Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-08-30
A WILD CONVENTION.
MAD NEGRO POLITICI ANS-OPEN
FRAUD-SCENES OF VIOLENCE
-CUFFEE AS A CITIZEN.


The Republican Nominating Convention
at Columbia, S. c., on the Goth instant,
was the scene of the most turbulent excite-
ment ever witnessed in legislative body, |
even in Africanized South Carolina. Its |
decidedly black complexion gave fair OPP
portunity of testing the ability, honesty,
and political virtue of the negroes and
whites. few did make feeble effort at
reform. The majority showed their utter
incapacity to frame stable and honest
government. A dispatch to the New York
Herald gives the following graphic account
of the negro Convention:
The lObbies, galleries, and halls of the
Senate chamber were thronged with dense
mass of African humanity, which, with the
thermometer in the nineties, rendered il
serious and dangerous to the health of Lhe
few whites in the Convention. The air
was sitting, nauseOuS, and suffocating, and
the few respectable whites in the body
Surged through the black mass in the
greatest agony of both body and mind.
The lively proceedings opened with the
election of Congressman r. B. Elliott (cOl-
ored) as permanent president of the Con-
ventiOn, which was another marked indi-
cation OF the strength of +. j. Moses, late
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
| for the gubernatorial nomination. After
questions of the cOntending delegations from
Charleston, Beaufort, Orangeburg, and the
other counties, had been decided in the ill
| terest of Moses, the ball opened with an ex-
| cited and indecent debate, during which
| the most disgraceful scenes were enacted
| in the sweltering and foul-smellng cham
Der. The names of F. j. Moses, d. Ii.
Chamberlain, Reuben ToInlinson, and
Judge j. w. Melton, were put in nomina-
ton, and then the opposing forces showed
their hands in the most shameless and I'M
| blushing manner. Elliott vacated the chair
| and took the floor to make a speech, in
which he charged that COmptrolier-Gene
raj Neagle, who supported Chamberlain for
| the Governorship, offered 81 900 each to
two of the delegates, naming them, who
were in favor of Moses, to vote for Cham
berlain, who was regarded as the " fnan
| cial ring candidate"
This produced fearful scene Of excite
nent. Every delegate, lobbyist, and spec
tator was instantly on his feet, and timid
people rushed frantically to the doors, fear
ing riot and perhaps bloodshed. When
the noise and uproar had partially subsidized
Whittemore, of cadetship notoriety, OBJ
tanned the floor, and he i'll part refuted the
| charges made by Elliott, but his speech
principally advocated the claims of Reuben
TOmlinson as the reform candidate of the
Republican party of south Carolina. To
the credit of WhittemOre, be it said, he
made an able effort in the interests of re-
form and good government; but his speech
made 10 impression Oh the mass Of negro
delegates who were already pledged to
vote for Moses, WhittemOre had scarcely
concluded when Judge Z. j. Mackey, of
the Seventh Judicial circuit, sprang ex-
citedly to his feet, and he charged that
TomlinsOn had not only bribed the Legis-
| lature of the State to secure the passage OF
certain phosphate bill, but that he had
also, as a member of the same body, sold
his vote i'll the Blue Ridge and other rail
road bills, and that as far as TOmlinsOn's
recOrdl was concerned he was as open to
charges of bribery and corruption as any
ether member on the floor. At this juno
ture the excitement had reached its highest
pitch, and the thrOng of negroes, both
| within and without the bar of the cham
Der, surged to and fro like great forest
shaken by storm, while the din of yells,
curses, and imprecatiOns nearly drowned
the ponderOus rtaps of the Presidents CAV
el on the mahogany desk. AS soon as
order could be partly restored, Judge Jas.
l.. Orr, who was a delegate from Ander-
it he knew anything about $1,000 being
offered to two delegates to control the vote
of their respective delegations in the inter
est of Moses; and Orr further stated that
he had this information from the lips of
one of the deles ates himself. Mackey eX-
citedly and vociferously retOrted that Orr
had gone out of the chamber and induced
| the delegates in question to make this
| statement. Orr defianty replied that that
g. Il II IL. II
chamber again became pandenonium.-
The appellatiOn of violent mob is made
quate to give faint idea of the condition
of the crowd at that time.
Elliott raped the large gavel on the
desk with all the powerful force of his stall
wart black arm, the perspiratiOn OOZing in
large black patches through his check-lined
coat but, though an expert presiding Off
Ger, he failed to make any impression upon
the crowd. Then, by combined yells and
cries of "Mr. President" from the reform
ers on the floor, one of the delegates who
! had been offered brides Of $4,000 by Moses,
obtained the floor, and outstanding
the noise, din, and confusion, made clear
statement Of various attempts to bride him
| by +. j. Moses himself. This was bomb
shell in the Moses ranks, and was begin
ming to have its effect when that faction
choked off all further debate, and Elliott,
! by the vigorous use of his voice, .arm, and
/ gavel-the latter being perslstenty brought
| down with all the force of "a sfedge ham
| mer-ruled that balloting for nominee of
| the Republican party Of South Carolina
| was nov in order. It was in vain that the
minority moved 10 adjourn, and protested
in every conceivable shape against this ar
bitrary and unparliameptary manner, They
were effectually hooted, yelled and crushed
down. and the calling of the roll began.
! This was accompanied by cheers and yells
/ whenever any doubtful man voted for
! MO@ez, TIE snace immediately behind the
Presidents chair was -throngeQ and packed
| with delegates, andIwhile the roll Wasfbe-
| ing called quarrel took place between
! delegate ana Mr. Eili6tt, TIE president of
the Convention. What was the origin L
could not discover, but my attention was
| ATTRACTED to it by the exclamation Of White
more! "Put up your pistol, MI. Hresdent;
there is going to be no difficulty here"
and upon looking up from the reporters
table saw Elliott replacing in his breeches
pocket what !. conceived to be pistol. The
other party Ia white man to the quarrel
had discreetQy VamOsed in the face of so
strong and effective an argument as pow
der and lead.
MOSES NOMINATED FOR GOVERNOR.
Shortly after this the vote was an
oGnced that Moses had received sixty
| niIle-a majority ST the ballots-and was
from that moment the candidate for Gov
ernor OF the regular Republican party of
South Carolina, in the election to take
place on the 10Th of October next. This
announcement was received with the