Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-02-24

ber of troops that overawed South Carolina
during the six years to which have alluded.
and during which time I have shown there
we're no Democratic votes cast. We refrained
from voting not because we were afraid ofthe
military force present, but because we protest.
ed against that usurpation of power that au-
thorizes the presence Of the military at the
ballot box. We believed then, as now that
we were again in the Union, and had the right
to cast free ballot, which could not be done
in the presence of the suzerainty of the bayo-
net. Sir, we were subsequently obedieut to
the Federal authorities. General Ruger was
then in command in South Carolina, and had
he hung up his old boots in the Capitol and
written above them, "He who shall dare these
boots displace, must meet the United States
face to face" the order would have been i'm.
plicitly obeyed by every citizen of the State,
and those old boots would have been as potent
in executing the commands Of the govern
ment as ten times the number of soldiers as
were then in the State. 1t was not the pow
er, sir, but the presence of the bayonet that
drove Democratic voters from the polls dur
ing those six long years of anarchy and op-
preston. Sir, in 1873, I myself told a sol.
dier at the polls, 81 will lnot vote under duress,
the Constitution entities me to the privilege
of voting as a freeman, and there is no free
dom under that bayonet." For that reason,
and for that reason alone, sir, refrained
from voting, and so did the Democrats of the
State.
But the Republican party claim that the
negroes of the South must, of necessity, vote
the Republican ticket. Possibly there was
an ostensible reason for this thought some
years ago but to-day there exists potential
causes for reduction of the Republican ne
gro vote at every election. The inte1lectuali-
ty of the race is improving, the more thrifty
of them are acquiring property and becoming
taxpayers, and find Democratic incompara-
bly, less burdensome to the taxpayers than
Republican government and thousands of
the more ignorant and timid have been res
cued by their humane employers from the op.
preston Of their Union leagues and other jes-
uitical organizations of their race. Laughter
and groans on the Republican side. ] Gentle.
men may grunt and laugh sardonically at this
remark, but it is literally true. l have my
self accompanied colored men to the ballot
box who, with fear and trembling, asked and
received protection while they were voting
the Democratic ticket. You men of the North
know nothing about the colored race in the
South. You are ignorant of their manners,
customs, traits Of character, and their wants;
and the gentleman from Michigan, a thousand
miles away from any portion of the South,
and of all men the most ignorant of the peo-
pie of that section, presuming to read us a
lesson as to how we should deal with the COL
ored man
If the threats and warning elicted by the
proceedings of this House from the Stalwart
portion OF the Republican party are to be
credited, we may anticipate but few more
free elections in the South. AS a Southern
farmer have greater interest in the well
fare Of the colored people of the South than
all the gentlemen on that side of this Cham
Der, because upon them and their labor l and
mine are, and always expect to be dependent
for our support. But sir, identified from
birth with the people of the South and actu'
ated by the instincts of honesty and candor,
| declare it as my conviction that further
and continued congressional interference with
our elections will result in arraying race
against race to the detriment OF the negro.
For whatever fate may befall the South, the
white people Of that section, promted by the
first law Of nature, will never again quietly
submit to negro domination. Eight long
years subection to an oppression unknown
to modern civilization is not to be forgotten
in generation In South Carolina, and |
believe similar sentiment pervades the South,
we desire to see the negro elevated. But, sir,
consummation of that desire will never be
attained by second degradation Of the ,ohite
man. You may draw your party lines upon
color; we will meet you there and extingush
them. Our destiny is to live in the South
with the negro, and we expect to work that
destiny peacefully, difficult as the problem
may seem. But if political legislation de.
MES US, or subverts our rights upon the pre-
sumption that we have in any wise curtailed
the rights of the colored man, just then and
there we will have reached that time in the
South anticipated by the honorable gentle
man from Michigan, when he expressed fear
lest civil liberty would be destroyed unless
election results could be changed in that Sec
tion But if the American people will only
repose confidence in the Southern whites and
grant them the opportunities circumstances
present, l have little doubt but that this
problem will be solved satisfactory to both
races, and ultimately result in the elevation
of the negro, and the continued and, pray
God, the everlasting political quiet between
the two sections on his account.
A few more words and have done. AL
lusion has been frequently made during this
debate to the small Republican vote through
out the South in the recent Residential elec-
ton, and it has been reiterated that it could
not be accounted for upon just grounds. For
the first time since have been member OF
Congress have heard the South censured
and South Carolina escape more than the
lions share of the abuse. But it seems the
recent vote in that State has given satisfac-
ton to those who, for the purpose of this
debate, have bewldered themselves with
arithmetical calculation. Perhaps these gen
tlemen are not aware that during the last
campaign South Carolin had no Republican
State ticket in nomination, aud in only few
instances a county ticket to represent the
Republican party in the campaign of 1880.
The ghost of intimidation doubtless presents
itself to the mind of every Republican within
the sound of my voice at the very announce
ment of such fact. But that such thought
is mere phantom let ME prove by printing as
portion of my remarks a letter received this
morning from a resident lawyer of this city,
who is perhaps the brightest intellect that
South Carolina ever gave to the Republican
party. He has lately settled in this city, and
yesterday afternoon addressed him note
asking whether he was not a member of the
Republican State Convention of South Caro-