The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-02
SelERef0rm.

The magnates Of the RobDing Ring, from
Senator Daddy" Cain down, have not at
tempted to deny that the present State ad-
ministration is corrupt and unclean. They
admit that the grievances of the people Of
the State have a substantial foundation in
fact; and in public, whatever they may say in
private, lament the embarrassment which
the misdeeds of o few bad men have brought
upon 'the party" With gushing frankness
they acknowledge the fault and propose the
remedy, which is, to let the Ring stand and re-
form its own members. They propose, in
other words, that the foulest contents of the
public stables shall, with Presto Change!
be converted into bouncing big bosom Of
Reform. This farcical idea might ease the
consciences of the softer disciples Of the
Ring but its hypocritical falsehood was ex-
posed and denounced, from the moment Of
its utterance, by the public press Of the
State. And in the same way that the Ring
have been diligently engaged, for two years
in digging their own graves, they are now,
with unlocked for rapidity, proclaiming to
the whole people the hollow insincerity Of
their pledge Of Self-Reform.
The Ring had it in their power to nomi-
nate for Governor such men as Attorney
General Chamberlain, or Auditor Thomlin-
son, or Secretary OF State Cardozo. These
men, although not above suspicion, tower,
10 moral height, far beyond the Ohio quack,
who was elected in 1865. Or the Ring might
have taken nearly any one of the humble
freedmen who, to their own loss, lifted them
to Offices Of honor and trust. Any change
would have been accepted as an evidence
that the Ring wanted to wear the appear
ance OF !earnestness and plain dealing. Bat
what did the Ring do? After packing the
State Convention so that free choice, by
the people, was impossible, they and their
creature renominate Robert Kingston Scott,
the incarnation Of the myriad acts Of inde-
cency and fraud OF which the Ring are gull
ty. They unanimously renominste the man
who has traded in the flesh and blood OF his
colored supporters; who allowed the mur-
derers of Randolph to evade the condign
punishment they deserved; who winks at the
peculations of the Land Commission, if he
does not share in their profits; who tells the
whole people that Winchester rifle law" is
the onlylaw for South Carolina; who, by the
abuse Of the parloning power, lets loose
upon the community legion OF cutthroats,
thieves and murderers; who told General
Wade Hampton, two years ago, that he was
''tired OF the negroes" and "wished the State
''to go Democratic who, coming to South
Carolina as the owner, in Ohio, of a blind
mare and broken chaise, valued at four
teen dollars aud seventy-five cents, is now
worth, by his own confession, one hundred
and thirty thousand dollars. This is the
man whom the Ring hold up to the public
gaze as the candidate who, if elected, will
cure the rottenness, and punish the roguery,
OF which he is himself the most notorious
specimen and example. Is this, we ask, the
beginning Of Self Reform Can this patent
unscrupulousness and trickery be overcome
by the nomination of a mulatto for Lieuten-
ant Governor, so that an appeal to the in
stincts OF race may secure for Scott and Ran
sier that vote which could not be obtained
by Scott alone The juggling cheat is too
plain; and If the freedmen do not see it, and
act upon their knowledge, the fault will be
that of the white people of the State.
And look at the organization OF the State
Convention, which nominated the precious
pair. The chairman Of the Committee on
Credentials and the chairman OF the Com
mittee on Platform was B. F. Whittemore.
Who is this man who decides upon the quail
fications of the delegates who nominate a
Governor and ieutenant-Governor who
draws up the declaration Of principles Of
what is falsely called the Republican party
of South Carolina ? A Radical Congress
makes answer. The United States House
of Representatives, after full examination
of the evidence, adopted resolution declar-
ing that B. F. Whittemore made appoint
ments to Annapolis and Vest Point 'sn
s'violation of law that such appointments
were influenced by pecuLiaTys considera-
'.Lions;" that his conduct was such as ITO
'tshow him unworthy OF seat in the House
''of Representatives, and is, therefore, con-
''demned as conduct unworthy ofthe repre-
sentative of the people" To avoid an ig-
nominious expulsion, Whittemore, with the
conuivarce of Governor Scott, resigned his
seat. Being reelected be was refused his
seat. the majority being sustained in their
action by the Northern Radical press. nearly
without exception. And now, the New York
7rs6uYs, in leading editorial, calls upon
the law officers of the government to bring
this offender to justi@u. open the peniten-