The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-08-01
The Ruin of South Carolina.

The history of the civilized world furnishes
no example of deliberate and enforced ruin,
such as is now witnessed in South Carolina.
1t is appalling to contemplate this sad specta-
Gle of corruption and decay, right in the heart
of the Atlantic States, and in the midst OF
what is called our most advanced civilization.
There the Radical problem of reconstruction
has been worked out to its logical conclusion,
with every possible influence to favor the ope-
ration. The result is before us, and it tells the
whole story. With large majority of blacks
as the capital for the experiment, disciplined
and drilled by secret societies. and docile in the
hands of managers who wrought upon their
superstitious nature the political power was
readily seized and held. The Administration
threw the whole weight of its influence into
the scale to degrade and humiliate the white
race, and sought pretexts for military interven-
ton, to make the interference more hard to
bear.
The agents selected to reconstruct South Car
olina were known as peculiar friends OF the
President, and have adhered to him consistent
ly throughout. They knew he held the power
to crush them at any moment, and to destroy
the whole fabric which had been reared up by
their fraud, venality and robbery. Seltishness,
therefore, insured their fidelity. If General
Grant had raised his hand against the conspi-
racy of rogues and thieves who now hold pos
session of South Carolina by his favor and
protection only, they could not have existed
day. He and his Administration are directly
responsible for the degradation, destruction and
decay of that State They have criminally
and wilfully sacrificed it to serve groyeling
ambition.
And now, at the end of more than three
wears of this arbitrary rule, what do we behold?
The virtue, intelligence, and property of the
State have been distranchised, while vice, igno-
rance and barbarism have been raised to the
HIGHEST dignities, entrusted with the executive,
legislative and judicial powers, and given COM
piete control of every great interest. The
sshrewd knayes who were chosen to carry out
the policy of the Administration, knew that if
the State was secured 10 Grant, they would have
perfect immunity for every crime. That was
the only condition imposed at Washington.
They organized Ring, and made the negroes
at once the instruments of their corruption and
of their loyalty to the President. After ca
reer of unchecked license, with hardly sign
of effective opposition to restrain it, the State
and county treasures are now empty: War
rants and pay certificates are selling for what
they will fetch in the market. Nearly all the
nublic institutions are closed up or closing.
The public schools for the colored race are sus-
nended. and their teachers unpaid; charitable
asylums for the deaf and dumb, for orphans,
and for lunatics are without means of support,
and the interest on the public debt is in ar
rears.
Appropriations were made for all these and
many other objects not less important, and the
taxes were collected with arbitrary exactness.
The State Treasurer admits having received
under one act of the Legislature 81 200, 600, out
of which 100000 had to be expended for
specified purposes. Not a dollar of that money
has been paid. Last year about $4,000
were extorted from the people in various forms
of taxation, all of which have disappeared
without an account being rendered, and this
wear Sc, 100000 will be raised to swell the cof-
fers of the Ring. These enormous sums of
money have been absolutely stolen from the
treasury, and divided among the thieves who
are now shouting for Grant, to retain possession
Of power.
here. They issued State Bonds as long as pur-
chasers could be found, and have rcsorted to
every form in swindling in railroad jobbery, to
fill their pockets ut the public expense. First,
bonds were put out fraudulently, and then the
Legislature was bribed to validate the swindle.
Twenty-Five millions of dollars would not cover
these frauds and forgeries. Since the negro
legislators came to feel their power, they have
demanded a share in the spoils. The utter We
nality of that crew may be illustrated by
single example On one day articles of i'm.
peachment against the Governor and State
Treasurer were adopted by vote of two-thirds,
and the next defeated by three-fourths. They
had been bought up in twenty-four hours, and
the cost of the purchase was added to the tax
alton.
And as if to pile Pelion upon Ossa, and
make the burdens still more oppressive, the
property of the State has been assessed at near
" double its value. 1t is doubtful if the whole
real and personal property is worth hundred
millions of dollars, and yet it is taxed at val
uation of nearly two hundred millions, to pro-
duce forced revenue of three and half mil
lions. Such is the condition of South Caro-
lima, after three years of Grantism. The
wonder is that any people educated in our
ideas, have peacefully submitted to be plumber
ed before their eyes by an organized gang of
robbers and rascals, who are outlawed by all
the rules of Justice. That they have consented
to bear these atrocious wrongs is the best proof
of their uiwilingness TO afford any pretext for
a collision, which has been sought by their
enemies, in order to raise new outcry against
the South, and to furnish the excuse for more
military Intervention. Extortion and iniquity
have been pushed to the last extremity. Pub
lie sentiment has at length been reused against
these inlamics and their authors. The tide be-
gins to turn and the current to swell, which III
November next will sweep away every vestigee
of this licensed scoundrcism, and consign all
concerned in it to the scorn and resentment of
an indignant people, Washington Patriot.
A ROMANCE IN REAL L1rE.-Many years
oro The daughter of an English barrister in