, 1872-04-18

York Tribune describes the present con-
'iition of the once proud State of South
Carolina as follows.
PRESENT CONDITION.
The population of the State IS some
thing over 400. 600 blacks, and something
nnder 800, coo whites. The result of
the war has made yet greater dispro-
portion in the comparative numbers of
the voting. population. These are es-
timated to be in the proportion of 40, 600
whites to G0,000 black voters, the aggre-
gate being over 100000. But in the
Legislature, out of 124 members, there
are but thirteen representatives of the
white minority. The rest of the assem-
bly, is. black, with the exception that
here e'and there is,a white representative
of o black constituency. There are
enough of these, along with few in
telligent colored people, to lead the
great body of ignorance and barbarism
of which the main body is composed.
THIEVES AND MIsCREANTs.
The men who manage the Legislature
and the State Government are thieves
and miscreants. The great body of the
Legislature are the ignorant and corrupt
instruments with. which they work, and
though the individuals composing the
mass are bought and sold like cattle in
the market, their venality in some cases
is relieved of much of its criminality
by reason of the denseness of their ig-
norance. Numbers of the blacks who
occupy seats in the Legislature regard
themselves only in the light of employees
of the Government. Their pay is six
dollars day for the session, and special
pay for their seperate votes on every
measure in which there is money.
These votes are bought and sold without
even pretense of hiding the fagitious
transaction. The negro hin1self is
h.rdly conscious of criminality, while he
makes his bargain. He owns his mule;
he sells it. He owns his chicken; he
sells it. He considers his vote just as
much part of his personal property as
his mule and his chicken. Why should
he not sell it also? He does sell it, and
he naively wonders that anybody should
complain.
SCALE OF PRICES FOR VOTES.
Of course the scale of pay varies. 1t
is Just according to each mans intelli-
gence and rapacity. A. few hundred
dollars in special gratuities is enough to
satisfy the demands of a plantation
negro. Others get more, and more,
and more. One OF the smarter sort was
accused the other day on the floor of
the House, by colleague, with then
having twelve thousand dollars of State
bonds in his pocket, corruptly obtained.
and the charge was not denied.
Bnt the evidence of gross and univer-
sal corruption is palpable in the way
everybody lives who has anything to dc
with the Government. There is happy
go-lucky air among them all. If g
black gets into the Legislature. that is
enough. He works 10 more. He has
no occasion. He has money enough
1t is the same with the occupants o
the executive offices, all are sleek ant
fat with their illgotten gains. They ar
like pirates who havs captured richly
laden ship. They riot in the plunder
caring not at all for, nor even thinkin
of, the owners.
GIGANTIC THEFT AND CORRUPTION.
But the irrefragible evidence of gigan
tic theft and curruption stands like
monument in the vast increase of th
State debt, an icrease for whic
there is nothing to show. The Stat
may be search ed in vain to find where th
money has gone. 1t is in no publ
work. 1t is in no scheme OF public in