The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-12
THE REFORM CAUSE.
THE CAUSE IN CAMDEN.
A Joint Political Meeting-M of
Whittemore's Falsehoods-Speec C h e
by General Kershaw and. Colonel
Shannon-Scott and the Taxes.
1ERoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

tFRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
CAaDEN, 8. c., septemher9.
On Monday night last Hons. J. E. Rainey
and F. L. Cardozo, General Worthin gton, and
the expelled Congressman, B. F. Whlttemore,
arrived In this place, and on that night large
audience Of whites and colored, in the a. NJ.
E. Church, YVES addressed by Rainey and Whit
temore.
RaiLey maize somewhat Conservative
party for share of his rIdlcule. Being
stranger here, he was only tolerably we'll re-
ceived. But the great Whittemore was well
coined with opened arms, and spoke nearly
two hours.
Your correspondent left after he had stated
three distinct lalsehoods In the course OF the
first ten minutes He stated that he had met
the ''commander-in-chief of the Reform
party, " (as he called him) General KershaW,
at Appomattox Courthouse at the surrender,
when, to your correspondents own knowledge
General Kershaw was captured three days
before that event at point on the Richmond
side of Farmville. He'stated, second, that the
meeting Of Sumter was a great failure, not TWO
hundred and fifty persons being present. And
third, he or Rainey stated that General Butler
had said at Sumter that 1t was the resolve OF
the Reform party to give the ballot 10 the
colored people with qualifications. Now, as
some OF your neighbors were present at that
meeting, 1t would be well to expose but what
would Whsttemore care about being caught in
TWO or three more falsehoods !? Your corre-
spondent stayed long enough to hear him say
that their ''siege.train" would be brought for
ward the next day.
On the next day, a large number OF colored
persons were In town to hear the speeches,
81
but many, finding that there was no barbecue
provided, left in great disgust. An invitation
was extended by H. Cardozo, county chair
man, to General KersEaw and Colone! Shan
non to participate in the debate, which invita-
tion was accepted. About Jl NJ. crowd OF
about 1900 persons assembled to hear the
speakers.
General Kershaw led off in fair, able and
conciatory address, which was received with
great attention and respect by those present.
He presented the great principles OF Reform
In their just and true light.
General Worthington replied. He began by
saying that he did not intend to arouse the
passions or prejudices of his audience. 6nt
proceeded at once to do SO, by reading from
the sBlack Code;;" and speaking Of 1t as liy-
ing statute, made his audience believe that it
was law now. He soon had recourse to false
statements, which he published, knowing
them TO be false, and often seemed to astound
even himself by the andacity and recklessness
of his declarations. 1t was violent, but tell
ing and able political harangue. Just before
he concluded, the stage fell, but fortunately no
one was hurt. -.
Colonel Shannon replied to his many dis
crepancles pointing out the agllty WIN WniGh s;1
General Worthington had leaped from "iail-
inr platform" and drew thence favorable
angury for the success of Reform. He refuted
the argument of the preceding speaker, that
the Reformers were Democrats, by pointing
out the fact that he had read from the proceed
ings of various Democratic Legislatures their
decentralization of the Fifteenth amendment,
but acknowledged that the Reform platform
was Republican. It could not be both; and as
it endorsed the Fifteenth amendment, and
was Republican besides, as matter OF course
1t could not be Democratic.
To hear Worthingtou, one would scarcely
believe that he has been very large slave
holder, but such is the fact, or at least he says
that his wife had been, before and after bis
marriage with her. And yet this man, pro-
Tossing peace and good will, comes down here
and endeavors to incite' the colored people
against the race Of which he Is q representa-
tive. He uses arguments founded upon the
.sBlack Code, for which we are in no wise re-
spcnsible, and in which many OF us had no
7oice.
Hon. F. +. Cardozo closed In an able, elabo-
argument in reference to the public debt.
About the only unfair, and more ungentleman-
y thing than we thought Mr.. Cardozo would
be guilty of, was his reference to General But
ler. He said that wherever he saw General
Butler with his wooden leg he always recol-
lected that 1t was lost In q four years struggle
to rivet the chains Of slavery upon the arms of
the colored people.
Everything passed of quietly. No speaker
yuou inf tol nv
eyeH 'sham fight was gotten up by ''those
miserable Reformers." What contrast to
their style Of interrupting our candidates and
making their speeches patchwork.
There happened here few days since an
occurrence which shonld be echoed from one
end Of the State to the other. The circum.
stances are these The chairman OF the board
OF county commissioners carried to Columbia
q colored man 10 place him in the Asylum. He
had to be handcuffed for fear that he may do
sinjury to himself or others. When he was
carried to the Asylum, he was refused permis-
sion TO enter, because the county could not
pay $50, the semi-annual payment required by
the Asylum laws. The unfortunate man was
brought to this place, handcuffed, and thrown
into the Jail, as we were informed by the said
chairman. But the question arises, why Is not
the county able to pay in advance the sum re-
quired for "A pauper lunatic? Because Governor
Scott has forbidden the collection Of taxes
until after the election; and so this unfortunate
lunatic, with no crime upon him, and for no
fault OF his own, is thus denied the benefits OF
an institution, begun and reared for just such
cases as this. This is an Instance OF Scott's
philanthropy!
Court convened here on Monday last, Judge
Melton presiding. The usual criminal busi-
ness is being. dispatched: The Judge has a
stenographer from New York, we understand.
To-day q fight occurring just outside Of the
Courthouse, the Judge had the parties arrest
ed, and, this afternoon, they were each SEN
fenced to pay fine Of SIS or one week in Jail.
Crops generally are good, but there is
great deal Of rust in cotton. and the wet
weather of tea days ago caused many forms
to be shed or cast and the rust causes the sta
pie 10 open very rapidly.
From all your correspondent can see and
hear, the people Of old Kershaw County are
wide awake, and moving for good govern
ment, Retrenchment and Reform.
CAMDEN.
REFORM 1T FLORENCE.