The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-14


Rover two-thirds Of the population Of South
Carolina are black. The division of the Legts-
latuTe between the races represents each fairly
in proportion to its numbers. There is at first
glance an obvious fairness in this, compared
with the old Constitution, under which the
whole voting power was vested in less than
third of the people, and which was as obvi-
ously despotic and undemooratic. South Caro-
lima has ever been a supercilious and pesky
dukedom in our family of republics. Now it IS
converted into a republic. and Of course the
ex-dukes don't like it, more than Bomba pre-
fers a felt hat to the crown of Naples. The
facts, if they are facts, which Gen. Hampton
sets forth are not free from harm and wrong,
nor do they indicate perfect state OF society
and government. Though the utmost of taxes
paid by any legislative body is very small
compared with that paid by the whole State,
yet General HamT ton is right in arguing that
South Carolina needs more taxpayers in her
Legislature, and il is wholly the fault of Gen.
Hampton and his class that they are not there.
Let General Hampton, Governor Orr, L. M.
Keitt, T. BaInwell Rhett, and tue like say to
the colored men of South Carolina "We no
longer oppose your exercise of the right of suf-
frage or any other political right but on the plat
form of equal aud exact justice to all men, and
anstocratc and exclusive privileges to none,
we ask your suffrages," and we will guarantee
that they can at any time be elected to any
as they 60 before the people asking the mi
nority to elect them to office tor the purpose OF
DISTINGUISHING the majority, they will be fortu-
nate if they are not themselves disfranchised.
That a Legislature should contain tax
payers who will guard the rights OF pro-
perty is desirable but the defense of
property is less important at present,
in the South, than the maintenance
of the personal and political liberties of full
third OF the Southern people. While the Le-
gislature of South Carolina, with its one hun
dred negroes and no taxpayers, may bs poorly
prepared to defend property, 1t is well fitted
10 defend the personal liberties of the freed
men-the rights of the working class, by
whom all the property and capital of the
State have been produced and must be
renewed. Agar st this freedom formidable
conspiracies still exist. There are but two
ways to insure it. lts enemies must ''ground
arms" or its friends must keep the political
power in safe hands until they do. So long
as Wade Hampton and his class say to the
majority of the people of South Carolina,
1.-The only condition on which we will vote is
that you shall not vote," they exile them
selves from power, and surrender the offices
OF the state to non tax paying negroes and
"carpet-baegers." We can appreciate the
evil of governments controlled by men who
pay few or no taxes. We do business in
the midst of city governed by carpet-bag-
gers not long over from Cork, Limerick, and
Sauer Krautenthal. The difference between
our carpet-baggers from Europe and those with
which the rebellous Hauptons are afflicted is
that ours are generally deficient in mental
and moral cultivation as in property. We
believe most of the Southern carpet baggers
have at least made the acquaintance OF the
schoolmaster. Nor is the South peculiar in
finding carpet-baggers willing to accept her
offices. The new States of the far West and
the Pacific slope have far more of them than
the South. The remedy for such evils as may
be incident to universal suffrage is for the tax
paying people to take part in the Government.
If they refuse they must submit to be feeced
until they do, just as the tax payers of New
York city are teeced by their Democratic
carpet baggers until they are forced to vote
in selfdefense. In politics, as in agriculture,
the Southern people, aristocracy, and ple-
beians, white and black Republicans and
Democrats, must ''rOot hog die" If the
taxpayers want the offices they have such
superior facilities that they can get their fair
share of them. Ii they refuse them the non
taxpayers will accept and make the most Of
them.
1t is a comfort to know, however, that so
far the " carpet -baggers" and the negroes
have shown far more decency and equity than
the Rebel aristocrats. No worse crime has yet
been charged upon them than that of color, or
birth, and loyalty to the Union, and desire
to establish freedom for all men. They have
lOosed nearly every bond from the unrepentant
Rebels, who are still seeking only to re-enslave
or disfranchise them. They have been stren-
uOus only for the protection of personal liberty.
They have not, like the governments which
they supersede, voted their States out of the
Union or into civil war. They have shown far
more prudence judgment, and craftsmanship,
though they are non-tax paying negroes and
carpet -baggers, than the Rebels who plunged
the State into the vortex of destruction.
When the equitable Constitution which they
have founded does its perfect work. there may
be fewer Wade Hamptons with their three
hundred acres of roses, their enormous parks,
and slave-tilled plantations. But there may
be- too, more human souls permitted to bud
and blossom in the free air and sunlight of
heaven that, under the blighting influence of
slavery, would have developed only into
thorns to bleed the nations feet and retard its
onward progress.
The National Debt and National Credit.
| From the N. T. Herald.
| II is the most difficult thing in the world to
make the people and press of Europe under
stand US or to speak of us fairly. portien
of the British press particularly seems to take
| pleasure in rakng US down and misrepresent-
ing US whenever anything occurs to give it
an opportunity of doing so. The characteris-
! tic egOtism and selt-rghteOusness of John
! Bull stick out in remarkable manner on all
| such occasions. We are called cousins, blood
relations, great people, and all sorts of COM
plimentaTy things are said of us when the
| British want to settle Alabama claims after
their own fashion, to get tariff from us favOra-
bic TO themselves or to gain some other advan-