The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-26

ofCu poFbOnS from COmlnR lnLO IL. 1t
took bold man with st SAX OF fana-
tlclsm In his nature to d. thai, but
Samuel Hoar dared to do it., and on
his arrival in Charleston In 1874 wns
promptly expelled from that city, and
then from the State. He left with pru-
dent alaerity, aud it raised an awful
rumpus all over New England, and
they threatened to seceuo and a yht,
but John Tyler was president, and
they could do nothing but talk and
preach and threaten.anl keep up the
African slave trade. We college boys
wanted to fight, too, and dared Yale
and Harvard to come down ~ the line.
1t was u newspaper war, and soon blew
| over, but 1t cemented and enlarged the
abolition party all over the North, and
the death OF half a million men and
put u million names on tho pension
roll. What a commentary on fanati-
ct5m? Grover Cleveland hit it hard
when he said Tho preachers are for
expansion and colonization and posses
sion Of the Philippines that they may
convert tho nativesa to Christianity
and save their souls. or course we
will have to kill q few hundred thou.
sand first and what ie to become OF
their dead souls the preachers do not
toll us, but suppose they can arrange
that"
And now, after thirty-Gve years OF
vain experiment aud tho wasting of
millions OF money, tho North confesses
It's mistake, and is taking the back
track. South Carolina, Mississippi
and Louisiana havo virtually clint
natod tho negro from politics and re-
tired him to tho folds Of industry
whore God and nature assigned him,
and that abiest OF all Republican
magazines, The Review OF Reviews, in
commenting upon 1T says; "It Is tho
opinion of large majority of the
wiscst friends Of the nogroes that tho
franchi9o Of voting in political clec-
them, and thcy can we'll afford to allow
white men to do the voting and hold
the Offices, If colorcl men arc accorded
lustico1n the courts and have fair and
equal opportunities to obtain education
and acquire property. 1t is wholly
harmful to cOlorcd mon to bo appointed
.postmasters in white communities
Mr.. Mckinley has mado mistakes III
that direction"
That is good honest talk and is the
truth, aud Is q sign Of repentance. l
say repentance because 1t Ia tho right
word, Tor 1t means to think again
the sober, second thought. We old
time Southorncrs who were born and
raised in close communion with the
negro have known it all tho time that
he wasn't lit TO vote and that 1t de-
| graded the white man to buy his vote,
and that was the reason why we had
| such a low grade OF lawmakers and
Office holders. No gentleman who
respects himself will buy negro's
| vote and as he can't be elected without
1t ho will not offer for Office. This Is
the gonoral rulo and there are fcw ex-
ceptions. 1t applies tn State, county
and municipal politics and even to con-
gressional elections. l havo known @
candidate for mayor In my town to
contract with leader among the no.
groes for fifty votes at So head
and ho got thom and was cioctcd,
though tho white voto would have
defeated him. Our best people are
utterly tired Of being dominated by
this purchasable element and have
endured IT. about as long as we
can. Tho truth is apparent that we
will never have an honest, decent,
respectable Legislature until tho ne
gro vote is eliminated, for II is q self.
evident truth that man who will buy
| anOthor's vote can himself be bought
But l wouldent base this exclusion
upon race or color. I would put 1t fair
and square upon conduct and intelli
gence, and II 1T cut Oh many OF the
white race, lot 1t cut. There arc @
good many who ought to bo cut. ! have
moro respect for Gsssett and Joe Brown
and Uncle Sam and Hayes Milner and
Preacher Brice and a few other c0lored
mon In our town than for many white
mon could name, and had rather
trust my lifo or my property In their
hands. There ought to DO o commits
sion In every county to purge the polls.
We bad one before tho war to purge
the jury box and no disrepuJable man
was allowed to servo on the grand jury
Then, why not purge the ballot box
1t would havo q good effect upon the
rising generation, both white and
black.
But I do think that our granG old
sister State OF North Carolina will &C
to an unsafe and unfair extreme II
they give tho negro for o school fund
| no moro than their taxes amount to-
or rather no more than that proportion
OF tho public school fund. 1t seems to
me that every child between eight and
sixteen should havo q chance to learn
to read and write, and II tho parent
can't pay for 1t tho State oshould. But
| would have commission and o
school box for that, too, and II tho
parent wouldent work his children
shouldcnt come In. Nothing disturbs
my tranquility like having to pay for
the schooling OF those negroes who
dress fine every Sunday and 20 on
every excursion that comes along.
About half OF the wenches have got to
wearing spectacles and reckon when
tho public school cranks have O law
passed for free books they will put in
| tho spectaclcs, too.
Senator Hoar made O great speech
and good speech. He is too OLD To
be q hypocrito or time server aud he
spoke his real sentiments and com.
manded tho rapt attention OF every
man who heard him. But Solomon
said: Great mon are not ALWAYS
wise," and SO we can differ with the
Senator. and many eminent and con
scientiOus statesmen do differ. woulC
vote for that treaty, but what next tt
do I could not say. Time and circum