The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-09-15
The News and Courier,s Reply.

Courier letter in which he gives his
reasons for dissenting from the opinions
expressed in recent article, in this pa
per, on the negro as Il farmer" The
letter is not written in Kindness, and the
author seems to be anxious like the Col
umbia Reyister, to make the people OF
South Carolina believe that we are dis.
posed to exalt the negro at the expense
OF tho white man. Such charges or sug.
gestions have no perturbing effect upon
the Neus dnd Courier, as we have no ap.
prehension that South Carolinians, in
general will ever insist that Injustice to
the white race is involved in doing ius-
tice to the negro.
The immediate purpose of the article
which has aroused the Columbia Regisfer
and Col. Aiken was to point out the
claims OF the colored people to considera-
ton, lnasmuch as the advocates of the
Lien law argue that the negro cannot
work his own farm to advantage, and
that he should, therefore, be deprived of
the mea. Of obtaining the credit by
which lie is enabled to fArm on MS own
account. This belief, or desire to be-
lleve, that the negro cannot walk or
stand alone is at the root of the whole
discussion.
Congressman Aiken, we believe, is in
favor of the repeal Of the Lien law, and
1t is easy to see why. In his own words !:
"Between the plough handles, he (the
negro can no more claim princely re-
cognition Ii. e. to be King in the cotton
iieldo than the animal at the end Of the
BEAM" The negro and the mule, in
their relations to the cultivation Of cot
ton, are put in the same category, and
are treated as equally incapable Of devel-
opment and improvement. The Nems
and Courier cannot allow this view to
pass unchallenged
We hold that the negro can and will
learn, and that it is easier for him, under
favorable conditions, to realize his re.
ssponsibilities and duties by laboring for
himself than by working always for
the other people. This is as true as it
is that no man can be qualified for free
dom by remaining in slavery. There is
indeed little hope or safety for the State
in any other view. The negro is a voter.
He will remain voter. And his vote
cannot be suppressed forever. When he
has native white allies and leaders his
vote will be counted, cost what it NAV.
Upon the intelligence and good sense of
the negro, therefore, the eli-being of the
State, in large measure, will ultimately
depend. If he remain thoughtless. un-
provident and intolerant, the injury will
be incalculable, for he will become the
sport and prey for designing politicians.
The magazine is there, and the match is
ready.
There is this likewise to be remember.
ed: The measures which oppress or
keep back the coiored man, can keep
back and oppre.s the poor whites. Their
cause is one.
We have not as much information as
We could desire regarding the success of
the negro as farmer on his own land,
and We should be glad to hear more on
that subject from those who know the
facts and can give them without preju-
dice. We do not, by any means, over
! loOk the circumstance that, as the negroes
acquire farms of their own, laborers are
harder to obtain and wages tend to grow
higher. This is no reason, however, for
striving to prevent labcrers from improv-
ing their position. Labor cannot be
controlled in free country in the way in
which some landowners desire. 1t is
best for the State, in the long run, that
every man, white or black, should have
fair chance to rise in the world.
Equality of opportunity is the right of
every citizen of the United States, and
| for that the Ne,cs and Couricr con-
tends now and always. In doing this
we are governed not only by desire to
be just, but also by the conviction that
the shafts now aimed at the poor negro
| will, if they hit the mark be aimed at
the poor whites also. There is no escape
The idea of controlling labor" by max
ing it next to impossible for laborers to
be anything but workers for wages, will
| have to be abandoned sooner or later
TIE tyranny of class is only n degree
less odious than the tyranny of race.