Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-03-12


money, began to roll up the whites of
their eye over the sin Of slavery and to
plot for his freedom. Against his will,
the southern master trained him to regu
larSlabor and civilized habits, and grad
ually fitted him for liberty. Then in
grand conflict of arms among white men,
in.ShiUii he took no important part, he
was freed. Afterward white men, volun
tarily, without any effort of his enfran-
ohiseda him. made him voter, and em-
powered him to hold office. As n freeman.
and d4goter he has put bad men in power,
made suffrage farce, destroyed public
credit, ruined Statas, and disgraced re-
publican institutions; and the return he
makes is to clalnor for more power and
more privileges that he may further
blight and mildew and waste our general
welfare and prosperity. Is it not time to
call n halfin this wild. negro-toting lcgis-
|ilation? Is it not best to content ourselves
with the ample guarantees which have
been provided to protect the negro in his
rights of life, liberty, and property, and
set to work to sec if we can save the
institutions Of the country. the good name
of republican government, and the
cause of human rights throughout the
world?
1t is impossible to undo Ghat has been
done, and nobody purposes to attempt
that now, nor ever, unless by common
sense and common consent and by peace
able means. But we can avoid going
further OIL the down-hill road. Sir, it is
time to recur to the doctrine in which is
bound up the salvation Of this country
the doctrine that this is the white mans
land and ought to be white mans gov
;ernment. | wish mad timer to eview the
Isrecord of theygrcat leaders of the radical
party in the first few years after the war;
and show how Indignantly they then
|spnrned the idea of making the negro a
Esufragcn and political power in this
Tcanntry. They have long since gone be-
You'd their scruples then. Party greed
and ambition drove them on; and the
same motive pushes them still on to pro
pose this lgst and most ruinous ofall their
measures. Ifany happy future remains
for this country, it must soon be delivered
from that party and its reckless policity.
This, sir, | repeat, is the white whit
mans land, and he is responsible for its
welfare. The temple of liberty founded
here, and toward which all the down
troddcn nations turn their faces to pray
for dcliverancc, is committed to his charge
Let all the genties come, if they list
Chinese, Indian, Malay, Afrcan-and
worship, and be amply and chivarously
protected while they worship, in its outer
courts; but the consecratcd priest who
ministers at the alter should be only the
viii e man.
In my opinion this is not the perma-
nent home of the negro. He is sojorrn
ing her as school boy under course
Of tuition. lcwill graduate after awhile
and leave school. He is not increasing
in numbers. BY the census reports, the
African race in this country, during
every decade before the last, increased
on an average % per cent; during the
ten years firm 1860 to 1870, half of
which period the negroes were in their
former state ofscrvitudc, they gained 81
per cent. only, much less than half the
former rate. We may infer then that the
81 per cent was gained before 1865, and
that froln then to 1870 (under frecdom)
they increased none, but rather declined
in numbers. The overshndowing white
race is increasing rapidly in the land. In
any event, then, the negro will in course
of time be reduced to comparative insig
niiicance. But for the present he is here
in sufficient numbers, and makes up a
sufficient fraction of the population in
thirteen states to be tremendous hind
rance to the harmony and progress of the
South, ifthis kind of legislation is to pre-
vail. But in proportion as the negroes