Year: 1871

It's true that It will take much
time, and that much agitation must
ensue. But let every man weigh
against these considerations, the dan
ger which must attend any other
course. Should, even, the violence
which may be apprehended, be sup
pressed by military force, it is not at
all unlikely that as their only remain
ing resource the entire community
will refuse to pay their taxes; and
then where viii be the credit and gov
ernment Of the State? Doubtless
many bad men will agitate against
such a measure, and will endeavor, as
heretofore, to persuade the


IGNORANT COLORED PEOPLE
that the whites will again reduce
them to slavery. But your Excel
lency viii be fully able to repel such
attempts. You know as well as l do,
and can tell them so, that they owe
their emancipation neither to your
party nor mine, but alone to God, the
Supreme dispOser Of events. You can
show them President LincOln's proc
lamatiOn Of September, 1862, in which
he undertook to recognize the right OF
the people of the Southern States to
hold their slaves, if they would lay
down their arms before the ensuing
first of January. 1t was, therefore,
from the resOluteness of the South,
aud not from the generosity of the
North, that the slaves obtained their
freedom. And even now, that


FREEDOM IS INSURED


only by the amendment Of the Con-
stitutiOn of the United States, which
was adopted by the white men Of
South Carolina. You would, there
fore, be able effectually to remove this
hindrance to good feeling from the
minds of the cOlOred people.


Then, again, you would be able to
assure them of the kindly feeling
with which they have always been
regarded by their former masters, be-
fore the heartless plunderers, who are
now making use Of them, had misled
and embittered their feelings. These
and other topics which will readily
occur to you, will no doubt enable
you to influence the action Ofthe col
Ored people.


An equal, perhaps


A GREATER DIFFICULTY
will be to restrain the impatience of
the white people. Restless as they
naturally must be under the corrupt
and heartless despotism which they
see dOmineering over them, it will
require a strong effort of patience to
await a remedy which will require S o
much time. The strongest motive
which can be presented to them for
such patience, will be the earnest and
sincere initiation of the amendment
proposed. The first step towards
calling a convention is a vote of the
Legislature, and as that body has ad-
iOUrned, it will be necessary to take
some action before It's next meeting,
to satisfy the people Of the eXpediency
Of waiting. II the leading members
Of the dominant party would come
forward and pledge their support to
the measure, and urge the adoption
Of the same, it would furnish such an
assurance as would, doubtless,


RESTRAIN THE BIPATuENCE
Of those who are smarting under their
present burthen.


On our side, then, we could, with
some show Of reason, counsel our
friends to endurance. We could turn
their minds to consider other cases of
grievOus national wrong which pa
tience had overcome. We could point
them to the example of the noble
spirits who, after the endurance for
twenty years Of the tyranny of the
Stuarts in England, brought about
peacefully the great revolution Of
1858, and established English freedom
upon q basis, from which it has never
been removed. We can point them
to the American struggle against
TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTA-


TION,


which continues for ten years before q
resort to arms. With these examples
before them, we would be able to per-
suade them to await two years for the
action of q Convention, if we would
assure them that that action would
remedy the evils of which they COM
plain.


Persuaded as 1 am, that no other
peaceable remedy can be made avail
able, I would most earnestly address
these views to the serious cOusidera-
ton of your EXcellency, and would
urge them upon all those who seek
the permanent peace and welfare OF
the State.


With much respect,


Your Obedient servant


Q. G.. MEMMINGER.