Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-13
SOUTH CAROLINA.
The Beauties of RadicaIiSm in the
Palmetto state

Palmetto state.
A correspondent of the New York
World writes from Columbia under date
March l:
The party now ruling this Common
wealth is called Republican. Its claim
to this title can only be admitted.on the
tUctts q non LncendO principle Here
are some of its signal lights which are
plainly visible from the decks, and require
no masthead observation or artificial aids
to vision to make them out:
l. By the Radical CONSTITUTION of 1868,
now the organic law, provision is made
for ga competent number of justices of
the peace, TO ''be chosen in each county
by the qualified electors thereof" Two
years nave passed, and yet there is not one
such officer in the State; but, instead, and
in palpable violation and disregard of their
Constitution, every county is stocked with
magistrates q. c. J. p } appointed by the
Governor and removed by him at his
pleasure. From mountain to seaboard
there is at least regiment of these petty
local pests andtyrants, ignorant of law and
letters, ruling their precincts with an iron
rod, Furnishing by fine and Imprisonment
any who incur their displeasure, and Sc
cure in all their acts of fraud, corruption
and malfeasance in office, so long as they
offend not the Governor or any of the
truly loyal. The first obnoxious decision
brings the offender under the executive
guillotine, his head cut off, and another
convenient tool is appointed magistrate.
2. The courts are reduced to farce
by the supervision and interference of the
autOcrat. The Judges are tho creatures
of the Legislature, and keep an eye on its
twO-thirds black vote and its growing
jealousy all of which savors of respectful
lily and regard to equity and fairplay. The
juries arelargely composed of colored men,
yet three colored men, tried and convicted
by such jury and sentenced by Radical
Judge to one years imprisonment as the
ringleaders in the most disgraceful Char
lesion riot, in which the Savannah Base
Ball Club and their colOred band so mar
rowly escaped with their lives, were tried
| and sentenced during the recent term
of the Charleston Sessions, and in three
days received a full pardon and release
from Gov. Scott, although neither Judge
nor jury could say one word in their be-
half. Judges and juries make up costly
machinery, and under such a regime,
don't pay for the candle. A New York
| ru1fian says: changing for murder is
played out in New York The LOYAL
felon here laughs at his own judge and
jury and says, Punishment for crime is
played out in South Carolina" if the
criminal is loyal voter; but if a Demo-
Graf, God help him. The above case is
by no means exceptional, nor the worst.
3. Since the influx of these philoso-
peers of ''the great moral ideas" school,
the negroes have been used to control the
hallot-box and everything else to which
| that leads. They are substantially the
only voters, for under the reconstruction
manipulations it is'really useless for any
one else to vote. Suppose the whites
could carry the electiOns-COn-
gress stands ready Gas in the up
per Congressional districts) to de-
dlare the defeated Radical candidates
entitled TO the seats. They denounce
Whittemore, but why? Is he not their
own bantling, and have they any right to
expect any other kind of men as Southern
representatives, under their own bayonet
reconstruction The First Congressional
| District Of South Carolina never elected
| WhittemOre. He was chosen by eau
Gus, bakers dozen of his own clan, I'M
| der instructions of the Schenck commit
tee, whose agent and tool he was. Con-
gress elected him, and Congress turned
| him out.
f. The juries, which a spectator would
consider already black enough, are now,
by an act just passed, to be still further
placed underline party control. They ate
| henceforth to be selected and named by
three commissioners in each county to be
appointed by the Governor, and each
county is to be supplied with a corps Of
'ftrial Justices" TO be appointed by the
Governor. Here are more signal lights
colored, but neither blue, green or red.
! 5. The Governor has corps of State
| constables, armed with Winchester rifles
and revolvers, who Nyill take a citizen
without warrant, and carry him from one
part of the State TO another, and keep
him in custody SO long as his Excellency
directs, and then turn him loose without
trial or redress. He also has his negro
militia in various counties, armed and
readysstO do his bidding.
6. In York, Chester and other
upper counties from which have just re-
turned, the white population are submit
ting daily to wrongs and outrages which
they say are without excuse-all done
in the name of elderly" and as ne
cessary to secure for South Carolina
republican form of government. :"
A nice thing, no doubt, is this Re-
publicanism to the few who manage it
for their own endsI The Russian Gar
and Turkish Sultan might greatly admire
it. But the white people of this country
look upon it as barn yard heap, too
steaming and fetid for lilies and roses,
but capital compost for such plants as
bloom into Moses and Whittemores.
A Belgian named Thirion has designed
a new aerial machine. 1t consists of a
pair of parallel boards, furnished with
sails and connected by jointed rods.
Movement is obtained by the opening and
shutting of the boards. The action is
kept up by small steam engine, which
is placed in the back part of the construc-
tion.