The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-26
The Happy Family.

The Radical brethren IN SOuln CarOllua
find it difficult to dwell together in unity;
and the latent enmity between the native
negro and the white and colored adventures,
at this late day, makes itself family heard.
For two years the freedmen, who have the
voting majority in the State, have allowed
themselves to be used and abused by hand
| full of knaves who are far less worthy OF re-
gard than an honest and industrious negro.
The. colored people have gained no new
right. They have, obtained no new privi'
lese. Nor land nor mule has come to them.
Not one promise made them by the chief
tains Of their party has beeii or will be kept.
And yet they have voted at all times, and
upon all occasions, with the precision and
Regularity of cloek-work. All the barren
honor of voting has been theirs; but not,
for them, one atom Of substantial profit.
They did as they were bid. Officials were
made by the bagful. Ex-bummers, worn
6dt, New Englanders, and disreputable West
ern wire -pullers have been given the oppor-
tunity OF growing rapidly rich. Million after
million has been added TO the load Of public
debt. The property holders OF the State are
taxed to the tune of two million dollars in
nine months or less. But the negro masses
have no pickings, no plunder, no place.
And they have not had as much true pro-
lection for themselves and their families or
as much encouragement in their industry,
as respectable white government would
undoubtedly have given them. And why!
The interests Of the resident white man and
the resident negro are for the most part
one and the same. The white men, the
property-holders and mechanics, would have
striven to increase the prosperity OF the State,
and by avoiding all unnecessary expense
would have decreased the rate Of taxation
Money now slowed away In the carpet-bag OF
the political adventurer would have been
spent in cultiyating land, in building mills and
factories, in completing railroads, and in the
erection of storehouses and dwellings. OF
every dollar that was spent the laborer would
have had his share. AS it is, the white
property y-hoider IS taxed to death, and the
artisan and mechanic find no sufficient en-
pioyment. But, all the while, the carpet
bagger feeds at the public, crib, and grows
rich by the sweat Of the people.
1.-The lcolored people may find, in their tat
tered garments, their dllapldated homes,
their ill-clad wives and children, and their
aching bones, arguments against carpet-basg
rule which, cannot be overcome. They are
probably as enamored as ever of Radicalism
in the abstract; but they do not love as dear
" aS ofold the scaiawag and carpet-bagggcr.
This is shown by their conduct in George
town aud Kcrshaw, upon the occasion OF
making nominations OF candidstes for the
elections which take place tomorrow.
In Georgetown, the negroes; who are about
Ave times as numerous as tho whites, de-
manded that they be represented in the Leg
islature By respectable man of their own
coIer. This did not suit the policy OF the
csrpet-bag politicians BY judicious ap-
plfcati6n OF soft words, and what Mr.. Par
ker Pillsbury calls ''red-hot whiskey," the
convention was cozened into nominating o
New England negro Of doubtful antece-
dents. 9hefreedmcn felt that they had been
fooled once more and resolved to put up
decent man OF color, there being no dan
ger that even division Of the Radical vote
would enable the whites to elect an Anti
Radical candidate. And what nexts The
whole carpet-bag fraternity begin to revils
and implore. They call upon the people of
Georgetown to do their duty. And what is
''their duty?" To elect the carpet t-bagger and
turn the native freedman adrift They arc
told that if they do not they will be traitors
to the whole Radical league. Mark it!
These Georgetown freedmen, who have voted
unncrmuringly, at election after election, for
the pets OF the carpet-bag anG scalawag
officials, are told that they must vote to or
der, as usual, or be forever infamous OF
course, if the Georgetown freedmen like to
play this game of 'Black win, white you
'Iose," we have nothing to say.
In Kershaw, before the nomination, an at
tempt was made to do the same thing. A
batch of officials from Columbia exerted
themselves to secure the selection OF one OF
their own ring-it would have been one
more vote for those railroad subsidies. But
the colored people seized the rens and put
up a colored man. 1t would have been
safer, perhaps, if the cobbler candidate had
stuck to his last; but he is more the repre-
sentative of the colored people than a
skulking white bond-hunter and per-diem
seeker is ever likely to be.
The Kershaw and Georgetown strawS
show which way the wind is blowing. AS a
general thing, it mf es little difference to
the white people which of the Radical wings
Is successful. But when the contest is be-
tween a white carpet-bagger or an imported
negrerHld respectable native freedman,
we cannot help hoping that the freedman
may WIN.