The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-04-08

could lay before yvu the many, mary
instances of distress that have core
before our eyes, it would appeal most
powerfully to your sympathIes sz And
! the worst feature of CRUELTY in the
thing is that it falls most heavily up.
on the most helpless-upon women
and children, upon widows and CT
phanS. Year by Year, and day by
| day, is the number increased OF those
who have kept up in vain and Strug'
gle for the bread Of independence aud
fer the roof. that orers-their- heads,
Is it strange that We should ask for
them and for ourselves some relief
from the tyranny that is so depressing
us? And can it be that the govern
.ncnt vii! deny MS its sympathy aud
it's aid in giving US the substance as
we'll as the form of Republican GOV
! esanent.
Mr.. President, We come in no fac
tious or partisan spirit. We. come in the
interest of peace, Of good order, and
Of honest government. 1t matters
little to us whether the administration
be Republican or Democratic, S" that
it insure US an economical, honest gov
ernment, such as our condition impera-
lively requires. We ask it us Ame:i
can citizeus; for We know that the
moral rs the political influence of the
National Government is commanding.
The people Of South Carolina did
once aim at au Independent existence
aud make i terrible struggle for it.
But that dream and that struggle are
over-they are Of the past. Our peo-
pie have no other national government
than this Of the union, no other coun-
try than tl:e:e United Stats, and no
other fag than that bright flag ofst%rs
I that floats over this broad land. And
thev are true men and faithful; and
if We know the people, they would
defend this s,il which is theirs,
that aas which is theirs, from
foreign aggression with the same nn-
finch;ng valor, which. in the remote
pest and in the recent past, they have
displayed on so many well fought fields
Of battle.
It is impossible to describe the earn
lestness and feeling with which Mr..
Porter spoke. His words produced
profound impression even upon his
fellow delegates, all Of whom were on.
/ ly too familiar with the sad facts Of
his recital.
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY.
The President, who heard Mr.. Por-
ter with fixed attention, replied with
characteristic brevity, and with some
thing morc than his usual rigor. He
said:
GEyrLEMEH-After listening to
vour remarks. [ do not see that there
Is anything that can be done. either
by the executive or by the legislative
branch Of the National Government,
to better the condition Of things which
YOU have described. The State Of
South Carolina, has complete sover-
eiyn. existence. aud must make its
own laws. II its citizens are suffer
ing from those laws, it is i matter
very much. to- be depfored. Where
the fault lies, may BE- question worth
looking into Whether L part Of the
cause is not due to yourSelves-wheth-
er it IS not owing to the extreme views
which you have held---wlF:thcr your
action has not consolidated the non.
taxpaying portion of the community
agaiust YOU, are questions which /
leave to YOUR own consideration. Al
low me to say, however, that always
feel great sympathy with any who are
badly governed and oycrtaxed, as is
the case in Louisiana, and seems also
to be the condition of South Caroiua.
| will say to you caudidly thai, while
| have watched the proceedings Of
Your Taxpayers Convention with no
little interest, = portion Of my SYM
pathy has been distracted by the Pc
rusa! of j apeech delivered during its
deliberations and which contained
yiler and more villainous slandsE than
I have ever experienced before; even
amongst my bitterest enemies in the
North. It was far worse in it's person
al!ty and falsehood than anything l
have ever seen il the New York Sun.