696 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



conditions than those prescribed by the Fortieth 

 Congress, to which we give our cordial and entire 

 sanction, believing the principles enunciated by the 

 Bepublican party, through that Congress, to be just 

 and wise. 



10. That the adverse discrialination toward the 

 agricultural laborers of the Southern States, as mani- 

 fested by the enormous tax on cotton, is unjust and 

 oppressive, and should be abrogated at the earliest 

 practicable moment. 



11. That we sincerely exult in the fact that, as a 

 nation, we are now absolutely a nation of freemen, 

 and that, from the St. Lawrence to the Eio Grande, 

 and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the sun no 

 longer shines upon the brow of a slave. 



12. That a wise care for the public safety some- 

 times renders it necessary that those who have 

 sought resolutely to overthrow a government should 

 not hastily be restored to the privileges of which 

 they have deprived themselves by their crime of 

 treason certainly not until they have shown evi- 

 dence of sincere repentance, and a disposition as en- 

 ergetically to support as they have in times past to 

 destroy the Union ; and that we consider willingness 

 on the part of these men to elevate to power the men 

 who preserved unswerving adherence to the Govern- 

 ment during the war as the best test of sincerity in 

 professions for the future. 



13. That we will not support any candidate for of- 

 fice who will not openly indorse the principles 



.. u - ,, iii Aivu wv/j_i.j.jr AIH.H./I oo mi; T)riD.Clpl6S 



adopted by the Union Kepublican party : and that we 

 pledge our support to the nominations of that party. 

 An order was issued early in May containing 

 instructions with regard to the manner in which 

 the registration would be accomplished, and 

 publishing a copy of the oath which all those 

 were required to subscribe who should be ap- 

 pointed as registrars ; but the full regulations 

 to be observed, in enrolling the names of those 

 who were qualified to vote under the recon- 

 struction measures, were first promulgated on 

 the 1st of August. The general provisions of 

 the registration order do not differ materially 

 from those adopted in the other military dis- 

 tricts^ (See ALABAMA.) Supervisory authority 

 was given to the post commanders, " looking 

 to the faithful execution of the several Recon- 

 struction Acts, the maintenance of order, and 

 the protection of political rights." Necessary 

 police powers were given to the Boards of Re- 

 gistration, and provision made for the punish- 

 ment of disturbances. Among the regulations 

 intended to secure to all persons their right of 

 registering are the following : 



4. Whenever any citizen shall suffer injury in per- 

 son, family, or property, while exercising or seeking 

 to exercise the right of registration, in addition to any 

 penalty prescribed bv law for the offence, damages 

 shall be awarded to the injured party against the per- 

 petrator, upon his conviction ; and in case of default 

 in payment of the same, or of the escape of the of- 

 fender, if it shall appear that the wrong was coun- 

 tenanced, or the offender harbored or concealed by 

 the neighborhood, or that the civil authorities failed 

 to employ proper measures to preserve the peace, the 

 damages shall be assessed against and paid by the 

 town, county, or district. 



5 Offences perpetrated by white persons disguised 

 as blacks being of frequent occurrence, the attention 

 of all authorities, civil and military, is directed to 

 the device, as one adopted to escape detection, and to 

 cast unmerited obloquy upon the colored people. In 

 all cases, when resort thereto shall be shown, the 

 fact will be taken into consideration as aggravating 

 the offence. 



6. Depriving a citizen of any right, benefit, or ad- 

 vantage of hire or employment, to discourage him 

 from registering, or on account of his having regis- 

 tered, or having sought to register, shall be deemed 

 an offence punishable by the post court, and shall 

 entitle the injured ^party to damages against the of- 

 fender, any clause *in any contract or agreement to 

 the contrary notwithstanding. 



After the details of the plan to be followed 

 in making the registration are fully laid down, 

 the order proceeds : 



22. It is enjoined upon all Boards of Eegistration 

 to explain carefully, to all citizens who have not 

 hitherto enjoyed the right of suffrage, the nature of 

 the privileges which have been extended to them, 

 and the importance of exercising with intelligence 

 the new and honorable franchise with which they 

 have been invested by the Congress of the United 

 States. 



_ 23. Boards will take notice that according to Sec- 

 tion 10, of the Act of July 19, 1867, they are not to be 

 bound in their action by any opinion ot any civil offi- 

 cer of the United States. 



24. Boards are instructed that all the provisions of 

 the several Acts of Congress cited are to be liberally 

 construed, to the end that all the intents thereof be 

 fully and perfectly carried out. 



25. The attention of all concerned is directed to 

 the requirements of Section 4 of the said Act of July 

 19, 18_67, by which it is made the duty of the com- 

 manding general to remove from oiiice all persons 

 who are disloyal to the Government of the United 

 States or who use their official influence in any man- 

 ner to hinder, delay_, prevent, or obstruct the due and 

 perfect administration of the Eeconstruction Acts. 

 The names of all such offenders will bo reported 

 through the post commanders ; and all persons in 

 this military district are called upon to aid and facil- 

 itate the execution in good faith of the said Acts and 

 the orders issued in pursuance thereof. 



_ 26. The major-general commanding, in the exer- 

 cise of an ultimate revisory authority, will, in due 

 season, before the holding of any election, entertain 

 and determine questions assigning errors in the regis- 

 try, and will, upon inspection of the completed lists, 

 cau.se corrections of the same, that the true design 

 and purpose of the laws be faithfully answered, and 

 that all the rights thereby guaranteed be fully and 

 faithfully enjoyed. 



In view of the opportunity now offered to 

 the. citizens of the State to choose whether or 

 not they would take part in the consummation 

 of the congressional plan of restoration, up- 

 ward of sixty prominent men of South Carolina 

 addressed a letter to General Wade Hampton, 

 asking his advice with regard to their action 

 "in the very important matters soon to be sub- 

 mitted to the people of this State." ' We have 

 no intention," say the signers of this letter, "to 

 oppose the execution of any law, even were it 

 in our power ; but, under the Reconstruction 

 Act, certain latitude of action is left us, which 

 entails upon us entire responsibility for all con- 

 sequences which may flow therefrom. We be- 

 lieve this responsibility to be very grave, and 

 these consequences vital to every class of our 

 community, inseparably connected as are the 

 interests of all. Recent events show that there 

 is no longer a possibility of that entire har- 

 mony of action among our people, for which 

 you and we have heretofore hoped and striven. 

 The views of the whole community are unset- 

 tled by the new aspect of affairs, and the peo- 



