The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-25
Lands for the Landless, Again.

at the time that the first appropriation oi
$500, 900 was made for the purposes Of the
Land Commission, it was pretty generally
believed that the whole scheme was a politi-
col contrivance for securing votes to the
Scott party. This might be done in two
ways: By selling lands on long credit to
the colored people, so that they would have
homes OF their own Of more than forty acres
il without the long. promised mule; or by al-
lowing the more prominent Radicals to
finger the funds, and so receive, Indirectly,
bribes which Governor Scott would be un-
willing to give from his own pocket. 1t was
seen, at once, that it would be sheer folly
fer the white landowners to lose an election
because OF the influence exerted upon the
freedmen by the distribution among them Of
what lands could be bought, at fair prices, for
$500, 900 or even 500, 900. For every acre
of land which the Land Ring could sell at q
high price, the white landowners could afford
to sell, at low price, a hundred acres, or
could give them away altogether. IN this
way they could defy the Scott party to make
political capital out Of their land specula-
tions. But the Land Ring have cast
away their every advantage. Instead OF
busily buying lapd, and disposing Of it, for a
song, to the poorer colored people, they have
purchased lands at twice and four times
their value, putting the difference into their
own carpet-bags. So far, not one transac-
tion of the Land Ring has been exposed in
which q State or county official has not had
share. Besides Scott, Chamberlain, and
the rest Of the Advisory Board, we unearth,
as co-speculators, Senator Cain, Constable
Yocun, Representative DeLarge, Represen-
tative Whipper, Speaker Moses, County Au-
ditor Lunney, and others. And the follow
ing letter from our Columbia correspondent
shows :. that Representatives Purvis and
Smalls belong to the same unholy band.
Corsair says:
Land for the landless, again. Our phiian-
thropic Radicals never tire Of serving the dear
people, and Of trying to secure homes for the
homeless. Their benevolence is boundless.
s'Purvis figures in the good work Of securing
homes for the children Of Hagar.' He has
sold-so comes the information from Lexing-
ton-the Geiger lands to the Land Commis.
sion for $SO50, that Is 230O acres at So so an
acre.
How much did he pay for It? know men
who think he paid $4,000 for the whole tract,
and some Of these men-good citizens they are
too-think that he paid more than the full
value for 1t.
''The difference between $4,000 and ,sso5e is
exactly s3050.
show our friends, the Radicals, do love
those Lexington negroes!
SIN Beaufort, the homeless are not forgot
ten. Ny informant tells me that Smalls-Cap-
tain Smalls Of the Planter-.has sold lands in
that county to the State at the rate ofs6 an
acre. OF course every man is not a judge OF
the value OF land, but my informant thought
that such lands could be easily and any time
bought there for 81 On acre.
.'Buy at 81 and sell at s6-something of q
margin.
SHOWS that for high ?"
Upon the purchase Of the Geiger lands
there is loss to the State OF at least $4,000,
and upon the Beaufort lands the loss is S5
an acre And-mark his!-if these lands
be sold to the freedmen they will have to
pay out OF their hard earnings the huge pro-
fits which the Land Ring have made.