Wilmington daily gazette., 1872-12-17
the OPPRESSED SOUTH.

The condition of the Southern States certainly
has not improved since the November election.
Pinchback and Kellogg, and their adherents, lord
It over Louisiana. Not one of all this disrcputa-
BILE crowd on either side are native 10 the State,
except Judge Durcll. The rest belong TO the
floating population of the North and West, ano
drifted down to New Orleans during or ilnmcdi-
ateiy after the war After their nature they com
menced at once 10 prey upon the people and tc
feed at the public treasury Alabama is going
through the same ordeal. Two Legislatures are
in session Of the present time The Government
atAWashington, too, has interposcd, and through
the Attorney General has proposed a basis OF
compromise. This is, of course, in favor OF the
Republicans; bnt for the sake .of peace and order
the Democrats may except it. As yet they have
expressed no opinion. Amid the contention oi
these two great States, South Carolina lies quite
In the grasp of the opprcssofs, the most power
less of all the Southern States The recent negro
governments have ruined the industry Of the in.
terror, and the credit of the State, at home or
abroad Is gone Crime is increasing with the
perfect liberty and recklessness Of the blacks
says recent letter from Charleston: "Gorrup
tiOn and plunder, ignorance and Incidence reign
supreme, SO that the whites have no alternative
but to remain passive and bear the burden. In
the Legislature the purchase of votes was as open
and animated as any speculative stock in Wall
street. few thousand dollars would corner
the entire LEGISLATURE We talk of our juries
and their inefiicicncy. South Carolina, in its
largest city, has its petit juries drawn almost en-
tirely from the negroes. On the thirty-six last
juries there were only three white men, and these
Of the very lowest class. ku-klux arrests con
tinue to be made in some few cases, and threats
are held over many OF the counties as n means OF
coercion. In the interior the state of things is
one Of utter confusion and wreck. There is no
protection from the outrages of the negroes, 1os
tered and encouraged as they are by the Northern
whites who govern the State. Here is the dark
picture, drawn by one on the spot:
NeQrOeA commit all the crimes in the calendar
and are turned loose on straw bail, and If tried
and convicted are pardoned as soon as they reach
Columbia. The Legislature is largely made up
Of their comrades, and there is scarcely a man in
any Of the departments who is not in sympathy
with them. The only class who stand no chance
In this State are the whites. On the slightes,
complaint they are arrested. In this way they
arc time and again tortured by the lowest scoun
drels in Official position. Even refined and sensi
tive ladies are often subjected to this species o
annoyance. and however wrongfully disturbed
and mortified, they have no redress. The take:
are enormous, closely verging on confiscation
and property assessed at four five times beyond
it, value, and the white people in large numbers
arc leaving the State. Everything is changed
and changing still from day to day. The popu
lation changes, the customs, habits and laws o
the people arc changed, and the government i
ths reverse In every particular of what it wal
when decency and intelligence ruled.
General Grants election, we arc told by hi
friends, is guarantee of better and brighter
day for the South. Would it not be well fo
him to begin with South Carolinas BaItimor.
Gsssete.