The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-04

ablect submissions: but they are dlstrusLful OF
the white men. by whom they KNOW tney are
hated. Upon these people not only pollt!cu
rights have been conferred, bull they nave ao-
eIninu class in South Carolina, and a class
more totally unfit TO govern does -0t exist upon
the face of The earth. There are not dozen
highly educated negroes in the whole STATE,
and The whole number that can read
and write is comparatively small. Not IN the
least superior in intelligence OF virtue TO the
negroes are the poor whtes-the "low.doWn
neopie.n whose poverty, stupidity and desra-
dalton is beyond'.the conception OF any man
who lIas never seen them. They live 10 nuts,
without windows, and often without noors.
They are totally 'illierate, and have not Inc
slightest desire tor education. or iCr anything
but corn bread, bacon and whlSkey; ihey
hale the negroes with a mortal hatred. looking
upon them as rivals. They are lazy, vicious,
ouarrelsome, revengeiul, and capable OF brutal
cruelty. The educated white msn form q
third class, comparatively small IN numbers,
but owning all the property in the State. ~
them the present supremacy OF The negro race
is a ching unnatural and altogether abomnabe
AT first they looked upon reconstruction as
farce, anu believed that Democratic triumph
in 1865 would sweep 1t all away. Now IL l6.a
horrible reality. From The state OF aneZemehI
with which they first SAW the negroes (whom
they had always regarded as catt!e) makiuS
laws, levying taxes, holding office, and actlng
as urymen, they passed into condition OF
bitterness and. rage, of which violence and
murders was the natural consequence.
II would be hard TO imagine state OF socle-
ty more entirely untitled Tor Republican
form of government Than this. Inc lnleliiSenC
people OF the State have no voice III puollc al,
ialrs. and no influence in the government, and
are obliged to submit to the rule OIL class ]ust
released from slavery, and incompetent, WIN
ont guidance, 10 exercise the simplest duties
of citizenship This condition OF affairs ls so
unwholcsOme and unnatural, and so lrnltful OF
evil. that 1t is clear that ii cannot last. IN lSGS
the heading white ciliZens held alool from con-
ventions and elections, anu the new govern
menL commenced with little opposition; butin
1870 at the next Stdte election, they made an
effort to c0ncate the negroes, and attempted
to create Reform party which should dlsre-
gard distinctions oil race. They adopted plat
form which fully recognized all the rights the
negroes had gained, and protessed no desire
ever 10 interfere with them; and they succeed
ed in inducing q few negroes to accept noml-
nations on their tickets. The movement fail
ed. The negroes distrusted the sincerity OF the
white men, and feared TO trust them with
power. They went 10 the Reform meetings,
listened attentirely 10 the persua' ions OF their
former masters. and then v0led IN body ior
The Radical candidates. The white men
were greatly ennged at the result. TO
make matters worse, they believed that in all
the upper counties where the races are nearly
eyenly balanced. gross frauds had been COM
mlted in counting HE votes. Un1or-
tunalelylhey had much reason for this belief:
In the previous winter, the Legislature had
PASSED new election law, which. without eX-
aggeratiun, Is most outrageous. NO more lL-
renious.measure could be. conlrred to lacill-
late fraud in the interest OF the dominant
party; and this was PROBABLY the purpose OF Its
Tp6p TO Gnvprnnr
appoints three commissioners oil elections In
each county, vino in turn appoint three mana.
gers for every poll; all OF these are, Of course.
Of one party. Directly after the polls are
closed there is no counting OF the vote, but
one ofthe managers takes the ballot-b0X anu
poll-list to his house, where he is permitted 10
keep them for three days, with nothing what
ever 10 hinder him from putting rs many bal
lois in tie box and fictitious names upon The
poll-book as he pleases. By the end Of the
three days The managers take the boxes TO the
commissioners at the county seat. The CON-
missoners may. ia turn. keep them I've days.
The boxes are then opened in private, with no
one present but the commissioners and their
clerk. The votes are counted and a return
made to the board Of State canvassers. If the
ballot-boxes have not been sufficiently stuffed
by the managers, the commissioners have
every facility given them 10 lake turn at the
business. ii is no wonder that the REFORM
FRS" believed they had been cheated through
the workings OF this uni usL law.
Another source Of irritation was the Organi-
zatun OF negro militia companies Ill over the
Stale. aud the refusal Of the Governor 10 per-
nit the whites 10 organize In similar way.
These companies We're powerful! aS eictiioneer-
ing agencies, but entirely weak and inefficient
Us military bo,lies They cXusperated the
whites by marching to the polls, stacking
arms. and voting, and then purading the
st tY,.nt : uyit thIiir uft 10
negroes, as might have been predicted, proved
10 be mi$chievous and disastrous. The riots
and murders in the upper counties Must, in
great part, be attributed 10 This cause. The
poor negroes suffered terribly They Were
whipped. tortured AMI murdered BY scores.
IL Is estimated That lOD nave been Killed since
he election.
Alter their defeat at the fail election, the
| white men abandoned all attempt 1T persla-
sion, and declared that, as their offers OF con-
| ciilai0n had been spurH2d. they would resort
| 10 force. Tic kli-kluH societies became nc.
live in Ill tie districts where the negroes are
not largely in the majority. Their greatest
anmcsiiy is now directed against the lew
| white men who accepted Office from The Re-
| pabt!cans. II seems 10 be their settled pul-
| pose tu murder these men II lhny refuse 10
resign their offices. As 10 the negroes, the
R"lornefs are satisfied with whipping until
they promise never to vote another ''itadca!'
! ticket.
have spoken OF white men and negroes,
instead Of using the names OF political parties,
because. practically, party lines are rGce lines
in South Carolina; the white men make one
paris auti Tie negroes another; The number OF
white men VINO have joined tic latter being
TOO small TO be worth considering There are
scarcely L doZea native white men who are
Republicans from any olles motive than greed
for office, and with lew highly honorable eX-
ceptiuns the Northern men, who lave come
here. are INSCRIPTIONS adyenturers. The ieel-
ing OF The white men was bitter enough alter
ever eve since. It was found that The new Legis.
Elalure. which met in the winter, was more
corrupt than its predecessor. Leading Repub.
licans here tell me that ii was noLoriUllSly in
competent and prof gate. Eighty Of the one
hundred and twenty-lour members OF the