Keowee courier. (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, February 10, 1866, Image 1

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BY ?TO THINE OWN SELF BK TUUE, AND IT MUST FOLLOW, AS THE IIOB'T. A. THOMPSON & CO. iummMmnmt?i?fm*?m)?mm i m j '-_ ^ M I I - - rn Milli II I I I I i i n II irn?ri?. m.mi mniii PICKENS COURT HOUSE, S. C. SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1801. NIGHT THE DAY, THOU NO. 5& FOE TIR/Y. . WEEP ! WEEP ! BY A LADY OF SAVANNAH. Weep ! vreep ! for a fallen lnnd, For a standard sheet laid, low ; Freedom is lost! lot every hoart Echo the note of woe ! Ye?, weep, ye soldiers weep! 'TwilCnot your manhood stain, To mourn with grievous bitterness, Honor aud valor slain. Weep! friendless woman, weep! , For tho golden days of yore ; Fer the desolate homes, thc achiug hearts, The lotcd ones now no moro. Bravely they fought and well, That noble hero band : 'Bravely they fought, and bravely they diod, To save a suffering land. Our Soulhern soil is red, With the blood of many slain; . Like sacrificial wine it fell, But the sacrifice was vain. ' Peace smiles upon our land, Oh, Cod ! that it should be That poace should smile o'er freedom's grave, And wo tho smiles should seo. Lot Southern men now tako . A long farcwoll of fame ; Let Southern men bow mockly down To tyranny and shame. Croat God, that sUoh should live, To hail thc fatal hour That crushed freedom in the dust, 'Neath Northern hate and powor. But many a patriot's heart Yet thrills at the .wat-God's breath ; W r'' Andmuny still^^wSSmWlWm^ For freedom 'till the death. Weep! weep! but not for thoso That lie beneath the sod; * Forthey eternal pence have found Around thc throne of God. >. Peace ! Peace. ! 'Tis but a word, A mockery in a name ; Alas, oh God ! 'tis but thc wreath That hides the tyrant's chain. But if this must bo, And freedom ne'er be WOP, T^.n, Father, give us strength to say Thy will on eartjt be done. From the Charleston Courier. The Declarations of the President At a time like the present, when the mind is anxiously revolving thc future of the conn try, and when the fears ot uumy are excited rr nether 'the end of a.constitutional Republic is not drawing near, and a new character of Government grown into existence, where thc will of a majority of Congress will be the su preme law, and where this will have no other restriction, save its own exercise of authority, itis gratifying to know that the hand nt thc helm is firm and true"/and,that*the utters mes of the President are for tho niaintainance of the public liberty nnd the enjoyment by every State of its full political rights and immunities. His late assurance to the delegation who visited him from the .Democratic party of Pennsylvania, composed of the members of the ?tate Executive Committee, cannot hut , prove enf ineptly satisfactory. These gent le inen offered to thc President their hearty sup port amid tho present grave "and perplexing state of affairs. A? ? p?irt of the voice of the country, they had como to express iton behalf of his policy of restoration, an .l to uphold his hands and stand by his administration. Tho President said, " If you como to nie tv pat ri ots I feel I may count on the support you offer, but if as partisans only, it is more doubt ful, as I shall not swerve from my sense of duty for pirty men or party, objects.'' He then went on to explain his views of tho po litical situation, in frank and eloquent torms, nnd especially in reference to the plans of re construction which ho had inaugurated. lt may, therefore, be fnirly deduced tliat tho Executive having adopted his sentiments in referenoo to tho equality of thc States ns to their rights of representation ns well as of leg islation from the conviction of their constitu tionality, 'and that thus alone can poaco bo pormunontly attuned and the general welfare promoted, has determined to cling fast to theft ?f? thc sheet anchor of the Ship of State. ?$e is not to bc moved from his high mission, or be shaken from thc, path of right " for par ty ui?n," or be' made subservient to the ad vancement of mere u party objects." lie if not the leader of a faction, but the President .and head of a common country. Ile stands ai the representative of the Constitution. Ile speaks not as a partisan, but as a patriot. Ile has a great opportunity. What more glorious work can there be than that of rescuing from thc enemies of repose the Government of thc country and placing it where alone it can rest in security on thc foundations of the Consti tution and the hearts and affections Of a united and reconciled land ? ? Thc difficulty is not with thc South. , It ii with certain politicians and sections of thc North. As has been truly said, "The South is a thousand times moro willing to return ill perfect good faith to the Union, than thc North is to let them return to it. There is 0 thousand times more danger of future trouble from the bad spirit and bad faith of some ol the extremists of thc North, than there is from the South " This is apparent both by declarations nnd acts. These ure the living, active enemies of the public-weal. They are utterly opposed to a perfectly restored Union. And just herein consists the issuo, which cannot but be irre concilable between the Executive and them selves. It is a deliberate and intentional war upon thc statcship of these Commonwealths, and hence upon thc nature of our institutions, which is now being ?carried on by. u party men" for "party objects." Mr'. Thaddeus Stevens who crnclcs his party whip, and drives his adherents into the traces, with the sime rigor and severity which it used to be one of his favorite figures of speech lo attribute to the land owners of