The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-10-27
The Popular Verdict,

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Governor Scott parried with marvellous
adroitness the thrusts and lpnges of their
opponents, and affected the belief that the
charges made by the Union Reform party
against the State Government were made
for political effect, and not because they
were either true OF thought to be 80. Accus-
toned TO recklessness of assertion happily
unknown to South Carolina, and believing
finally that in matters political, the ena
justified the means, the Scott clique treated
the protests Of their adversaries as a good
Joke, and carried the war into Africa by ac-
cusing Others OF the very crimes which were
Justly charged upon them. They pretended
to think that the Union Reform party had
its orissin in the desire Of handful Of politi-
clans to obtain the places of profit from
which they had been, for several years, ex-
Guided. They refused to admit that Carpen-
ter and Butler and Kershaw, and the gal
liant gentlemen associated with them, were
lsboring for the common good, and not for
personal advantage. Determined themselves
to win the day at any cost, they suspected
their Reform antagonists of an equal disre-
gard OF faith. truth and plighted word. 1t
is only natural, then, that the Scott clique
should now turn round and, flushed with
victory, invite the men who fought them
most persistently to bury the political
hatchet and smoke the pipe OF peace. They
assume that Governor Scott was arraigned
for political effect, and that his reelection
washes out every stain which obscures his
political record. This is what they mean
when they beg that no more hard words be
said against the administration, and when
they protest that the denunciation Of the
whole Scott clique by the Reformers. was
the cause OF their weakness and the reason
of their undoing.
What, however, is the true value OF the
reelection Of Governor Scott, even suppos-
ing that his rsiority amount to full twenty
thousand! eS
There are about ninety thousand colored
voters, and sixty thousand. white voters. in
South Carolina OF the colored voters, by
far the larger number are without education,
whatever their natural int ,rigence, and are
forced to rely, when the time for action
comes; upon the opinions and advice OF
others. They can work for themselves, and
hunger and thirst for themselves, but when
election day approaches they vote as they
are told to vote, and obey blindly the orders
OF the politicians In whom they trust. That
they have. bad counselors, aud, therefore.
act. .unwisely, is less their fault than that OF
the native whites, who, for nearly FIVE years,
held themselves aloof from the freedmen, or
only approached them with the conaderate
request that they would relinquish OF their
own accord the boon Of suffrage which came
| to them as one OF the consequences OF the
| military disasters Of the South The freed
| men accepted the hand which was offered
them and, when the whites did invite the
colored people to cooperate with them IN
the work of redceming the State, the freed
men were SO far indoctrinated with the belief
that the defeat OF Governor Scott was tau
\ tamount to the loss of their freedom that
one word froLi a Daddy Cain went further
than an hours talk from Butler or kershaw
Yet during the canvass thousands OF colored
men were convinced that the word of an
| honest citizen is greater security than the
! oath Of notorious. rascal They we're
ready to side with the Reformers, and the
election returns show that many of them
had the Intelligence and manliness to de-
clare themselves ut the baliot-boX in favor o.
the party Of Reform. The Scott party
7 snntled this treason in the gale, and, as the
| returns show, succeeded, by bullying and BY
threats, in persuaqing, some to recant ant
others to refrain from voting altogether
This was the course Of the majority OF the
colored voters-most of them had no higher
knowledge OF public affairs than to submit
in silence to the nod of their political mas
| ters; the remainder voted the Reform ticke
ut the peril OF their lives, or stayed quietly
at home. The minority of the coloret
voters-the shrewd and better. educated
are nearly all OF them dabblers in politics
They hold office or are candidates for office
All their interests were with the Scott party
which promised each office, after the elec
.tions, to just as many persons as made ap
plication for it before the elections. We dc
not exaggerate when VIC say that, OF the
coored people who voted for Scott nine
tenths are still unacquainted with the true
purposes and plans OF the supporters o
Carpenter and Butler. They were told thai
tho Reformers were Democrats in disguise
who would strip them Of their rights anc
return them to slavery. No calumny OF
downright untruth was too tough for theil
digestion. And they voted accordingly
Wha. is the value of the vote which these
people cast? 1t may mean, it does mean
that they are resolved to defend t'leir privi
leges as free citizens of the Republlc-at
they might have done with eqaal effect un
der the banners of Reform-but 1t does no
mean that the administration OF Governor
Scott is either capable or pure. This was
4 question which they did not debate or de