The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-01-19
TIE VIEWS OF A VETERAN.
What the Venerable Gov. Perry Thinks of
tho Situation.
L,terricu II. Ne,rs mil Conyie,.
GREENvrLLE. S. G.. Jan. Q

IutcTfitU an NcuS NM COHIfcf.
GREENvILLE, S. G., Jan. 0.
Your correspondent in a recent inter.
view with Gov. Is. i. Perry, of this city,
elected an expression of his views in re.
gard to various questions Of public in
tcrest. The following questions and an.
swers give the gist of the Interview:
Question see your name mentioned
as candidate for Governor in the com
ing election?
Answer: have retired from public
life, and never expect to hold an Office
again under the State or Federal Govern
ment. My nomination for the Office Of
Governor was without my knowledge,
and must have been merely compliment
tary, not expecting that it would be
taken into consideration by the Demo
cratic Convention. feel, however, rs
always have, a deep interest in the poll
tics of my country. Thirty years in the
prime OF my life labored most assdu.
ously to stavc off the issue of Secession,
which | knew would be most disastrous
to the State. But when the issue was
made felt it my duty to go with the
Southern States, believing in the sacred
principle of the Declaration of American
Independence, that every people had n
right to change or alter their form of
government. fought with great zeal
the tyranny and oppression of the recon
structed government in South Carolina,
and exposed the iufamy, roguery and
oppressive taxation of the Radical re-
gime. labored necessarily in the Dem
ocratic struggle Of ZIG, which was crowned
! with success.
Question: What do you think of the
|
the next election. Are the Democrats
Republican resistance or Independentsm
or both ?
Answer: l think we'll of "thc political
outlook Of South Carolina in the next
election" will not suffer myself to
believe for n moment that the people
will abandon the honest and patriotic
| government under which they are now
living prosrerously and happily and re-
turn to Radical rule. The rogues and
scoundres who governed the State for
seven or eight years and seduccd the
coiored people are no longer here, and
most of them fled the State to escape the
Penitentiary. There is not material ut
present in the Radical party to form n
State ticket in the next election. There
i viii be, uo doubt, some opposition TO the
| Democratic party in several of the coun-
ties in the election OF members Of the
Legislature and county officers. do not
| believe that any Tndependent" move
ment can seriously injure the Democratic
party in South Carolina. There is too
much virtue, intelligence and patriotism
in the people to abandon the Democratic
party on account Of any Objectionable
act of our Legislature. Their own inter
est and the honor of the State will for
bid it.
Question: You have doubtless noticed
what is called the "Fishburno fiasco'-
the political summersault of Mr.. Fish
burne, the Senator from Colle.on Do
you consider it a deliberate move toward
Mghoneism in the State, or does it pro-
ceed merely from heated Imagination,
or simply from a desire for notoriety?
Answer: The "l'ishburne fiasco"
amounts to nothing. There always will
be i'll every community certain persons
who have lost their popularity, or never
had any, who will strive to form new
parties for the purpose of getting office
or position for themselves But their
motives will be soon checkmated. Ma
hone succeeded in Virginia by appealing
to the pecuniary interest of the taxpay.
ers, who were oppressed with most
onerous State debt. There is NO such
lever for the demagogue to WELD in South
Carolina. The Fence Law has been
passed, and all sensible men will soon
experience its wisdom and utility.
Question: What is your view of the
exodus of the colored people from Edge
field, Laurens and other counties of the
State? What will be the effect thereof
and the remedy therefore
Answer: | think the exodus Of tho
colored people has been greatly exagge-
rated. Politically it is an advantage to
the good government of the State. FL
nancially it may affect certain neighbor-
hoods. But it will give the farmers and
planters an opportunity OF resting their
lands and sowing them in small grain.
There will be labor enough left to culti.
vate judiciously all of our lands. The
colored people have been most infamous.
ly fooled, and they are going to their own
ruin, suffering and starvation, as they
did in their emigration tn Liberia end
Kansas. have great sympathy with the
colored people. but no patience with their
credulity and ignorance. / have often
proposed to them that if they would
come over and join the Democratic party
in voting for honest and sensible men
that we would share with them tho offices
OF the State. But they prefer to unite
themselves with unprincipled men who
give them no Office and use them only to
get into Office themselves.
Question There is pending before the
Legislature bill to provide for the reg
istration of voters, what do you think Of
the provisions of the bill and tho pro.
priety of a change in the election laws
of the State at this juncture
Answer: an in favor Of Regis.
tration law, but do not like the provis.
ions of the bill reported by the commit
tee. Every voter ought to register and
vote in his own township. This will pre-.
vent great many frauds in the elections.
Question: What do you think of the
propriety of calling a Constitutional
Convention
Answer: am in favor OF Constitu
tona) Convention to make new Con.
stitution for the State. 1t is disgrace
to the State TO be voluntarily living un-
der q Constitution formed for South
Carolina by negroes, carpetbaggers and
scalawags. Every Southern State has
repndiated such n Constitution except
South Carolina. Let us have pride and
honor enough 10 follow their example.
The proposed Constitutional amend
mentS made by committee are ohiec. |