the South, in r?ferenco (to their slaves, before the late ses sion of Congress an noun oed himself in op po? sition to thc President, when he uttered these words : " Restoration, therefore, will leave thc Union as it was, a hideous idea." We believe this idea of restoration, so " hid eous" to Mr. Stevens and his coadjutors, has its approval in the judgment of .a large major ity of the whole people, and that when tho I contest comes, that thesPresident and those who sustain his measures will be overwhel mingly endorsed by the country at large. In a speech which President Johnson made on thc 18th of April, 1865, ho said : " My opinions as to the nature of popular govern ment have long been cherished, and, consti tuted as I am, it is now too late in lifo for tue to change them. I believe that government was made for man, not man for government." Almut these words there is no mystery or doubt. They are the affirmance of his here tofore views, and a resolution to stand by tho record of his past. Ile was always'opposed to the radical senti timeats in relation to, and plans for, the con trol of the Government of tho country, lie differed from the seceding States in this, that .he deified the doctrine of secession, and thought the battle ought to have been fought out in thc Union, lint yet he had no sympa thy with the sentimental and disorganizing theories *:ht?h seek their practica] develop ment in the subversion of every element of right and justice.. We thus find that in his memorable speech of December, I860, after j declaring tlu't the Federal Government pos sessed no sovereign power, that all its powers were derivative and limited, and tinoso that were not expressly granted were reserved to thc States respectively, he says : " I tell our 'Northern friends that the constitutional guar antees must be carried out; for the time ?nay come when, after we have exhausted all hon orable and fair means, if this Government still fails to oxeoute tho laws and protect us in our rights it will bo at an end. Gentle men at the North need not deceive themselves in that particular; but we intend to act in thc Union, and under the Constitution', and not out of it. We do not intend that you shall, drive us out of this house that was reared bv our fathers. It is our house, lt is tlio constitutional' house. We have a right here, and because you como forward and violate the ordinances of this house we intend to eject you from the building, and retain the posses sion ourselves." Whether it would have, been wisest for the South, to have adopted this course, and con tinued the contest in thc Union, it is useless, now to speculate upon. It is, however, fortunate for the Country, fortunate for tho cause of regulated liberty, ana of fundamental right, and for ?ho presor i vation of our institutions, that ho who is now at the head of affairs has proclaimed himself in favor of the Constitution as the only guide and hope of the country. There is but one mode of pence and harmo ny. <l Let us have back a Lunion of co-equal sister States, and let all Federal legislation be for the benefit of every soetion alike, and let enfch section mind its own business, in relation to the internal affairs nud constitutional rights of thc other, and then the compact will last in repose forever. Such o Union wc believe to be reattainable. God of mercy ! God of ?ter- j nal justice ! put reason into our brains, put humanity into our hearts, and cause us to re turn to the paths of our fathers. They are the paths of peace." , From Washington. WASHINGTON, January 23.-Thc House resumed the\;onsideration of thc Constitution al amendment fixing the basis of representa tion. Mr. Stevens wished to bring the House to an immediate vote, but, was defeated by his friends, who, not understanding tho exact effect of the proposition, desired further^ time for examin?t ion and debate. A discussion of several hours duration en sued, during which various amendments were suggested, in order to prevent the Southern States from cutting ofT the negroes from vo ting, by requiring of them property, educa tional or other qualifications. The Renate was'engaged in the discussion of thc bill to enlarge the powers of the Freed man's Bureau. No vote taken. WASHINGTON, January 24, 1866.-Tu the Senate, Mr Wilson offered a joint resolution to propose an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting any payment by Congress for ?! u v .; f ? C f o v clo i> t s/ con t va o t 9 d \ n bob al ? -of t \ \o rebellion, which was referred to the Judiciary Com mitfec. The Hill for the enlargement of the Freed men's Bureau, was taken up and discussed until thc adjournment. Thc. House resumed the consideration of tho proposed constitutional amendment fixing the basis of representation. A new amend ment was offered proposing to apportion the representation according to the basis of voting population. No vote was'taken. The Hill in relation to negro testimony passed a second reading to day. WASHINGTON, January 25.-Tn the Sen ate, the bill enlarging the powers of the Freed men's Bureau was passed. ? The House adopted a resolution instructing the Committee on the District of Columbia to report n bill excluding from thc right of suf frage parties in this District who were volun tarily in service in the late Confederacy. The discussion of the Constitutions) basis of representation amendment was resumed. During thc debate, Mr. Bingham, who is a member of thc Reconstruction Committee, said it had under consideration another amend ment to tho Constitution, protecting t.he rights of all persons, white or black, which had not heretofore been enforced owing to the want of power in Congress. Messrs. Strausse, ' of Pennsylvania, and Nicholson, of Delaware, favored the admission of Son they n% Represen ta ti ves, to participate in a debate so. much concerning their interest. WASHINGTON, January 26, I860.