The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-11


vorced The negro was staunch
friend and faithful servant during
the war, when there was every op-
portunity to glut upon our wives and
children any hatred or desire for re-
venge. He had none. There is not
a single instance on record of any
disloyalty to his masters family
during that trying and bloody period:
The recollection Of this fact should
make us charitable towards him for
the excesses to which he was excited
by the opportunity, example and in
stigation of his white leaders during
the dark days I have just depicted.
His conduct in the recent political
campaign shows that he has begun
to think for himself and realizes, at
last, that his best friends and safest
advisers are the white men who own
the land and give him employment.
When it is clearly shown that a ma
iority of our colored voters are no
longer imbued with Republican ideas
the vexed negro problem will be
solved, and the nightmare of return
Of negro domination will haunt us no
more. Cannot I appeal to the mag
nanimity of the dominant race? Can.
not I pledge in your behalf that we
white men of South Carolina stand
ready and willing to listen kindly to
all reasonable complaints? To grant
all just rights and safe privileges to
these colored people? That they
shall have equal protection under
the law and guarantee Of fair
treatment at our hands?
That the colored people have grlev
ances it is idle to deny. That the mem
ory of the wrongs and insults heaped
upon the whites by the blacks during
their eight years rule has provoked
retaliation, and often injustice, is
true. It was natural and inevitable.
But we owe it to ourselves as a
Christian people; we owe it to the
good name of our State, which has
been blackened thereby and its pros
perity retarded, that these things
should be stopped. The whites have
absolute control of the State Gov
eminent, and we intend, at any and
all hazards, to retain it. The intel
ligent exercise of the right of suf-
frage, at once the highest privilege
and most sacred duty of the citizen,
is as yet beyond the capacity of the
vast majority of colored men. We
deny without regard to color that
"all me are created equal"; it is not
true now, and was not true when
Jefferson wrote it, but we cannot
deny and it is our duty as the gov
erning power in South Carolina to
ensure to every individual, black and
white, the fright to life, ibeaty and
the pursuit of happiness"
With all the machinery of the law
in our hands, with every department
of the Government-executive, legis-
lative and judicial-held by white
men, with white juries, white solci-
tors, white sherifs, it is simply in
famous that resort should be had to
lynch law and that prisoners should
be murdered because the people have
grown weary of the laws delay and
of its inefficient administration. Ne
groes have nearly always been the
victims; and the confessions is
BLOT on OUR CIVILIZATION.
Let us see to it that the finger of
scorn no longer be pointed at our
State because of this deplorable con-
dition of affairs. Let US hunt out
the defects in our laws, let US make
plain and simple the rules of Court
which have outraged justice by
granting continuance and new trials
upon technicalities. Let US insist
that only intelligent, sober, virtuous
citizens sit on our juries. Let pun
ishment for crime by whosoever COM
mitted be prompt and sure, and, with
the removal of the cause, the effect
will disappear. And as last des-
perate remedy to use only when 9th
ers fail, grant the Executive the pow
er of absolute removal of any sheriff
who fails to prevent any such act of
violence in his county after the law
has taken control of the prisoner.
I have thought it wise to speak in
emphatic terms on this subject be-
cause every Carolinian worthy of the
name must long to see the time when
law shall reassert its sway, and when
our people will not be divided into
hostile political camps,and all classes
and colors shall vie with each other
in friendly rivalry to make the State
prosperous and happy.
Having never aspired to or held
any political Office before, my place
in South Carolina has simply been
that of voter and taxpayer. Hence
I am not as conversant with the de-
tails Of the different departments of
the State Government as I could
wish. With such knowledge as I
possess I will now as briefly as pos
sibly direct your attention to such
matters of public interest as seem of
most Importance:
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The improvement OF the free
school system and the wise adjust
ment of means to ends in the nCln-
agement of our institutions of higher
education so as to obtain the best re-
suits demand your best care and
prompt action. The patriotism, in