Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-06-11
CIVIL RIGHTS.

One of the characteristics of the American
people seems to be to run into vague and
foolish absurdities. This may be seen in the
whole of our history. The foolish pretensions
of Mrs. Hutchinson and Henry Warn, of
Connecticut, and the witch trials of Massachu
setts, are examples of this tendency in our
early history. Spirit-rappings, Mormonism,
cremation and civil rights, may be put down
as examples of later date. 1t is sstrange what
monstrous notions enter the minds of men
and carry them on to desperate conclusions.
Some thirty-fve years ago, in one of the
most intelligent districts of South Carolina, a
plain farmer, who was generally regarded as
a man of good sense, proposed himself as a
candidate for the legislature. In his election
eering canvass, he promised the people if they
would honor him with their votes and give
him seat in the legislature, he would change
up the whole order of nature. He promised
that he would make pine trees produce white
oak mast, and cause wooden blankets to grow
on forest oaks He also promised that he
would 80 far change the order of nature, that
fodder pulling time would come in cool
season of the year. These are only samples
of his wild vagaries. Whether he thought
that he would be able to accomplish these
things or not, in the event he were chosen a
legislator, we will not undertake to say; but
it would seem that some of the people of his
district thought so, for, although not elected,
he beat one of the most distinguished men in
the district.
As a people, we always have hobby.
This we ride until total break down is the
result. Fortunately, these hobbies are gener-
ally of no higher character than simply fool
sh and impractical theories. Sometimes they
assume more dangerous aspect. Cremation
can effect the world very little either for good
or evil; but the civil rights hobby may be
carried to an extent that would deluge the
country in anarchy and confusion. Civil
rights, means to grant to all citizens equal
rights TO this no one ought to object. There
is no Objectionable feature about it. The law
should grant equal rights, and afford equal
privileges to all citizens. When, however,
civil rights and social rights are confounded,
the thing becomes absolutely dangerous.
When this is done, an attempt is made to
blend things that God has created separate
and distinct, and it is always dangerous to at
tempt to unite what nature has made distinct,
and to separate things by nature united
Law makers have their province. Beyond
this they dare not, with impunity, 60. They
may decree that an OK is horse, or that q
horse is a man; but their decree will not
make the thing SO, and any attempt to carry
out such decree in practice, would be at
tended with the most monstrous results.
There are thousands of things in society
that law and law-givers have nothing to dc
with. When they undertake, either to pro
vide for their perpetuation Or to change theil
present mode of existence, they stultity them
selves in the eyes of sensible people. The
legitimate province of legislators is circum
scribed. There are many things that they
cannot do, and which they should not under
take to do. The arm of the law is strong
when exercised within its proper sphere; but
when not it becomes palsied. An attempt tc
do too much, generally results in doing moth
ing. This is the danger respecting the civil
| rights question.