The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-08-12
The Civil Rights Bill.

Bill, which is still upon the Congress
sional calender, and failed to pass IL
the House, only from its being unabl' !!
to get the two-thirds vote, which wa
necessary to take it up out of its reg
ular order, is still being discussed by
journals North and South, and re
ceivos very generally the denuncllaa't|l!ol
of Southern Journals and Southern
statesmen, Even Brownlow, OF Zen
nesscc, opposes the bill, and othe'
Republican statesmen Of tho Sontt
unite in condemning its provisions al
jnimical to ,lc best interests OF boil
races. They urge that by emanc'pa
Ting the black man, and in giving hin
political equality before the law, they
conferred every proper privilege, "ne
denouncc The tanalicism which seeks
to place him on the same social plane
with the white man, and eaace al
distinctions of color or race in schools
colleges, hotels, churches, and public
convcyances. The effect, they urge
will be to subordinate all other ques'
tions to that of race, and that this
must be prejudicial, especially TO the
interests of the colorcd race. Har,
per's Heeky advocates the bill and
insists upon its passage, on the ground
that it is necessary to secure to the
colorcd race all Of its guaranteed
rights; but it's arguments are well
met by the following letter which ii
publishes from a Georgia Republican
statesman -
~ am not aware that history re-
cords the fact Of two races living
together happily and prosperousIy,
upon terms of perfect equality, tor
any very long time. If the Supple
mcntary Civil Rights Bill becomes a
law, the public common school system
of Georgia, as well as most of the
Southern States, will be abandoned,
in my opinion. Il is simmatcrial what
the sentiment Of opposition may be
called, whether prejudice, fanatlcIsm,
aristocracy, or whatever; it exists,
and it cannot be overcome during the
present generation. The opposition
is stronger among the poor whites,
and that class embraces most OF the
Republicans, than among the rich,
who can educate their own children.
No law so odious as this can be en-
forced among q people so hostile to
it. Massachusetts was perhaps more
law-abiding than the Southern States,
and the Fugitive Slave Law could not
be enforced there without producing
riots and bloodshed. My judgmen,
is that there is bat little to DO gained
by the colored man by the passage of
the law, and he will lose infinitely by
it. No man can be sustained in the
Southern States who approves it, eN-
cept by the colored voters, and the
strong tendency of such q state CT
things must be to produce party
based exclusively Oh race-a result
greatly TO be dep!ored by both, but
more especially by the colored man.
I think that the bill will defeat one if
not two of the Republican members
of Congress from this State this Fall.
The whites can't approve it, and the
blacks can't succeed without whites
to lead, and if somo can DO found TO
lead, they will lead colorcd men
only"
We in South Carolina have long
since passed this stage in the process
of Reconstruction, and can afford to
laugh ut the fears Of our friends. We
defy Congress to worst US much, and
have been SO long demoralized by the
heavy artillery of State legislation,
that we have little to fear from the
fusilade of Congressional enact.
ments. What care we for Federal
Civil Rights Bill when we have a
more odious one upon our own Statute
Book.