The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-06-04
Judge Willard for Governor.

Martin r. Delaney, chairman of some
Republican committee, society or organi.
zation OF some character in Charleston,
has addressed q communication to Judge
Willard. inquiring whether he would ac-
cept the nomination for Governor of the
State. upon certain platform which De-
laney sets forth. Judge Willard replies,
signifying his readiness to accept the no.
minati0n and to act up to the conditions
required. These are honesty and econo.
my in the Administration homestead
for the landless. to be sold them by the
State at reasonable price, and at long
time. perfection of tho free school sys-
tenn. and an equal distribution of the
offices between whites and blacks. There
are other Republicans. and of that party
OF course our next Governor must be,
whom we would prefer to see in the GU
bernatorial chair. But we would not
wiring our hands in despair if we should
see Judge Willard, with complement of
other officers as good as himself, tnke the
places of r. L. Scott and his present
subordinates.
Judge Willard is man OF strong on IT,
Southern prejudices, and great stick-
Ter for what ho oonceives to be the bet
ter way Of his folks ''to hum" He is
thought to be honest. however; is not
considered to have had any hand in the
raaoalities of the ring; is man of no in
considerable ability; is dignifed in his
department and decent in his assooia-
tions. Upon the whole. we think the
Judge would do pretty we'll, and the
State would not make bad bargain to
trade Scott off for him. We have greatly
feared that Scott would be succeeded by
some member of the same ring: that
there might be shifting of segments,
but the same old ring would remain in
power. We are, therefore, pleased to
see Judge Wizards name suggested. It
is Indicative of an effort for reform in
the Republican ranks, and may induce
the other side, if there be another side,
to put forward even a more acceptable
man than Judge Willard. Who knows?
AS TO the platform, we see nothing in it
to object to, except that we think the
homestead scheme impracticable and
perhaps useless.
The homssteads are to be provided SO
Delaney says. without an increase of
taxation.. We hope this does not mean
that Delaney and his party are satisfied
with the present rate Of taxation, and in
tend to give US no reduction. 5000, 600
annually taken from an impoverished
and struggling people, is too heavy a
burden to be borne, when it is we'll
known that SSOO,OOO would be amply
sufficient to defray all reasonable ex-
penses, including liberal allowance for
the free school fund. II the State had
unoccupied lands to dispose of. it wonld
be very proper to divide it out among
poor men; but there is bound to be
some heavy swindiing done when the
State undertakes to buy land and sell it
again. Land is sold every sales-day at
the various County seats in the State for
from twenty-five cents to two dollars per
acre, and good land at that. Almost any
poor man, who is not lazy, good-for-
naught. can supply himself at these
sales with as much land as he desires.
Many negroes have already bought land
in this way-more by far than have OBJ
tanned homesteads under the operations
Of the Infamous Land Commission.
The metropolitan Greeley and Brown
Campaign Club has hean ornanizaa in