The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-29
REAPING THE WHIRLWIND.

REAPING THE WHIRLWIND.
THE RADICAL HOUSE DIVIDED
AGAINST ITSELF.
CoIored Men Turning Back on their
Leaders Republican Ideas OF Free
speeeh-senator sawyer on tho Slave.
ry OF the souI-The Dragons Teeth
Growing Apace.
The first of the series OF carnivals OF riot and
disorder which may be expected to disgrace
this city and State until their elimination on
the 10th of October next, took place last even.
ing in and around the City Hall Square, the
occasion being "mass ratification meeting"
announced by the Bolting Radicals in support
of the Tomllnson State ticket. The scene was
one of the most unseemly, dlsgracefu and dis
gnstIng that the streets of Charleston have
ever witnessed. Both of the factions which
have aqitated the local Radical councils of this
county were present In full force, and both
were equally responsible tor the'soene Of tur:
bulence. The Tomlinson or Bowen crowd
had announced and gotten up meeting
which they knew would attract the vast ma;
iority of the floating loafers of the community,
and had taken no possible precautlon against
the disorders which they might have known
would occur, and the Moses or Mackey party
had poured their cohorts into the crowd, and
encouraged or at least permitted them to dis.
turb and finally destroy the meeting. rm /.
The Indications Of row were evident as
soon as the meeting began to assemble. At
about eight O'Clock crowd Of about two hum
dred stalwart negroes from James Island were
marched on the ground, and ranged on she
sidewalk In front OF the Detective office, as 9
Bowen body.guard for the speakers. who were
expected. The square was meanwhile filling
up with miscellaneous crowd of negroes,
brawny, half-clad and sweaty fellows, most of
them partially drunk, aud all of them ready
for anything, from chicken thetts to murder.
By half-past eight there were one thousand
blacks packed In perspirlng, Pestiferous
macs In front of the speakers stand. and with
here and there little group of gentlemen on
the outskirts Of the crowd, attracted by
curiosity. At that hour the speakers arrived
and took their places upon the platform:
Among them were Mr.. Reuben Tomlinson,
Postmaster Trott, Collector CLARK, District
Attorney Corbln, Senator Sawyer, General
Whipper. Commissioner Mclaughlin and
others. As Tomlins0n came on the platform
the OhIcora Band struck up "'Tts years since
last we met" and the hit was recognized with
Mingled yells and laughter. Mr.. Corbin then
came to The front and nominated list of off,
GERS beginning with W. H. Thompson as presl-
dent, Bosemon, Jervey, Clark, Galllard, Trott,
'Uorbin and others, vice-presidents, and
Brennan, MlIchelland Artson, secretaries. He
put the question on the election Of those ofht
GERS, and was met by equal hows Of yes and
no, bnt of course he declared the question
carried, and W. q. Thompson, who ID very
black, very excltable and very poor stick az
a presiding officer, began the hope
less attempt of calling the meeting te
order. He got through with the usua
formula of thanks, and explained apparently
10 t11g own satisfaction that this muvemen
was going to slraIghten ont everything In the
State affairs to the satisfaction OF everybody,
If enly the people would elect their candidate
At this part and throughout hls speech he wss
interrupted by loud and equally balanced crlet
of applause aud derIsiou. He begged the au'
dlence not to decide until they had heard hit
candidate. The audience yelled In reply thai
..dey done got nuff dem carpet-baggers." He
told them that when they assalled the carpet
bagsers they assailed the very men who hat
come down here and struck the shackles from
their limbs. All this was delivered In the ses
island vernacular, and amid much confusion
and when It was concluded Mr.. Tomlinsor
arose to address the populace.
Mr. Tomllnson was greeted with applause
and was really treated far more considerably
than any OF the other speakers. being inter
rupted perhaps not oftener than every thirty
seconds, while the others spoke amid con
tlnuous running FIRE OF Insulting questions aut
ribald Jokes. The gist of his speech was thai
he had not sought the candidacy, but was will
ling to accept it, as he thought 1t his duty tc
do 30. That If he knew he would not receive
five thousand votes he wonM still run, as
matter of duty. As to the imputatons against
his honesty, he was not to bs disturbed BY
such things when they came from irresponsi
BILE persons; but If any man In the State VINO
had any character himself came ou
and accused him of any act Of dis
honesty or corruption, he would theT
be ready to meet him. He then reviewed
the frauds OF The Ststehouse Ring In abou
the style that TIE NEWS has been doing fo
the past two years, and said he knew at ina
moment no stumbling block in the way oil tht
national success of the Republican party like
the character of the Republican goVernmen
In South Carolina, under Grants admintstra
ton. They have to meet the assertion every
where that thleving was rampant In soutf
Carolina by the help OF the Republican party
and It was too disgraceiulIy true. He contln
ued at some length in this strain of denuncla
tlon, drew comparison between himself ant
the carpet-bagger on the other ticket-whici
was by no means fatterlng to Mr.. s. l.
Hope-and wound mp by saying that, Whetne
elected or not, he would not cease to wage
war against tho thieves until they had oeel
driven from their strongholds.
General w. j. Whlpper next took the stand
,,a tho, rho tropble commenced in earnest