Year: 1870

justice requiring legislation must
pay their passage; that votes OF
members of the Legislature are
bought and sold as merchandise
that public officers prostitute their
positions and even the Legislation
Of the State to the purposes Of
stock,jobbing al d speculation
! that SO stupendous fraud is per
petrated as that whereby the
Land Commission, aided by the
Advisory Board, Of which the
Governor of the State is the Off
cial head, acquired 100000 Of the
public money in a single transac-
ton ; add, above all, that tho ad-
ministration Of the State has not
dragged to light and punishment
even one Of this infamous band !;
and say where, in all the catalogue
of iniquity which disgraces the
history Of fallen humanity, can be
found parallel to this picture
family but faithfully delineated ?


This carnival of vice and cor
ruption flowing from that pande-
monium of ruin and disgrace into
which the antagonism of races
has converted the government of
South Carolina, the question for
you to decide is: Shall these things
continue so to be? Is no effort to
be made to rescue from utter ruin
the vast materials of wealth and
prosperity yet remaining which
require only good government to
make you great and happy peo-
pie? Will you continue to be the
slaves, the hewers Of wood and
drawers of water, Of this abomi-
nable faction Of plunderers who
are sustained by your divisions?
If not, how then will you achieve
your emancipation? It's evident
that one of two things must be
done. Either, first, universal suf-
frage must be abolished, or, second,
the absolute and sharp antagouism
of the races must be so lar re-
moved as to to enable the good
people of both to combine for the
purposes Of good government.
Let US examine these alternatives
in their order.


First, shall wo undertake to
abolish universal suffrage? Where
is the hope of success? The prin-
ciple Of universal suffrage consti-
tutes the basis of Democratic Re-
publlcanism throughout the world.
1t is the cornerstone Of all exist.
ing government in the Southern
States. The American Democracy
in 1868 warried not against the
principle, but contendcd only for
the right of the States to control
it. The strongest Democratic
States Of the Union have incorpo-
rated it into their practice and
their laws. The American people
in the last Presidential election
by large majorities pledged them
selves to maintain it in the South.


The fifteenth amendment pro-
hibiting it's abridgement by the
United States or any Of the States
has assumed the form Of law, and
is sustained and enforced by the
general government with all its
power by the enactment Of the
strongest legal sanctions. The
Executive, the Judiciary, tho peo-
pie Of the country, are we'll known
to be in harmony with the meas
ure. No party has raised the
standard OF revolution or repeal.
Who're then shall the crusade
against principle thus fortified
begin? Let him who will under
take the task. We push the ar
gument to his own conclusion, and
meet him there.


Assume that the technical ex-
ccptions to the fifteenth amend
ment should be sustained that
the Supreme Court Of tho United
States should declare the recon-
struction acts unconstitutional and
void that the next President and
the Congress to be elected with
him, representing any majority
possible of the American people,
should undertake to re organize
these States to wrest the suffrage
from the colorcd race! Docs any
man doubt that the whole coun-
try would then blaze with the
fires of q civil war, fierce, bitter,
bloody and protracted? What, in
that case, would be our condition?
immigration shrinks from the
conception, reason recoils from its
contemplation, and horrifcd hu-
manity revolts from the spectacle
a deluge Of blood, succeeded by
all unbroken reign Of ruin and
Lcsolation. We cannot tell what
may be the purposes of the Ruler
of the Universe concerning this
question, but, as far as the light
Of human reason may guide us, it
seems evident that the world is
to pass under the rule of the peo-
pie in some form Of Democratic
government. That idea has been
terminating to its development
for at least three centuries, and
ite m orch i still onward Should