Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-09-26
and which, if followed, will lead us to sti

ence mas Deen Illdue, lie spoke Ill leIHlS WHICH,
seemed disparaging to ''the Hampton Democ-
racy.'' I have never assumed to myself the
honor of founding or attempting to found a
| school of Democracy. l am but simple dis
ciple of the great creed taught by Jefferson,
and illustrated by the highest intellects and
the purest patriots that the country has pros
duced. -....
Ihave been and am content to follow where
they have led, without indulging, for mo-
ment, in the presumption of trying to engraft
one article of faith on the creed promulgated
| by the fathers-that creed which has given the
brightest pages to the history of the country,
| and the success of which alone can bring back
permanent peace, harmony and prosperity to
that country. / must, therefore, disclaim the
honor of giving my name to any system OF
Democracy, and l notice this matter only on
account of the manner in which Gen. Gary
speaks of the champion Democracy"
If he means by the language he has used to
insinuate that the proud banner of our party
has been lowered in my hands; or if he intend
ed to reflect upon myself personally OF official
ly, pronounce the mputation as unfounded
as it is impertinent. 1t has never been my
custom to touch upon personal matters in adj
dressing my fellow-citizens. l have left my
| justification against adverse criticism to the
results which have been accomplished, feeling
assured that my constituents, appreciating the
difficulties which have surrounded me, would
always give me credit at least for an honest
purpose to promote the best interests OF the
| State. .......
| depart from my usual custom Oh this oc-
casion, because thought it proper to meet and
| resent what felt to he a misconstructiOn OF
my official and personal conduct; having done
| this pass to more cOngenial topics. Fore
most among them is the most momentous
problem ever forced upon people for solution;
| the proposed adjustment of the relations OF
two distinct nations living on the same soil.
1t is not a question of a day nor of genera
ton, but for all time to come, and we have to
meet it now. What is the best mode for us to
meet it
| have indicated, on various occasions, the
line thought should be followed by our par
ty-the party in which nearly all the intelli-
gence, education and capital OF the State are
| to be found-and have indicated the manner
| in which thought we should deal with this
perpleXing question. 1t was by no fault OF
ours that the colored men were brought to
South Carolina; by no fault of ours that they
| were afterwards made free. The same people
who first brought them here and sold them III.
| to slavery, now claim to have offered a most
magnificent libation on the altar OF Liberty
| by making free those whom they first enslaved
| for their own profit, and have now freed with
out loss to themselves.
We cannot tell what great object Provi-
dence had in view in allowing these things to
| be done by which these people have been
brought here and liberated in our midst. We
are told that ''GOd moves III a mysterious way
! his wonders to PERFORM" and He has moved
| in mysterious way in this matter. He has
brought them here, relieved them OF their
shackles and left them here untutored in mind,
| with all the prejudices century OF slavery
has engrafted on them, and we are to be thell
guardians and protectors. l know that Sentl-
ment will not find all echo in the hearts OF
MANY of the colored people, They have been
taught that we are natural enemies, political
| ly at least, of the colored men. Personally
they have had kindly feelings for their old
masters. Let one of them but get into diff
culties, and in nine cases out of ten he will 60
| to his old master for assistance and not to one
of his Republican leaders. He will trust the
former in everything except as to his voting.
| He was told two years ago that If the Demo
cratic party got into power, he would be put
back into slavery, and he believed it.
was told the other day by distinguished
| clergyman, that he had had a discussion with
one of his old colored friends, and had asked
| him, among other things, why he was not
Democrat. The old man said that he had
|
| ings of the Bible. The clergyman wondering
| " asked where that doctrine could be found,
| and the old man replied that as the Good Book
| only spoke of t,co political parties-the 'Publl-
cans and the Sinners-he thought he must
choose between them and he either Publican
| or Sinner, which was but the Bible name for
a Democrat. Laughter, in which some OF
| the colored men joined heartily. The old
man had evidently never observed how many
| of his party were both publicans and sinners.
| Renewed laughter and tremendous display
of dental anatomy. They have been at last
dispossessed of the great error into which
they were led by designing leaders, and have
found that they are protected i'll all their
rights, and are as free now as they were in
'76. They recognize the fact that there has
been more peace in the State and less crime;
that there is returning prosperity and that
good will has grown up steadily between the
races They see that they were misled, and
| are now willing, in many instances, to trust
those whom they were taught to distrust. The
evidence of all that is that while thousands
voted the Democratic ticket at the last elec-
ton, thousands more will support it at the
next one And now, my friends, what is to
be our policy in regard to these people l
take the ground that, while the colored man
is politically the equal OF the white man III
South Carolina, he must stand upon his own
merits (Turning to the side OF the stand
where the colored people were collected ou
must stand upon your own footing. You can
not be put upon any better one merely because
you are colored men. We propose to protect
you and give you all your rights; but while
we do this you cannot expect that we should
discriminate in your favor, and say because
you are colored man, you have right to rule
the State. We say to you that we intend to
take the best men we can find to represent the
State, and you must qualify yourselves to do
SO before you can expect to he chosen. Prop
er qualification is necessary in all cases, and
the white man who is afraid to enter the race
upon such terms, does not deserve to be called
white man. -
| not only want to impress on the white
people to treat the colored people with kind
ness, but would so further. would give to
them every facility for education. The great
est statesman and philosopher of England has
said that education is the chief defence OF
nation and no philosophical remark was ever
made with greater truth. l would see our
people educated And when l say this
do not wish to be misunderstood. | am not
one of those who believe that because man
can read and write, he is necessarily a better
man than his fellow. know he is not neces-
sarily Il better soldier, because while MANY
of the Northern States boast that more OF
their people can read and write than those OF
almost amy other nation in the world, and
while they taunted us during the war with the
opposite state Of affairs as obtaining here,
would rather have taken our men (wllom they
alleged could neither read nor wrlte) when
wanted good Shooting done, than amy men
ever saw. | mean by education, then, not
only intellectual education, but education OF
the heart and soul-to lift our people up and
teach them that the only true knowledge is
the knowledge of God! 1t isa mistake to sup