The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-08-17

we permit our State Government to
become exemplers to their people Of
t,ickcry, deceit and fraud.
The crime of this century was the
act of the Republican party in injecting
:he semi barblrous negroes into the
body polite of the South as voters.
There were many negroes who pos
sessed every tquaiification for suffrage
that could be demanded under any
existing rule anywhere; but the vast
majo,it7 were unfit for its exercise,
and had not then and have not now
any apprehension Of the dignity and
duty Of this crown of citizenship.
| The important requisite then was to
discriminate between these cla:se a2d
nowhere could this be done so WIS y
| as by these who knew these people
and their situation. The crime did net
consist so much indeed in conferrlag
the right OF suffrage upoa the negre
as in passing the fifteenth amendmen ,
| which deprived the States Of that full
power t, regulate the use OF the
Suffrage which is absolutely indispensa-
BILE to orderly and good government.
Simply comforting The suffrage upon
the negro would have been matter OF
small moment if the Southern States
had been left TO regulate their use OF
it. They would have admitted them
to the exercise of the suffrage as they
demonstrated their fitness for 1t, out
| they would have restrained the 1gno-
rant and bru'al hordcS that threatened,
by their action in masses, their CIVIL
zation and even the,r existence. !he
| fifteenth are .,ment 10 the Constltu-
iion was the fatal work that put the
capstone upon that horrible period OF
| reconstruction and degradation which
the wicked leaders of the Republican
party designed for the Southern States
oat of their malignant hatred OF our
| people. r,
Instead of saying that South Caro-
lima and Mississippi should not de-
prive any person of The right to vote
on account of rsce. cJlor CT previous
condition of se;vitude, that amend
ment should have declared that as the
negro had just emerged from condl-
ton of slavery, and was SUI IN
measure bA'barous, the several States
should have the express light to pre-
scribe tie terms and Conditions upoh
which they should be allowed TO eXer-
ci,e tie right of su1ft&gn, and then the
oca!i,y would have endowed The ne
sroes with the full rsh.s 0t citizen
! slip as each Individual negro demon
>lratcd his capacity for understanding
the duties OF q cit:Zsn ard for eXcr-
cising them intelligen,iy. Malice and
hatred Of our people, however, prompt
I'd the opposite course, and the South
has tor thirty years suffered a curse
taat is without parallel III the history
of the world. and that shows few
signs of disappearing.
There is but one way 10 end this ab'
normal condition so cruel AMI destTuc'
tive to the South, and that is TO apply
to it the foundation principle OF our
institutions, that each LOCALITY shall
regulate its own local affairs. The
regulation of The suffrage Is essen
italy loo Il matter, and South Caro-,
lima Or Louisiana should have the righ'
to say which Of ner people are quail
fled to take part in her government
and which are not. The fifteenth
amendment to the Constitution Of the
Uuited States should be repealed, and
peace and order would at once appear
in the South. Has the North enough
craftsmanship, TO say nothing of mag
nanimitv, to consent to IFS repeal?