Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-04
SPEECH OF mRrooKHEEs


Alabama, Arkansas lssippi, Virginia,
Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee. The
speaker (says the Soas earo7asias,) con-
siders the condition athese States, and
remarks that, surrouna9a and confronted
J. by this disastrous staof public affairs,
he rises to address the eouse in behalf Of
free institutions, impa5lal justice, and Of
the oppressed and outlagsd citizen, wher-
ever his home may be-
Mr. Voorhees, first lafs down the propo-
sition that it is the d0hinant party who
are responsible for ths9fesent outrageous
condition of public aiIaHs in the eleven
States referred to.
1t is corrupt hse1that has brought
forth all this evil fruit contends. Con-
trolling the legislatioEof the country
controlling the purse swell as the sword,
influencing more or:sss all the depart
ments of the Government, including its
vast patronage and itsaarge pOwers-it is
the Republican party Eho are responsible
for the fruits of an usise scheme of re-
construction. This iHhat Mr. Voorhees,
forcibly urges.
He next proceeds qpan up the results
which have followed and considers in de-
tail the financial and ndiadpstrial condition
of several of the elessIp plundered States.
As the case of SoaMC Carolina mostcon-
Germs us, we present. f Voorhees, views
of what the State has been brought to un-
der Radical misrule We make the fol-
lowing extract. Wlaatswe find that the
case is overstated asfespects the debt of
this State and the yallesof its bonds, the
point made is strong enough, even when
modified agreeably to8he truth of thccas
But to the extract
turn to South CasBlina, once the proud
land of Marion. and nmter, now the most
wretched State thatt5e sun shines on in
its course through thaSheavens There is
| no IOrm OF ruin 10 WtiCu- she nus uOG ldl-
len prey; no curse with which she has
not Lcen baptized no cup of humiliation
and suffering her people: have not drained
to the drcgs. I am tDM that disorder has
reigned in some counties within her bor-
ders, and we behold martial law, worse
thar the lawless tyranny of tile Dark
Ages, ravaging hesaesides and scattering
bor bousol,,1rlc 13cEfx oov.rn,onpto orr
fruitful of such calaBl5tous results. His
tory has taught thisglesson in every age
The wickedncss ofdorfupt rulers breeds
outbreaks among ciiIzens. How has South
Carolina been goveTnad2 The Republican
party has held undNppfed sway there ev-
cry hour since thsspyelt throw Of tie re-
bellion. Her tifesdeegation in both
branches of Congres Belong to tho party
now in power Her!state officers and Leg
islatures, of all colus have been of the
works 2 What H5siIles '5f- progress ahd
civilization do they. bring to propitiate the
Judgment OF the world? Not one good
deed adoms the polluted pages Of their
record. AT the close Of the War thc valid
debt of the State amounted to S50G0,C00.
A committee of investigation, III al Off
cial report made December 26, 1871, hut .
few weeks ago, say:
In regard TO the State debt, the com
nittce declare that they cannot believe
other than the fearful truth which slares
us in the face that the bonds and stocks
printed by the American Bank Note Com
pany, SOS, $4,000, represent the liabilities
Of the State, for which the faith and credit
of the State, however unlawfully procured,
has been pledged for payment. The con-
tngent liability incurred by railroad IN
dorsements swells the total up to nearly
twenty-nine million dollars"
Add to this $10000,000 more that Is
disputed as fraudulent, and We, have an
increase of $34, 100000 in the debt Of the
State since it fell into the hands Of lis
present destroyers. All the lands in South
Carolina are not worth over 100000;
showing that more than every alternate
acre is now absorbed by her crushing and
frichtful indie btedness. If she 'ras sold at
public auction for two-thirds her appraised
value she would scarcely more than meet
the demands that have been created against
her within less than seven years The
New York Tribune, of December 10Th,
1871. announces that over six million dol
lars of her bonds have been. fraudulently
issued by her Republican Governor but
no mode by which the toiling taxpayer
can escdpe their payment is pointed out
to him. Taxation for the support of
GOOD government often becomes grievous
burden, but when it springs directly and
avowedly from fraud and forgery, it is
curse intolcrable, and not TO be borne
The New York Tribune also states that
one ignorant and mongrel General Assem-
bly Of South Carolina drew from the treas
ury the enormous amount of $5S3,65l "A,
10 dcrray its own expenses for one session,
and incurred a debt of $9l.500 besides for
furniture for the State House which is so
foully disgraced. A session of the Lcgis-
lature of the great State Of Ohio at the
same time cost the people Of that prosper
ons Commonwealth but 100000. This
General Assembly Of abiect ignorance and
responsibility in South Carolina levied.
over 81 100000 of taxes on the property
of the State 1t was in view of these and
kindred facts that the Cincinnati Gazette,
with all its party fealty, was forced to cx-
claim:
"Tbe common fame Of the South Caro-
lima Legislature is, that it is a body in
which no measure can be carried without
bribery and in which bribery can carry
anv measure in which bribery is as much
a BART of legislation as the payment Of wa,
pes to a feld-hand is Of raising cotton, and
Is almost as open, and in which the great
cr nart OF the members regard it as the
privilege of the Office to plunder'the State
in every possible way.
Governor Scott gives some items going
TO countenance this Impression. He says
fiat the appropriations for the legislative
expenses Of the last session were $780,
1 600 while that of the Ohio Legislature
were but $4,000; that every Senator has
his clerk page and messenger, all at heavy
pay, and besides, there IS horde OF hang
ers-on, all on pay under various pretexts,
and that there are innumerable leaks for
the nublic money. In this we behold the
Gorqeousness of the African nature when
/ f can be indulged at the expense Of others,
and the avidity of the political advcnturer
who knows that his haymaking sunshine
will be short.
"This will give glimpse of the cle-
ments that have multiplied the State debt
with nothing to shnwIfor it; of the con-
ditions which make the. property holders
believe that the taxes exacted from them
are are robbery; Of o rule odious/t to all the
~ ~ - b;t,nta of tEa Ctota ond