The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-05
Reform MEETING 1T BLACK OAK.
A Good Omen for the Friends Of Honest
Government.


In response to call from a previous meeting
held in the village of Pineopolis, on the 23d
August, there was large and enthusiastic ),
meeting of the citizens of St. Johns Berkeley
held at Black Oak, on Wednesday, August 81,
the colored population largely predominating.
The meeting was called to order by tho
chairman, Mr.. William q. Cain, who stated
the object Of this meeting to be the formation
of Union Reform club. The committee pre-
vlously appointed to draft 4 constitution for q
Reform club, through their chairman, Mr.. O.
J. Macbeth, after reading the platform Of the
Union Reform party of South Carolina, SUBJ
mitted the following resolutions:
RESOLVED, That we must cordially approve
of and endorse the platform of the Union Re
form party, aid Its nominees for Governor and
Lieutenant Governor.
RESOLVED, That the inhabitants of st. Johns
Berkeley, without regard to color or previous
political faith, do forthwith organize them
selves into club for promoting and sustaining
the said platform, and that the name of the
said club shall be the ''St. Johns Central he-
form Club" .,u
ReS0tUeQ, InaC Lle OulCeIS VI Il1e Siuu 'u'.-
consist Of a president, three Vlce'pfeslaen@
and 9 secretary and treasurer.
Resolyed, That the president be instructed
TO appoint an executive committee, consisting
of chairman and ten members, ana tnaG t9s
president and chairman so appolnCeu snai ~ W
rect and control all future operations ol tne
club. e.,
lowing permanent othcers were tnen ,9aaS.s Gnar
| T. w. Easterllng, Frank c. Ferguson ana =.
e, Dubose, vice presidents; Thomas T. RaVenei,
secretary and treasurer. ..,,.
The president, after thanking the meeting
for the honor conferred on him, In q few ap-
propriate remarks urged the necessity OF re-
form in the government OF our State, and call
ed on all honest citizens to Join In putting out
of Office the horde of plunderers who are en-
riching themselves on the hard earned support
of our people.
The president then introduced the following
gentlemen from Charleston: Messrs. ]. N. Ma
thans W. G. Rout, Aaron Harper. j. B. Cohen,
and William Black, who delivered stirring and
able addresses, exposing the swindles Of the
Scott Ring In its varied departments; the land
commission embeZzlemenG; the defiant warn
ing and threat of Commissioner Leslie, when
his report was demanded. that he would,
forced upon him, expose Governor Scott and
all concerned In that swindle, and many
|
the amount paid for land, the Commission
thereby pocketing half the amount that the
State was charged with; the poor lands bought
at one and TWO dollars per acre, and sold
to freedmen at eight and ten dollars per acre
in plain terms, the stealing Of nearly $780, ,000
appropriated by the Legislature for the pur-
chase of land. The freedmen were called on
to say who had received lands, or been aided
In the purchase, to which they Indignantly re-
piled, mo one had received an acre or dol-
lar. Nothing but promises" The school
fund, raised partly by the direet'tax Of the
colored men, 1. e., poll tax, like the land
money, had been stolen, or paid out to various
idle and useless officials, commissioners, trus-
tees, &C.; nothing LEFT to establish schools or
pay teachers until just before the election, no
doubt to be closed soon after. The Phosphate
bill, with its odious distinctions In favor Of
| the Ring and the venality Of all parties con-
cerned, from the Governor to the lowest OIL
cial. Banks, railroad bonds, &C., mo-
thing that could be turned to money
speculator. Asking the significant question,
How has Comptroller General Neagle,, Trea-
snrer Parker, Attorney-General Chamberlain
and the horde of others become wealthy on
salaries that formerly gave bue comfortable
support ? The besetting sin OF the age and the
ruling party .".peculatlon:" The apparent abb
horrence Of having a South Carolinian OF
Southern man in any ofilce Of trust or profit.
And when consistency forced 1t upon. them
that colored man should fll any office, from
where are they brought? Massachusetts Or
Ohio must furnish the fortunate man.
But when labor or any dirty work
is to be done, then the colored man
of Carolina isfavored. Governor Scott was the
great friend of the colored man In Carolina, but
when in Ohio he did not degn to know them,
and boasted when there that he owned e, 900
negroes in South Carolina. Who pays the
taxes for the support of this corrupt State
Government? Every man colored and white,
not only the landowner, but the tax Is paid
on every pound of cotton sold, and every arti.
Gle of clothing and food and implement Of
husbandry is taxed, which, Of course, Is paid
eventually by the consumer. Corrugtlon
and extravaganza had ruined Cur State
under the party now In power; called
upon her citizens, colored and white,
to rise in their might and rid the State of dis
| honest and corrupt rulers, and join the RANKS
of the Reform party and support Judge X. b
Carpenter, who had fought for years In the
Federal army, was tried friend to the colored
ment as a man of high-toned integrity, the
voice of "well done" from the bar of South
Carolina Is sufficient; and General II. G. But
ler, one of our own men, who mas never peen
found wanting when right and justice to all
classes required his support
! MessrS. Frank Ferguson ana L. ". EaSter-
foreible remarks, showing forth the irrever-
sible equality OF all races IN all the political
rights and privileges of freemen, as guarau-
teed to them forever by the constitution Of the
State and the United Statesi urging the neces-
sty of reform and retrenchment by displac-
ing the plunderers now in Office, and filing
their places with honest men.
The following resolution was tnen adopbeo:
Resolued, That the proceedings of this meet
ing be published in The DAILY NEWS and
Courier. ]. C. CAIN, Chairman.
THos P. RAvENEL, Secretary.