The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1871-03-22
OUR MOTLEY LEGISLATORS
How They Appear to a Georgian.
ITO the Editor of the Charleston Neus.l

ITO the Editor Of the Charleston News.l
AUGUSTA, GA, March 8.
I have just returned from Columbia,
the Capital Of your State. This was my
second visit My first brief sojourn
happened during the earlier stages Of
the "late unpleasautness," but when
Columbia was indeed thing of beauty.
In spite Of Sherman's vandalism and
the horrible mockeries supervening,
Columbia, from want of actual observa-
tion, remained in my memory a fancy
vision, preserved so by that great faculty
Of the soul which time and tortue and
the march of demons could never quite
impair. But the tremendous change
between 1862 and 1871, has become at
last only too apparent by close contact
with the "logic of events" have be
held the desolation, made all the more
absolute BY the usurpation of several
smart-looking buildings, and more es>
pecially by the absurd caricature pre-
sented BY "Hon." gentlemen Of black
and yellow compilations, whose singular
and pains.taking burlesque of states
manship conviuces me that Darwiu's
theory, as to portion of the human
race, at least, is very plausible indeed.
I will not dwell upon the material
ruins Of Columbia for the decay which
comes upon brick and mortar is small
matter after all in the history of a proud
people. But, with your permission, l
would be pleased to make brief comment
upon the Statehouse and its extraor-
dinary contents.
Even in its unfinished condition your
State house is one Of the noblest edi6ces
in America, without being among the
most beautiful. It's great perfections
are massiveness and amplitude. In
these respects it will, l doubt not, take
a foremost rank, especially when COM
pared with the shoddy, insincere and
cramped architecture Of the North. It's
serious faults are want of grace to
relieve the majesty aud austerity Of the
general design, and neglect Of minor
details 10 commensurate with the
grandeur ofthe pile. Take, for example,
the entrance way. How meanly these
three martin. boxes, called doors, cor
respond with the muni6cent roominess,
| within the building proper. It may be
that an original intention of having a
splendid portico and fight Of giant
steps has been thxarted By the calami-
ties of Federal invasion. If so, consider
my criticism unspoken. Be this as it
may, your Statehouse, as a public
! edifice, is something to be proud of,
unfinished as it is, and stands as
Hyperion to q Satyr, as Hercules to the
"Fat Boy" in Pickwick, whep compared
| with that exhalation of brick, that
6lmsy and mushroom glitteriug generali-
~, the Kimball Opershousc at Atlanta,
| now the property Of the State of Geer-
gia. But what shall I say of the con-
! tents, the human contents, of your
Sta,ehouse7 I am glad to have wit
messed the scene once, but never care
to look upon it again while live. The
wildest imagining had not pictured
half the hideous reality. My first ap-
proach was to the Senate. 1t was evident
from the start, that the ruling spirits
there are Whittemore, the cadesship
sWindler, aud Leslie, the cate chameleon
YANKEES both. Whittemore is a
bulesque representation of Governor
Bullock of Georgia, and Leslie is ; >olcn
Shiugle, demoralized by bumming dur
ing the war. Ranking second to these
| in point Of glibness and power, l would
place the bob tailed white men like
Rausier aud Hayne. Nash makes des
perate efforts to assert the true negro
element 10 antagonism to the white aud
mongrel elements, bat his poor plana
tion manners are no match for the
impudent .ggressiveuess of the white
Yankees and the quadroons, aud he
seldom rose in his seat save to be
suubbed most numerically by the one
or the other. It struck me torcibly
that right here was the entering wedge
for destroying the Radical party in your
State. 1t is as plain as uoouday that
the blacks, who really constitute nine
tenths-of the Radical voting power Of
the State, arc restiye under this COM
bined mulatto and carpet bag DONNA
| tion. They must see that Ransier.
Leslie 4 Co., treat them with contempt
which is Calling beyond expression, aud
very different from the treatment they
have experienced from decent white
men, even in slavery times. More than
once I saw sort Of grim despair OF
grimmer hatred lurking in the dusky
lines of Nash's face when browbeaten
by the oc!oroon who presides, or BY the
restless white Yankee who has risen to
powcr on the backs of the negroes, as i!
to illustrate the Bible precept, tha;
God sometimes "raises up the foolish
| things of this world to counfound the
wise."
Rausier is q good presiding officer
very good indeed. He has both dignity
| and cleverness. But Raasier is very
| far from being . negro. He is so near
| white that few traces of the Ethior
| remain, and, 10 'Ohie for Instance
before the war even, be could
have, under Democratic jurisdiction,
claimed and received The franchise. Il
| is foolishness for the negroes to present
him as q type of their race, or an exam
ple Of their races capabilities. All oil