New-York tribune., 1871-05-01
THROUGH THE SOUTH.
POLITICAL PROBLEMS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
CAUSES OF THE DISTURBANCES IN THE STATE
RECKLESS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF Po-
IIrICIT NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AT CON-
CILIATIoN-A REFORM CONVENTION.

lPROM OUR SPECIAL COhhborVNDD''I
COLUMBIA, s. c., April 27.-It is almost i'm
possible for Northern people to como TO any Just
clusions about the present condition OF affairs az he
soub without some personal observation and experience
of Southern society for we Of the North disposed 10
apply our standards to the South. Our communities are
peaceabe and orderly and under the same form OF
government violence and disorder prevail In the SOUTH
ern States we conclude at that the fault lies WIN
few wicked upon whom the strong hand OF the law
should fall. We do not know how deepseated Is tne
disease from which the South SUFFERS and We think that
the remedies which repress disorders In the North VIII
work osre in tho South whose evils are the natural
and In eyitable result its relations Like antago-
nisc chemical elements when thrown together har-
monious action Is impossible until turbulent enerVescence
shall have gone on for @ time.
South Carolina may be regarded the typical South
ern State. Hero the Southern idea most fully de-
veloped and change the Northern system OF
government and society Is most radical and Is attended
by The greatest resistance The only wonder that this
change has been accompanied by little violence when
IL La considered that civilized community ever under
went sudden and thorough o revolution in all Its
social industrial, and political relations The slaves OF
yesterday the masters Of todayj and the old,
naughty ruling class n reduced to condition Of pOl-
thradom In order to comprehend the cause OF the
present disturbed condition of the State it necessary
to consider the elements Of its population and their
changed relations to each other In total OF 729OO In
habtants there about t25,Oo0 negroes, who, as
class, ignorant superstous, semibarbsrans, but
lttle elevated In intelligence above their kindred In
Africa speak Of the great Of the negroes, OF the
plantation "fled-hands" They extremely indolent,
and will make no exeron beyond what is necessary to
obtain food enough satisfy thsr hunger They rarely
commit great crimes but given to petty theTng TO
a great extent Toward the white man they are stu
deferentia and air Of abect submisson but
they distrustful OF the white men. by whom they
know they hated Upon these people not only poli
zeal rights have been conferred but they nave
absolute political supremacy. They arc The govern
ing class In South Carolina, and class more
totally unfit to govern does not exist upon the face OF the
earth There not dozen highly educated negroes
in the whole State and the whole number that read
and write h comparatively small Not in the least supe
ror in intelligence virtue 10 the negroes the POOR
whites-te "low-down people," whose poverty, stupid
ity and degradation Is beyond tic conception Of any
man who has them. They live in huts with
out windows and often without floors They ore totally
teate and have not the slightest desire for education,
for anything but cornbread bacon, and whisky They
hate the negroes with o mortal hatred, looking upon
them rivals. They lazy, vicious, Quarresome r
vengef aud capable Of brutal cruelty The educated
white form third class, comparatively small in
numbers but owning all the property In the State. To
them the present supremacy tho negro is thing
unnatural and altogether abominabe. At first they looked
upon reconstruction farce, and believed that DEM
ocratlc Triumph In 1868 would sweep all away. Nov IL Is
horrible reality, From the state OF amazement with
which they first saw the negroes twhom they had always
regarded catte) making laws, syyng taxes, holding
office, and acting jurynen they passed into condi-
bitterness and OF which violence aud mur
der was the natural consequence.
1t would be hard to imagine state Of society more
entirely unified for Republican form of government
than this. The intelligent people Of the State have
voice In public affairs and influence In the Govern
90 aof ctos
released from slavery, and incompetent. without gd
ance simplest duties OF citizenship This
condition OF affairs Is oulwh0esouo and unnatural and
fruitful OF evil that It clear that IL cannot last In
1868 the leading whe citizens held sloOf from conven
tons and elections. and the Government commenced
with little oppostion but in lS0 at the next State cleo
ton they made effort conciliae the negroes, and
attempted to create Reform party which should dlsre
gard distinctions Of race. They adopted o platform
which fully recognized all the rights tho negroes had
gained and prOfessed desire TO interfere with
then and they succeeded In inducing few negroes TO
accept nominations on their tickets. Tho movement
failed. The negroes Gistrusted tho sincerity OF
tue white men, and feared TO trust them with power.
they went to the Reform meetings listened attentiyely
TO the persuasons Of their former masters and then
voted in body for the Radical" candidates The white
men were greatly enraged at tho RESULT To make mat
ters worse they believed that in all the upper counties
where the nearly evenly balanced gross frauds
had been committed In counting the VOIeS OnIor-
tunately they had much for this belief In the
previous Winter the Legislature had passed new cleo
ton law which, without exaggeration, is most outrage
ous No more ingenious could be eentrved to
facilitate fraud tho interest Of the dominant party
and this was probably the purpose OF its amerS Under
its provisions tho Governor appoints three Commits
soners OF Elections In each county, who In turn ap-
point three managers for every poui all OF these
are OF course, Of one Iarty. Directly after the
eloa
vote hut one Of the managers takes tho baotbox anS
noist TO his house, hsre he 70 permitted 10 Keep Men'
for three days. with nothing whatever TO hinder hm rom
puttinc as many ballots in the box and fictitious names
upon the poll-book he plessea by the END OF the
three DAYS the managers take the boxes to the Commits
sioners at the county seat The Commissioners may In
turn keep them five days. The boxes are then opened
IN nitrate with no one present but the Commissioners
and their clerk The votes are counted and return
made TO the Board OF State Canvassers. Ii the ballot
boxes have not sufficiently stuffed by the managers,
the Commissioners have every facility given them to
take turn at the business II Is wonder that the
"Reformers" believed they had been cheated through
the Workings OF this unjust law.
Another source of irritation was the organization OF
negro militia companies aover the State and the refusal
OF the Governors to permit the whites to organize In
similar way. These companies were powerful as elec
toneerng agencies but entirely weak and inefficient as
military bodies They exaspcrated the whites by march
ing TO the polls, stacking arms ana 'ots, anu lheh pa
rdng streets with their guns The arming OF the
negroes, as might have been predicted. proved to be
mischeyous and disastrous The riots and murders In
tho upper counties must in great part be attributed to
this cause. The poor negroes suffered terribly They
were whipped tortured and murdered by scores. IS is
estimated that have been killed since the election
After their defeat at the Fa election, the white uen
abandoned all attempts at persuson and declared that
as their offers Of Cancellation had been spurned they
would resort TO force. The KuKlux societies became
active all the districts where the negroes are not
largely In the majority Their greatest animosy now