The Republican journal., 1871-05-18
The Condition of South Carolina.

lei WIltlcN ny lecN. III. L liilio' vi A>o"
York, to the Christian Observer, which
letter will be found upon the outside of the
journal to-day. 1t contains facts of in
tercst to every citizen of the United
States.
The Convention Of Taxpayers of the
State of South Carolina, which met last
week, is one which deserves to attract the
attention generally of the people Of the
whole country. The evil which it met to
discuss is one which has no precedent,
that we can recall, in the history of the
world. Never before has society been in
of position and power, while the men of
brains who have heretofore made and ex-
ccuted the laws. directed the industries
and accumulated the wealth, have be-
come the prey Of their former servants.
The negroes. who now control the gov
ernment of the State, under direction Of
northern arpet-baggers, have INDUCED
in the widest excuses of plumber, under
prctcnce Of beneficial Improvements, I'M
til the taxation has increased three fold,
atthe same time that the valuation has sunk
one-halt The taxes cannot be paid, and
this convention met to devise remedies for
the present and future w. d. Porter,
conservative Democrat, was chosen Pres
idcnt, with Vice Presidents, among whom
are several Republicans The action of
the Convention, SO far us heard from at
this writing, consisted Of the appointment
of committees to confer with the Governor
on the necessity Of extending the time for
collecting the taxes; to investigate the in
debtedness Of the State, and the legality of
the claims against the State; to examine
the accounts Of the State Agent in New
York, who has been accused of fraud; to
inquire into the causes of the present ex-
cessive taxation, and to present remedy
and to devise an amendment to the State
Constitution, so rs to allow cumulative
voting at elections. A resolution con-
demning the outrages of the Ku- KluX was
adopted unanimously, and several speech
cs were made in favor of accepting the
late amendments to the Constitution of
the United States as final.
This action brings to mind series OF
letters from a special correspondent of the
New York Tribune. writing from Column
bia, S. G., who tells some palmer truths
than radical newspapers are accustomed
to give their readers in regard to the con-
dition Of affairs in the Southern states
He makes Il clear statement of the condl-
ton of industrial and political matters in
that unfortunate State. as follows
In n total of 30 900 inhabitants, there are
about 42j,00O negroes. who, As Il class, are ig-
nOrant, supcrStltl0us, scmi-barbarians, but lit
lie elevated in intelligence above their kindred
III Africa. ! speak of the great mass of the
negroes. of the plantation ''tield-hands." They
are extremely incident, and will make no exer-
ton beyond what is necessary to obtain food
enough to satisfy their hunger They rarely
commit great crimes, but are given to petty
thieyng to a great extent. Toward the white
man they are still deterential and assume an all
of ahiect submission; but they are distrustfu Of
the white man. by whom they know they are
hated. Upon these people not only political
rights have been conferred, but they have abso.
lutte political supremacy. They are the govern.
ing class IN South Carolina, and a class more
totally unfit to govern does not 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 com
paratiycly small. Not in the least superior in
| intelligence or virtue TO the negroes are the
| poor whites-the ''lowlown people," whose
poverty, stupidity, and degradation is bevont
| the conception OF any man who has never seel
| them. They live in hutS, without windows
| and often without nror.. They arc totally ii
| literate. and have not the Slightest desire fol
| education or for ANYTHING but corn-bread, b;.
con and whiskcy They hate the negroes will
Il mortal hatred, looking upon them as rivals
| They are lazy. vicious, quarresone, revenge
| full, and capable of brutal cruelty. The educat
| ed white men form third class. comparatively
small in numbers. but owning all the property
| in the State. 10 them the present supremacy
OF the negro race is Il thing unnatural and al
| together abominablc. AT first they looked upon
reconstruction as Il farce. and believed that
| Democratic triumph in 1868 would sweep it all
| away Now it is Il horrible reality. From tn,
| state Of iunazcmcnt with which they first saw
the negroes (whom they had always regarded
as catle) making laws, levyng taxes, holding
| office, and acting as jurymen. they passed into
| Il condition of bitterness and rage, of whicl
violence and murder WAS the natural conse-
| qucncc.
The records Of misgovernment, of ty
ranny OF anarchy might be searched i,
vain for the parallel of this state of things
1t is simply Il community OF civilization
and refinement, handed over to the mer
cies OF barbarism. As 4 result, the clec
tons are the merest farccs. The law reg
lllating them is unhcard of in its provis
ions. The Tribune correspondent calls il
'most outrageous and adds-'No more
| ingenious measure could be contrived t.
facilitate fraud in the interest of the domi
nant party, and this was probably the OBJ
,ject of its iramers.' The negro poll man
agcr, appointed by the Governor, take
the ballots home, keeps them three days
to count, then return them to the Count,
! Commissioners. of the same stripe who
keep them five days. Each has every OPP
portunily to change the votes as they
please! Such n state of things in North
crn state would produce revolution and
bloodshcd ut once. The correspondent
continues
| | have spoken OF white men and negroes, in
stead of using the names of political parties. be
cause practically, party lines are race line
in South Carolina; the white men make one
| party and the negroes another; the number o
white men who have joined the latter being to-
small to be worth considering. There ar
| scarcely dozen native white men who are Re
publicanS from any other motive than greed 70
Office, and with 4 few highly honorable cxcep
lions the Northern men, who have come here
are INSCRIPTIONS adventures The feeline
of the white men was bitter enough after tn,
election bat it has been growing worse eve
since. 1t was found that the new Legislature
which met in the Winter, was more corrup
| than its predecessor Leading Republicans here
tell me that it was VIGOROUSLY incompetent ant
proligate. Eighty of the 124 members of tn,
| House and | of the 81 Senators We're negroes
Many could not read or write. These negroes,
| ignorant of all the forms of Legislation, coule
have done but little harm had it not been for :
few white members, who concocted mischie
and initiated them into their schemes, telling
| those ~ hn hal that no