-The House resumed the consideration of the con stitutional amendment relative to the basis of representation. Harding, of Kentucky, and Wright, of Now Jersey, during the debate, spoke in favor of the admission of Southern Representatives. They said that they could see no necessity for the constitutional amend* ment which was intended by the Republicans as a piece of party management to secure the suffrage of the negros. The Houso will vote on the question to-day. Thc Senate consid ered tho joint resolution for thc appointment of a Provisional Government in the Southern States. How.o, of Wisconsin, also introduced a resolution and made a speech advocating the samo mensure. WASHINGTON, January 27>-^The House consumed the day in speech-making, thc Rad icals insisting on additional guaranties from tho South before tho admission of its repre sentatives. , WASHINGTON, January 29.-The Senate, to-day, discussed the bill to provide for thc ?protection of all persons, without distinction of color or nico, in their civil rights. Mr. Triimbull offered, ns an amendment, a clause that ail persons of African descent, bc-' ing in the Uniter] States, are citizens thereof, and made a speech in support of tho bill. > Mr< Saulsbury replied to Mr. Trumbull, contending that the liberties of white mea were entitled to some consideration, aud that' it wns time to cease shedding tours for negroes. A resolution was offered, and referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, tendering tho thanks of Congress to Commodore Farra gut and his officers and men, for their conduct iii Mobile Bay, iu August, 186-1. In the IIouse"<Mr. Raymond, of New York, refuted the position of thoso ?-ho maintained that the Southern.? States were out of the Union. This he deuied, and asserted that Congress had no more power to do anything against them than, against other parties. Tia contended that the Southern States, having beeu re organized, the only question was tho. admission of their representatives. Congress should act separately on the cases from each district, and admit those who ca,n take tho oath. We have to live with the South and good polio}', as well as patriotism, should in duce us to reconciliation. Ile said the House owed it to its dignity to repudiate the Select Committee on Reconstruction. Ile concluded by saying that all the paper Constitutions would npt save the country unless there wa? sufficient patriotism among the people. WASHINGTON, January 30.-The House j to day recommitted thc proposed constitution I al amendment in relation to representation, with restrictions, to the Committee on Recon struction, and afterwards went into the con sideration of the Senate bill to cularge the power of the Freedmen's Bureau. A resolution, proposing to extend tho cour tesies of thc floor, to thc members elect from Arkansas, was disagreed to. The Senate was engaged in the discussion of -the bil I .gi vi nj ftpvot eotion to persona i rx their civil rights (irrespective of color.) Mr. Trumbull withdrew his amendment offered yesterday, relative to the declaration that all persons of African descent u being residents of the United ?pates aro citizens thereof," and substituted ouo declaring that any persons of foreign origin may be declared citizens without distinction of rac^e, color, &o. A WonD ron NEWSPAPERS. -We clip the following article from an exchange. It is true, and we commend it to every man who has interest where he resides. Nothing is more common than to hear peo- , pie talk of what they pay newspapers for ad vertising, etc, as PO much given in charity.-. Newspapers, by enhancing the value of prop erty ip their neighborhood, and giving the localities in which they aro published a repu tation abroad, benefit all such,, particularly if they are merchants or real estate owners, thrice the amount! yearly of the meagre sum they pay for their support. Besides, every public spirited citizen has a laudable pride in "having a paper of which he is not ashamed, even though he should pick it up iu New York or Washington. A good-looking, thriving sheet helps to sell property, gives character to the locality, and in all respects is a desirable public conveni ence. If, from any cause, the matter in tho local or editorial columns should not be quite .up to your standard,- do not cast it asido and pronounce it of no acoount, until you are sat isfied that there has been no more in labor be- . stowed upon it than is paiuMbr. If you want a good readable sheet it must be supported. And it must not bo supported rn a spirit of charity either, but because you feel a necessity . to support it. The local press is tho "power that moves the people."--Aeu? York Times. MASONRY.-Tt numbers to day, within its secret pale, moro adult, males than all tho re liaious organizations'on the face of, the earth.. It is as wide-spread as humanity, as universal i as human language. "Tho Jew, before the altar on the sacred mount-tho Pasee, in his adoration of the sun-the Mussulman, bowing to tie liast in prayer-^-the Greek, before tho shrine of his divinity-the Christian, in de* vout faith at tho foot of the Cross, all alike know and understand tho mystic language." Kings, princes and potentates of the earth have beheld with awe i& hieroglyphic light, and have been proud to wear? its mystic em blems. It is more powerful thin kingdoms, principalities and powers, and in ages to come will be a blessing ?nd a protection to unnum j herod millions.- Washington Home Gazette. ; j LOCOMOTIVES are used lu Paris to draw .tho Omnibusses. 9