The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1871-03-22
The Sumter Watchman,
Highest Style of the Art.

Skowhesau adveuturers, who have
drifted down here to make laws and
steal money.
With the exception of Nash, who
dismaliy fails to carry his p,;nts, the
other black senators seem indiffel eut,
unhappy aud out of place. The con-
trast between their weakness and the
yellow man's superciliousness, between
their coarse or ridiculous raiment and
the daudifcd, svelf-like toggery of the
mougrels, is prodigious, amusing and
satirical. am afraid the blacks of the
Senate arc the most honest as well as
the most simple.
AS o necessary concomitant to the
above, must not omit to mention that
three stunning yellow ladies--all darkies
are "ladlcs" now days, you know
displayed their superb Aources upon a
sofa within the magic ring Of South
Carolina, so called, legislation. On
sofa, at tie other end IF tie hall, three
white ladies from Skowhegau, modestly
attired and not very pretty, sat bolt up
right and gazed admiripgly upon
Massachusetts,, so curiously dumped
upon the home Of Preston and lamp
ton.
So much more has been said than
first intended, that little space remains
to give you my impressions of the
House. Such rabble 1 never saw
before; such chaos, such trave>ty. 1t
was cornshucking out of place. About
forty field hands, and as many so called
white men, claimed the floor at once,
aud, rising above the universal din, the
mulatto Lee, of Hamburg, labored, with
sweat and agony, to express an Infinite
deal of nothing. The treatment he re-
ceived from little long-nosed and busy
chairman, whose name l am told is
Moses, aud who, no doubt, deduces his
origin from the ancient law-giver Of that
name, vas really dreadful. In the midst
of his unintelligible harangue, the
"Hon." Lee was extinguished. snufed-
out aud utterly discumboberated by the
little man Moses, who heard somebody
move an adjournment, and forthwith
smoie Lee between wind and water
with that fatal and decisive word:
did not stay long enough in the House
to make the same definite judgment as
upon the Senate; but l feel sure that
the whites aud mougrels, few of either,
rule the roost there as well as a. the
other end of the Statehouse.
Of one thing 1 am satisfied, by the
glimpse 1 had Of your Legislature at
Columbia, and that is, it cannot long
endure as it is. If wisdom prevail,
great changes for the better will soon
occur in the politics of the State. The
depression now everywhere prevalent
must give way to untiring activity, and
an unquenchable determination to drive
the money changers from the temple.
AS l took the train for Augusta,
"uon." r. B. Elliott, so called, drove
to the depot in grand style. No hotel
omnibus for him, but splendid rocka-
way and two spanking bays. Beside
him sat Mrs. Elliott, aquadroon woman,
who vas, in days of yore, Mrs. Governor
Pickens's "maid," so-called. The cars
were filed with wayfaring folks, aud
everything was promiscuously mixed up,
so far as race and color were concerned.
Black Elliott looked clean and arrogant;
yellow DeLarse appeared dirty and self
sa tisfed. Among the white people
there was an Old lady, grand dame of
the ancient regime. Every time the cars
stopped she treated her audience to
,snoies on the situation" far more peril
men, and patriotic than anything Ben
Hill ever wrote. She made the black
and yellow people vince with her adroit
aud parliamentary but caustic sarcasm.
A gentleman on the train said she was
insane at times. But | assure you she
spoke the best Of sense, and / recon-
mend her peculiar luuacy to many of
the opposite sex 10 some parts Of South
Carolira.
ArBREY.