The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-04
Down with the Carpet-Baggers!

Surely a better m Is cOmlnS-a Lime
when every man in South Carolina shall oe
measured by his conduct and character, mol
by his glibness Of tongue, or the color OF
his skin; when party lines shall only repre-
sent opposing theories of government, and
every citizen, whichever side he espouses,
shall insist that the candidates presented TO
him have active brains, some knowledge OF
public affairs, and a keen sense OF honor.
This is the hope in which we live; the hope
which is the breath in the nostrils Of the
sturdy thousands who have never despaired
OF the Commonwealth; the 'hope deferred"
which shall not much longer sicken a strug.
Cling people. And why do We dare to say
that the day is coming when South Carolina
shall be governed with decency, with justice
and with ability? We say it, because the
events OF the past few weeks, nay, OF the
past few days, indicate unerringly that the
carpet-bagger is doomed, that his reign fast
draws to an ignominious close.
Upon the carpet-bagger rests the respon-
sibllity OF the siege Of troubles against which
the white citizens struggled in vain. The
carpet-bagger taught tho colored man that
The native white mar was a Judas, who
would betray the poer blacks into slavery,
il they needed his counsel or gave him their
votes; that only the Puritan carpet-bagger
could fifty represent the eniranchised Afrl-
can. Labor al he might, the carpet-bag-
ger could not fill all the comfortable berths
In the ship OF State; nor could his capacious
gullet hold all the tid-bits which reconstruc.
ton furnished. The blacks were allowed to
take a share, and the moment that they
entered public life the Mephlstophilean car
pet Dagger gllded to their side. 1t was the
carpet-bsgger who taught the negroes to
lie, who taught them to steal, who taught
them to receive brides, who taught them the
mysteries of discounts and commissions, who
taught them to play poker, and 10 teaching
them sscleaned them out," who taught them
to live by politics instead OF by work, who
taught them, in fine, all the vices, the tricks
and the complicated rascality which form
the capital OF the genuine ~carpet-bagger.
Both tempter and tempted made money.
The difference is that the carpet.bagger
kept his, and the negro did net. Inc
profits OF the twain found their way at last
into the one elastic satchel. This has been
endured more than four years. The debt OF
the State is trebled and quadrupied, taxes
are eight and ten times what they were ten
years ago, and, withal, the treasury Is
empty, hungry creditors clamor for pay
ment OF their debts, and the public schools
and asylums are closed, or closing, because
South Carolina has nor money nor credit.
All this, every title Of it, is the work Of the
c~arpet-bagger. The negroes were his tools.
Morally, they are not to blame.
And the negroes begin to see it. The
day before yesterday, In the Radical County
Convention, q black mar took the floor, and
exhorted his colleagues to nominate good
men for Office. Warming with the subject,
this bold delegate, Stephen Brown, OF Christ
Church, reminded the Convention that the
colored people ''could place no further con-
"idence in the u~nscrupulous carpet-6ag-
s'gers, who had come into this State, climb
led into office upon the backs OF the igno-
''rant black men, and then robbed anil in
stsultea Dhises and blacks alike" he told
the Convention that 1Lhey must come back
sand put their trust in the white South
ssCarolinians, whom they would find, after all,
''to be their best and truest friends"
Brown said that ''he had been bitterly OPP
''posed to Democrats, but it had been be:
.'cause sentiments of hatred toacards tile
ssaoAites had been inStilled in his mind By the
"raScaIly achite men acho had ON from the
"North, but. he thanked God that his eyes
s'had been opened to the truth, and now he
''believed that the interests Of the colored
"race, the redemption Of the State, and the
restoration Of peace and prosperity, de-
"pended upon the election not only Of honest
shut educated Off GERS, who must be sought
Gin part among those who had been known
stas Democrats. He said that for expressing
'tsuch sentiments he had been stigmatlzed
Gag a Democrat, and he might again be
staunted with being a Democrat, but he
"denied the charge. He was q Republican,
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