The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-11-27
Justice to tlio South.

The American Missionary Association
recently held Its annual meeting In Chi,
cago. The Rev. Mr.. Strieby, q celebra.
ted divine of New York, and one of the
founders of the Oberlin College, CORES.
ponding secretary of the assaciot;on. de.
livercd himself of q very sensible adj.
dress on the subject Of the Southern ne.
gro, in which he took occasion to ad.
minister very dlgnified but severe re-.
bnke 70 the stalwart abuse of the South.
ern people. The American Missionary
Association makes is special work 10
inquire into the condition OF the freed.
men and device methods for their eleva.
tion to better state Of citizenship, and
when oae Of its members speaks his ut.
terauces are probably entitled to more
than ordinary consideration. The Rev.
Mr.. Strieby says:
But l show you another picture. It
carries us back few years. The Legis-
leture of South Carolina Is in session. Its
members are mostly black men. They
have generally no property and pay no
taxes, yet they have taxed that impover.
,shed State to the verge of destruction,
not Tor public improvement, but to Law.
ish 1t upon themselves in suppers, wines.
personal perquisites, in jobs and In rail.
road chemes. No more scandalou. Or
reckless plundering of public treasury
has ever been rracticed in America, and
that is saying great deal. Why is this
little handful of mock legislators allowed
TO do thisY Why do not the people rush
upon the and hurl them from the places
they dishonorH Why? simply because
there stands as guard file Of United
Stat.s soldiers---not themselves sufficient
IN numbers to be formidable, but repre-.
sentipg tho national government and its
authority, aud to touch them is to touch
it, The South is indignant, determined.
and dc yc:. %=caaddaarr?9 III The troops arc
now gone, the black legislators disperaed
and white Taxpayers are in their places {:
and rising above all other considerations
is the purpose Of those taxpayers that at
whatever cost, and by whatever needed
methods, those irresponsible plunderers
shall never como back again into power.
You blame them, but I feap you would
do the same yourselves under like pro.
yocafions. II tie general government.
by means of bloody war, snould subdue
the Western States, and then enfranchise
in any one State enough Indians to out.
vote the whites, ithose Indians should
fe-cnact the plunderiDg of the Columbia
Legislature, how long would the West
bear it? l suspect it would not be lopp
till every Indian would be converted into
o good Indian, but it would be in tho
Western sense; he would be dead In.
dian. Brethren Of tho North, make the
case your own. Put yourself in your
Southern brothers place, and Judge him
6y your own impulses. What, then, is
the true remedy for this great evil? To
answer this we must honestly consider
what the real evil is. These Souti. Car.
olina taxpayers don't crush these black
voters because they are black. They
would do the same TO the "poor whitesb
it they, having the numerical force.
should enact the Same wrongs. Nor Ia
It because they are Republicans. The
trouble, therefore, is not with the mans
color or party, but with the man himself
with his Ignorance, his degradation
and his facility in being used as the tool
of designing men.
The remedy, then, Is not tc change his
color or party, but his character. All
other remedies are delusiye; and It
is O nationa! folly and crime to tamper
longer with them. y II It ia n
shame and grieyous wrong to leave
matters az they are. It is o wrong to the
blaces tc compel them TO suffer in the
South or flee to Kansas. It Is unfair to
the South to put them to the dreadful
alternative Of suffering or doing such
great wrongs. It is a shame for an en-
iigtSened nation to keep itself thus EN-.
bro. ], to the hindrance of its prosperi.
ty sud the jeopardy of its peace.