The Democratic advocate., 1871-07-27
Letter from the South.


am sitting in the shade Of the great trees that
line the Battery, or water front Of the city
its fashionable promenade. Children are play
ing on the close cut sward. and a score or more
of oetoroon nurses are exchanging domestic
gossip. The strong southwest wind sweeps in
from the broad Atlantic, tanning every home
within its scope and adding luxury TO every
breath. The air is ladened with the aroma of
flowers and IL there be quiet comfort anywhere
in this summer soslice, ii is right here in this
Z" CITY BY the Sea-"
Wonder is Fort Sumpte.--its ragged outline
In bold relief against the sky. To the right is
Morris Island, whence Gilmore sent his three
hundred-pound shells on their Eve mile journey
to devastate the homes OF women and children.
To the left Is Sullvan's Island with its pretty
summer cottages lining the long beach. | go
there late in the afternoon to "lay me down
in the surf and rid me of the days fever. TO
sleep under a blanket and dream undisturbed
by the punciuations Of mosquitoes. IL Is par
excellence the watering place Of the Atlantic
coast, and Charlestonians who are compelled
to remain at home find consolation In the sub
stanta relief which il affords.
| find that the political situation OF South
Carolina is not unlike that Of our sister State
| Of Arkansas. The Governor Is an ex. Federal
Gencral-and owes lis election to the negroes.
Their majority is thirty Thousand. The Lieu
tenant Governor and the Secretary Of State
are negroes. The former is also Chairman of
aud controls all elections. The Treasurer is
from Massachusetts,, and late in the war com
manded company OF negro troops. He then
went into the old clio business, failed, and took
lovingly to politics. On a salary Of S25O0 a
year, he has made three hundred thousand
dollars, and still Is "on the make" He holds
the bonds OF the State in the hollow Of his
hand, and manipulates them, il is said, to suit
his own purposes. Occasionally one Of his
mythical aunts, of whom he has n multitude,
dies and leaves him legacy, and in this way
he explains to his supplemented sable support
ers why he can afford to buy magnificent dia-
monds and drive in gold mounted harness
The Comptroller is q smart, but uneducated
North Carolinian. The Auditor is an ex- Freed
mans Bureaurian. The School Commissioner
ditto. The last named individual has in his
hands to-day forty thousands dollars appro-
priated by the Legislature to pay the salaries
Of school teachers; yet am reliably informed
that three OF these poor workers have recently
become maniacs, and are now in the lunatic
asylum, because Ofpoverty and want, superin-
duced by the refusal Of this worthy to pay salar-
les that have been due for many tbs. The
United States Senators are both white-of
course, Radical. the members of Congress-
so called, three are. colored and one is white
the latter a man, strange TO say, who once
publicly proposed to sell all free negroes in
South Carolina into slavery.
The Legislature consists of one hundred and
fifty odd members, of whom the great m maiority
are black, ignorant and inscriptions. Except
the fifteen or twenty Democrats, who are pow
erless, these curious specimens of political
humanity take brides as regularly as they do
| their punches. Most nf them are worth from
fvc Z fifty thousand dollars, and hold various
fat Offices during the recess. They drive fast
horses, gamble, make night hideOus during a
session Of the Legislature, and but for the
Speaker Of the House would be as uncontrola-
BILE as a den OF gorillas. Their halls rf meet
! ing and committee rooms are as magnificent
in their appointments as those Of the National
Capitol. The chandeliers, velvet carpets,
French clocks and rosewood furniture, all at.
test the wanton extravaganza of set Of vam-
| pires, whose only consideration was, not dis.
| play of beauty or taste, but the amount oi
money that could be made on the appropria-
tions for the contract The very spttoons cost
eighteen dol lars n pair, and the committee
rooms are like orgeously-furnished bars.
One might suppose that in such a body there
| would be some political rirtue--some exhibi.
tion OF Interest in the progress Of the newly
enfranchsed. There is none. Two wears 90
seven hundred thousand dollars were ostensibly y
paid out in purchasing lands to be re-sold To
the colored people at low rates and on long
| credit. Three-i0urths Of this money went In 10
the pockets of black spectators, who, buying
the lands for song, sold them to the Land
| Commissioners at an exhorbitant price and
divided the profits with the officials. The ma.
| jority Of the ofhce-holders in the State may
be said to live on spoils. Public expenses have
| been nearly doubled, and, in conseouence.
property is assessed and taxed at double and
treble its real value, in order that the rascals
may Keep the grinding machine in motion.
| These things naturally enraged the people
and crisis was reached not long ago, which,
| but for the Intervention of the wise men OF the
| State, would have resulted in blood shed. The
! IN Ia mil ia Ia Il
who were armed with brcech-loaders or Win.
chester rifles. They paraded by day and drill.
led at night, leaving crops to take care OF
| themselves, and planters unable to obtain
labor. After awhile, feeling the dignity OF
newly acquired power, parties Of these armed
negroes began to halt white men in the public
| roads, and at last they shot a one armed sol.
dier on the high way, because he would no,
divide the contents Of barrel of whiskey
among the crew. The party was arrested for
the murder and that night nine were taken
from Jail by "law-and-ofder loving citizens
aud hung. "ku-k -kiux," now became the cry.
Cotton-gins and private dwellings disappeared
in hames. Retaliation commenced on both
sides, until finally many of the Radical officials
| who were notoriously corrupt and ignorant
were notified that they must "m0ve further u
At this juncture the Taxpayers Convention
assembled in Columbia. They Investigated
and reported on the financial condition OF th,
tut
determined spirit quietly evinced BY the mem
bers, the Governor aud other officials saw III,
necessity Of changing Radical tactics and an
| plying more soothing pouticies to the popular
sore. The negro militia was disarmed, and Il
every vacant Office competent men appointed
who have the confidence of the community in
| which they live. By thus giving token OF his
desire to cooperate with the citizens in pro-
noting the general welfare, Governor Scott
| has succeeded In curing many evils which pre-
viously existed, and there is now peace.
In August next the election of Mayor and
Board Of Aldermen will take place in Charles
ton. This Is another Radical trick. Usually
the election occurred in November, but The
| experience of two or three years having dem.
onstrated that the votes Of white and black
were very nearly equal, the Legislature, to
make assurance doubly sure" enacted during
the last session that the time of holding the
elections should be changed from November to
Augusta month in which at least Eve or six
hundred white voters are absent from the city.
ihis would give Charleston again to Radical
ism.
Charleston everywhere gives evidence of the
process OF recuperation. The burnt district is
gradually filling up; all the unsightly embroid.
cry done in shell-work by Gen. Gilmore's
'Swamp Angels" has been removed the
wharves lined with ships; steamers ply between
here and Liverpool direct; there are several
banks and an abundant use for money, and
altogether the prospect is enlivening and en-.
| couraging. The discovery Of phosphates has
doubtless added largely to local wealth. Thre,
millions of dollars are said to be invested Ia
the manipulation Of the various fertilizers, o
which phospbates are the base and all OF thai
amount is expended in and around the city Of
Charleston. The whole country and the beds
OF rivers for miles are uuderlaid with tbi.
curious substance, and land that once could b,
bought for ten and twenty dollars acre, Is nov
worth thousand. In their crude state, jus
taken from the earth. phosphates find read,
sale at seven dollars a ton. When puIverizet
and mixed with fish, or Peruvian guano and.sul
phuric acid, they become a superb IN azure fol
cotton, and sell at fifty and sixty dollars ton
One company alone, now operating on tn,
rive, beds of the State, is at present engaged