The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-02
.PuBL1c OPINION IN SOUTH cARo11rA.,,
lFrom Tie New York Herald of F+sdav.1

We publish below the third letter o.
"Carolinians," which though perhaps no,
altogether palatable, will, we feel assured
be nevertheless perused with interest by
our readers:
70 tie Editor of the Herald:
1t is unnecessary for us here to recapitu-
late the political history of South Carolina
during the past forty years. The genius
| OF Calhoun gave it shape and being, and
| whether for good or evil, his counsels du-,
ring all this period in the main have been
implicitly followed. The small fry Of poll
ticians, finding that this was the popular
side, tuned their Tyres to his pitch, and
Year after year sharpened their axes on the
State rights grindstone. To this doctrine
were we born, in this school have we been
bred, and this has been the harp Of a thou
sand strings on which politicians and news
paperrs. have rung the changes Of anti-na-
tlonalism. The people, in the; proper
democratic sense Of the word, have had but
little to do with determining even the
most momentous public measures A few
ambitious politicians or placemen sounded
the key note, and the forty thousand voters
took up the chorus. We are ashamed to
say this-we are grieved to be under the
necessity Of making such confession-but
stern truth demands it; and at this i'm
portant junctIre this turning point in our
political existence-such a retrospect q
rigid determination, may not be un-
profitable. .'a
The leaders in politics, our Senator's.
members of Congress ands Governors, goad-
ed the people on to secession and to war.
And when the war came, what did these
gentlemen do? Rush to the frontor lead
torlorn hopes? A few, Of them tperhans
may be found by the diligent and careful
historian on the long roll Of Southern
braves; put the vast majority in this and
other Southern States went to the Confed-
crate Congress or held other civil Offices.
II they were foiled in this, they still had
sufficient influence in Richmond to secure
exemption from field service. They be
came postmasters and tax. assessors, dinIo-
matte agents, Or collectors Of s:tax in kind. =
We were called to mourn the loss of very w
tew OF these heroes. True, these gentle
). men 1. may object and say, they were not sol
.diers and could serve the State better in
>Uther capacities. T.iis protest did not pro-
tect the farmer, the merchant or the artii-
san, who were all conscripted. But sup
pose We grant that their reason for mot 90
;lng to the field was 1 good one, is; it not
equally good now for requiring thernna to re-
main at home and enjoy dignifed ease
planting pease and asparagus (if they see
lit, like Sir William Temple? Politics is
the trade they profess. They made it the
business and the study Of their lives. They
were afforded the best possible opportunii-
ties tor exercising their craft, and they
tailed, s All their prophecies have failed.
their counsel proved fooEshness and their
devices have come to naught Neither
their ns conduct during the struggle nor their
efforts since the close Of the war have
justified the trust reposed' in them by too
contiding constituency. Instead of remain
ing at home, putting on sack-cloth and
ashes, and screening themselves from hu
man ken, they were the first to !. rush to
Washington, and fainw would have us FORGET
the bitter lessons Of the past. They tell
ssvsoh, ff6' 'niid and again ask them f6r Their
sufrages. ,-.#3 5.=7s III 5sl
But our people, we are glad to know, are
beginning to have their eyes opened. We
are, beginning at last to shake OFF the tor
.por, and to think for ourselves: We" can
not undo the past, but God helping us, we
intend stretching every nerve to bring
about different result in the future. if
our present anomalous and by no means
satisfactory condition shall teach us to rely.
on ourselves, to think, speak and act for
ourselves, we shall not have borne the mill
tary yoke altogether in vain. We want
not again the old political hacks We must
make ourselves liable to the charge Of illog-
ically rejecting the skill and wisdom &C
quired by years and practice. But we
know to our sorrow that years and virtue
do not always keep pace. Political wisdom
has come to mean political trickery and we
want no more Of it. Let us have new men,
honest men; and, viewed from this point,
the h third section Of the proposed Constitu-
tiopal Amendment may aprove alblessiag to
us. 1t seems lot 50 much to have been
aimed at the soldiers Of the late Confeder-
acy as at her; politicians .i.5 We're itEnot for
the unfortunate latter clause Of, this third
section, which empowers Congress BY a
two-thirds vote to remove the disability to
hold Office, we should now have NO: difficulty
in reorganizlng our State government on .
new and altogether sounder basis: than was
the case with us heretofore. But, with this
loophole in prospect every one Of the poll
ticians will at once. set out to run q race,
more or less Radical, the first: first Feat to be
accomplished being . leap into the good
graces Of this .sconstit tutional majority
Already we see numerous indications Of
this tendency f they succeed I'M. this
they will next petition Congress to save
them from the crime and sin Of perjury,
which can only be'done'by atrepeal Of the
test oath for if the oath remains fxed
test, as at present, many Of these politicians
will lnev vltably gulp it down.
The disfranchised are few as we have
said in our previous letter. Of forty
thousand white voters in this State, there
are perhaps .snots fteen, ,hun,dl r v4rluded
from4oaice blythe prnHiisioons: sectiosnh.S sts
article ii Of the United States constitution,
as amended 4! There Is still enough man.
hood, intelligence and honesty left in the
state,ia after this abstraction has been made
to organize and conduct a republican gov.
ernment.. We are anxious 10 ice ii tried
and the temper Of our people generally, We W.
believe, is in favor Of making the experi.
ment. s >'j
AS regards negro suffrage, foisted upon
no hxr tho M;l;<o,-,, % Y,.1Y