“That question has not been discussed. Nobody could stand up in the State who should advocate promiscuous negro suffrage. It is possible that a few might be willing to let the intelligent negroes vote—after some years, at any rate, if not now.”
“I believe you let the sandhillers vote. Don’t you know that these disfranchised negroes of Charleston are infinitely their superiors, in education, industry, wealth and good conduct?”
“Well, they’re pretty bad, it’s true—those sandhillers—but there isn’t the same prejudice against them.”
The moon lit up, with a softened effulgence, all the beauties, and hid all the scars of Charleston, as, late at night, I walked, through its desolate streets, and by its glorious shrubbery, to the landing, and hailed the “Wayanda.” A boat shot out of the shadow for me; and before I had joined the Doctor, below deck, the anchor had been hoisted and the vessel was under way.
[14]. This man now holds an office under the National Government in South Carolina.
[15]. This was Mr. Chase’s single “speech” during the entire trip. Ten minutes, or less, of familiar and fatherly talk to helpless negroes, advising them to industry, economy and good order, telling them he thought they should vote, but didn’t know whether the Government would agree with him, and advising that, if the right of suffrage should be refused them, they should behave so well, educate themselves so fast, and become so orderly and prosperous, that the Government should see they deserved it; this was what subsequently became, in certain Northern newspapers, “Chief-Justice Chase’s endless stump speeches, and shameless intriguing with old political leaders, in his electioneering tour through the South.” The speech is given in full in the appendix (A).
[16]. The disposition to “control” the negroes after the old fashion, subsequently developed itself in Eastern South Carolina, to such an extent that the military commandant considered the following order necessary:
“Headquarters Northern District, D. S., }