Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-13
SOUTH CAROLINA.
ALetter from Judge Carpenter
to President Grant
The Administration Backing
the PrOscriptiOnists aud
COrruptionists.

Judge r. B. Carpenter, the s'Union Re-
form" candidate for Governor of South
Carolina publishes the following letter
in the New York Sun, "inasmuch as the
Presidents letter to Mr.. Chamberlain has
been widely published, and does him
(Judge Carpenter) and the patriotic gen.
tlemen who are acting with him injustice. :"
He says the facts stated by him "are
known by all well-informed people in
South Carolina"
JUDGE CARPENTERS LETTER TO PRESIDENT
ta III u GRANT. t.
To the President Dear Sir-Enclos-
ed please find published copy of CORE
spondence purporting to have taken place
between your Excellency and d. II. Cham
berlain, Esq. Knowing your love. of
truth and justice, feel confident that your
note was written under a misapprehen-
sion of the facts, and without acquaint-
ance with the characters of the men who
are now. ruling South Carolina-men who
| are bringing infilny upon the psrty of
which you are the honored head, and to
which belong.
Two years ago, when Gov. Scott went
| into office, the people of this State we're
bankrupt; the planter had neither stock nor
agricultural implements, or even seed;
and the lsborer was without food. The
liabilities of the State were nine millions
of dollars; they have been increased
more than ten millions fG
The executive officers and prominent
members of the Legislature were all poor,
and now, with one or two exceptions,
they are rich; bribery has been the ordi-
nary inducement to make laws, and open
and shameless corruption has stalked un-
| rebuked through the State capitol.
To perpetuate this state of things, Gov.
Scott, in violation of the State and Ma
tional Constitution, and of an act to or
| ganize the militia, has raised an army of
fifteen thousand colored men, quartered
them in the various counties, armed them
| at vast expense, and distributed ammuni-
ton as if on the eve of battle. Under
an infamous law passed by the last AZ
| sembly, the Governor has appointed three
| election commissioners in each county :;
they appoint the managers of elections to
receive the votes, fix the places for voting,
and receive from. the managers all the
votes cast at the different places, count
and destroy them, and their certificate is
the only proof of the number of votes,
and for whom they were given, and they
are allowed ten days to make their returns.
Gov. Scott was applied to officially by the
Union Reform Executive Committee to
| appoint one of our party in each county !;
| he declined. Of the ninety-three ap-
pointed, twenty-four are members of the
| present infamous Legislature large ma
| jOrity of them are candidates, and they are
all, with insignificant exceptions, the cor
rupt tools of the present disgraceful ad
ministTahOn.
The convention that nominated Gov.
| Scott was packed with his creatures, and
where this process did not succeed, the
regular delegates were excluded and his
| friends admitted, as in the case of Sena-
tor Sawyer and his co delegates from
| Charleston. The chairman of the com
mittee on credentials and platform, the
| prime mover in these outrages upon
party organization and usage, was the
Rev. B. F. Whittemore, who, having
been ANONYMOUSLY rejected by Congress,
found coDgenial spirits and labor in the
State Convention, and who is now a can
didate for the State Senate for the county
| of Darlington.
| In brief, the nomination was a fraud
upon the party, as the administration had
been upon the people.
/ have the honor to be the standard
bearer of the "Union Reform Party" its
platform is the equality of all men before
the law without regard to color or pre-
vious condition. 1t is a union of good
men against bad, Of the honest against
the dishonest, and its object is to reform
the State Government. ''Only this and
nothing more"
l have canvassed in conjunction with
representative men large portion of the
State, and have yet to hear from any
one on the stump or in private converse
ton any attack made upon your admins
tration or yourself. If this movement
had been directed against the Republican
party, neither my name nor influence
would have given it the slightest support.
On the contrary, have everywhere
announced myself member of the Ma
tional Republican party; and that had
labored for your election and sustained
your administration. A large majority of
our candidates for the General Assembly
are Republican,; under the circumstances,
| it is difficult to discover how our success
would tend &c give ''the control of the
State to the enemies of the party which
supported you, and which supported our
armies and maintained the Union" Am
1 wrong in denouncing upon the stump
the concealment of facts, and fraudulent
representations, by which your Excel
lency was induced to write to Mr.. Cham
berlain2
have the honor to remain, your most
obedient servant,
r. B. CARPENTER.
Cheraw, s. c., Sept 7, 1870.
oHAMBERLAIN's LETTER AND GRANTS REPLY.
The following is the correspondence
alluded to by Judge Carpenter:
COLUMBIA, S. c., Aug. Is, 187O.-Dear
! Sir In public speech delivered by ex-
| Confederate Gen. NJ. G. Butler, of this
State, candidate of the so-called ''Union
Reform" party of this State for Lieutenant
Governor, he made use of the following
language:
''When, few days since, visited the
capital for the purpose of having my dis
abilities removed, and called on that great
soldier hero, Gen. Grant, did he say nay
Not at all. He said, go back home and
beat Gov. Scott, for he is no Republi-
can
These words were used in a speech at
Spartsnburg Courthouse, in this State, on
Thursday, the 4th inst. A statement so
astounding, made so publicly, has induced
me to ask you, on behalf of our party in
this State, if there is any truth in it'll If
not can we deny it by your authorityl
| Yours, respectfully,
| ID. II. CHAMBERLAIN,
| Attorney General of South Carolina.
To his Excellency the President
The Attorney General received in reply
letter from President Grant in the latter's
own handwriting. The following is
| from that letter
never used the language attributed to
me by Gen. Butler as stated above. l
never opposed the reelection of Gov.
Scott, nor spoke disparagingly of him.
On the contrary, l only look upon the So
called 'EReform" movement in South
Carolina as device to give the control
of the enemy of the party which has
supported me, and which supported our
armies and maintained the Union.
-tgs .. U. 5. GRANT.
LoNe BRANCH, N. j., Aug 22, 1870.
| RELATIVE BEAUTY OF THE