Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-05-20
Tho South and DR.. Talmage's
Sermon, e-s's1

demagoguos and obarlatans have, during all
this time, persistently misroprcsentcd our
people, and hayo not hesitated to boie our
social, moral and political condition solely
tor oiice and party power. They have lived
and ionrished by keeping up sectional anir
mostly. They caro- less for tho peace and
unity OF tho country than for their personal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and party success. These
political hacks havo tho ear Of tho masses
and prato about rebellion, haunt tho bloody
shirt and assert that tho lives Of Northern
men or Of Republicans aro not safo in tho
South. Many Of the newspapers join in this
unholy war of lies, and by special corros-
pondents and editorials place before their
renders horrible fubroaticns Of oppression
ana murders pespetratcd on unoffcndng
Republicans, woll knowing they are infamous
lies. The masses are honestly deceived by
these statements, and doubtless very many
look upon the Southern people rs n semi
civilized race, and ifnot cannibnls, but little
above them; while thuso who have created
this Impression by thoir ISLANDERS know full
we'll that the Southern people nrc at least tho
equal Of tho Northern rcople in point Of
intelligence, morality and patriotism. They
know, too, there arc no moro social or tolerant
people than ours, and that thero is in the
South IN honest desire to bury the past and
1.-Two in that peace and amty which BELTS a
free people sholtering under tho samo flag.
They know, too, that VIC have q generous
soil and genial climate and that wo need
and desire immigrants to come and settle
among US and help to develop our immense
agricultural and manufacturing
resources. We want to see them come by
scores, and We can assure them, as Northern
settlers now residing in our county aud State
will assure them, that if they como here to live
and not as tramps and stirrcrs Up of strife.
they will be thrice welcomed without regard
to their political opinions.
Onr readers will remember that soon after
the close of the war, during tho administers
ton of President Johnson, General Grant
mado tour of tho South and on his return
represented our people us having accepted
tho results Of the war in good faith and rs
anxious for peace aud reconciliation, and
that they had SO, to work with energy and
industry to repair their ruined fortunes.
Ills report of tho condition and feelings Of
our people then made was truth itself, and
the same has been true ever since. When.
however, he was elected President he became
partisan. established system of espionage
all over tho South, qunr,cred soldiers in all
our largest cities, oppressed our people,
appointed to Office ignorant, incompetent aud
dishonest pcrsons, and finally drove the
Legislatures Of several States from their halls
1t the point of tho bayonct. Recently he has
asnin trrvc'ed largely over the South where,
tho wrongs heapcl on us
during his administration, he was received
in kindly spirit and again ho bears tcsi-
mony to the desire of tho South for nmity
md reconciliation. DR.. Beecher, Dr. Vim
cent, Gen. Sherman and other great mon Of
tho North have visited unharmcd the South,
partakcn of our hospitality and bear testi-
mony that the South is more interested in
retrieving her ruined fortunes than in poli>
les or strife.
Recently Dr.. Talmagc, of Brooklyn, visited
>lnc OF our Southern cities and on his return
preached sermon to his congregation,
chiefly on tho South and the ISLANDERS which
lad been circulated about the Southern
'eopie for fifteen year. We publish on our
irst page q resume OF his discourse and
lircct the attention of our readers to the
orcblc and plain way in which he tells the
rath, and the exact truth. about our rcopo.
lie says he came with questions aud hungry
or Information on moral and religious aud
'o,tical subjects. With this view ho talked
Sith lawyers and editors, farmers and politi-
'ians, blacks and whites, in word with
every grade. class and race of people in the
SOUTH for as he said, he had no political
'ccord to look after or guard. The result Of
lis inquiries is Summed up in the article re,
erred to, and We only wish the Northern
,eoplc could bu,h believe and realize the
ruth ns spoken in this sermon The two
sections would then thoroughly understand
zach other, and perfect reconciliation and
,ct,cr government would be the result.
1t is perfectly true that the people Of the
south do not desire tho restoration of
'!avcry. and that if it were left to vote
"hethcr j. should be rc-cstablishcd thcy
would poll almost, if not an absolutely, Il
unanimous negative. We have always lived
zero, owned slaves and can speak both from
and from conversation with Others
md we know the restoration Of slavery is
'emotest from the wish Of our people, In
act. the slave owner, though nominnlly rich
vas always poor in fact. llo rarely had any
spare money, it requiring all ho made, both
~ his own labor, and that of his able bodied
slaves, to support aud care for the young and
helpless In this way he denied himself and
family mnTy needed comforts and conscni.