe same Time will never bend TO the
dictation of any clique at home, or heed
hljudged or premature councils from those
who see but one side OF a great question.
and do not care 10 eompre heDd the com,
pheated relations we bear to our p;ster
States OF the South. as well as our relations
UNDER the Federal compact, to the States
OF the North | trust, too, my course in
the State has ehowo this, and this is the
reason why have never made myself what
the world calls popular. scorn 10 wear
the taInDsls of Office, 10, at the same time. I
have TO wear I e livery of any CLIQUE. I
trust l shall never avoid the responsible
~ OF any duty but j vastly prefer the
proud consciousness Of private independ-
ence, to wearing the insigniae Of power. IL
ccuiersed By those who clvim TO be my mas.
ters. * s.gsaa - -ussI ~. 80 - :.
] think I understand the interests of he
siavc>holding race |; it. has been nv study
Tor twenty five years And yet, I saw To.
day, in a paper handed me, published in
Anderson. called the True Caroii,ta,, pa.
per l never heard of before In my life, Il
stated by the editor that / was not TO be
trusted on the vital question, (meauing
sIayeryo did not dream before that any
man in South Carolina doubted me on tbet
point. i, born with the institution over
me for three generations on both sides, not
to be trustedl At one time / owned large,
ly over 500 negroes. l have two daugh>
ters married, and sold place last year.
with the negroes on 1t. and of course nv
settlements TO my daughters snd this sale,
have ra1nead fha mn hot hol- AZ.
now. l once bought. in lS46, 1l3 negroes
in Alabama, and actually moved 65 of them
in 1859, to South Carolina :; and doubt if
any other man, in South Carolina, ever did
purchase negroes 10 the est aud move
them here. If bad moved to Alabama, as
my father once urged me very much TO do.
could have been worth twice as much as
am. He died 10 Mississippi, nd lett me a
plantation and negroes IN that State, and
also one on the Alabama river, near Selma.
l sold both plantations and moved every
negro TO South Carolina And yet, not
true to South Carolina and slavery ? The
editor says. alec, / desire Federal Offices,
and let me take them" can say proudly,
land / say 60. to you alone, not to the pub
lic,) that have refused more high Federal
Offices than any man ever did in America. .
write you freely and frankly. as Is my
habit TO those esteem as gentlemen and
although we have differed widely 10 poll,
tie., yet have ever esteemed you as an in
depend ent gentleman. / saw what Won
had kindly said of me in your paper, and ]
thought l would write you this freely OF
course, intending IL to be entirely private
betwee" US: but IL you ever choose to use
the facts. or II any person feels the slightest
interest in my principles. you can inform
them ip the most authentic manner Rut
as far as am personally concerned, / de-
sire as little uo,oriety as is possible.
The omnibus is waiting In very great
haste, but respectfully, and truly yours.
... +. W. PICKENS.
Hon. B. F. PERRY.