American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-09-14
A Hard Choice.

policy. and to many parts of it he gave |
his cordial support.-Erchanqe.
A Hard Choice.
The Democrats and Conservatives of
South Carolina have bitter choice before
them. They have resolved not to nomi-
nate a State ticket of their own, put 10
vote for the best of the two tickets pre-
scented by their divided opponents. They
NAV hold the balance OF power, but IL Is
merely Il balance between two almost
equally infamous bands of thieves and
scoundrels. and the only privilege they
have is that of deciding which band shall
rule and prey on them for the next two
years. The Radical party of the State
has been split in twain, As we have already
been informed-the simon-pure scoundrels
having Moses. eX-Speaker of the House,
for their candidate for Governor, and the
..RefOrmers." as they call themselves,
having TOmlinson for their candidate. The
most distinguished piece of craftsmanship
standing to the credit of Moses, is that of
issuing pay certificates to the amount of
million dollars to cover $50, 600 due mem
bers of the last Legislature. The Radi-
Gals of that State are accustomed to draw
their laws very loosely for the purpose OF
giving large margins tor fraud. Inc
| Legislature placed no limit on the Speak
| er's power to issue pay certificates; and,
thousand dollars was needed in this case.
| Moses kept on issuing them until the
amount reached million dollars. Car
doZo, a negro, is the candidate for State
Treasurer on the ticket with Moses. One
of the members of the convention,
nomination of such man to the most inn
portant office in the State. CardoZo, ne
said, had ''either been criminally misled
| or had been guilty OF frauds damnaDle
and deep. God forbid that they should
place the treasury in the hands of such
men as he.'' Another candidate was
spoken of as ''rising as he rOts''-language
which, coarse as it is. hardly expresses the
| foulness of official life in that Radical
| commonwealth.
| When we turn from this offensive pic
ture to the REFORM" movement, we
find little relief. Tomlinson, the Reform
candidate for governor, was accused OF
:. selling his vote in the legislature for
$4,000 to a phosphate Company
charge which, it is but Just to say, one OF
TomlinsOn's supporters in the boilers
convention denounced as J." false as hell,
and the two-legged fiend, Mackby, who
uttered it, knew it, The Reform move
ment is led by Hon. Jas. l.. Orr, dis
tinguished ex-secessionist, who tor several
years past has been an ardent supporter
of President Grant. 1t is heartily espoused
by the Hon. G. c. Bowen, the member of
Congress who was convicted at WASH
ington city of having espoused too many
wives. and who escaped the penitentiary
only by being pardOned by the President.
1t will not generally be thought that the
amount of virtue and morality which
Bowen brings to it will establish its char
acter as a very reformatory enterprise.
Judge Orr who led the bolt from the
regular convention, saw fit to- gratu-
itOusly insult the Democrats in the very
speech i'm which he demanded their votes.
. Reform said he, 8 must be effected
through the Republican party. If the
Democrats want reform they must come
to us. If the whites like to vote our
ticket, they can do so. If they don't, let
them nominate their own ticket, and be
responsible for what ills come of it.
Samuel Lee. a negro, spoke iE the same
; strain. He pledged Sumter for four thou.
sand votes to the honest ticket, but if the
Democrats ran third ticket, all the Re
publicans would Immediately reunite and
give the Democrats the corrupt govern
+ ment they would deserve. johnson
another :" Reform negro" warned the
Democrats that there would be no " use
in attempting to run a third ticket, for in
that case we will all jump back to be
robbed, and to live Republicans. If you
Democrats attempt to hold convention
, you- lands are gone, for zoe toiu tao you tc
death.''
| IL 10 htiu III thS oPPASSSSN VI
, South Carolina to support "reform'
movement which thus convicts itself o.
fraud by threatening to make common
cause with corruption; but this is just
| what they are compelled to do: There is
, no alternative. 1t is life or death with
, them. They are at the mercy of the re
morseless robbers whom the general gov
eminent has placed in power. and who
constitute the Republican party of the
state. If they go for the regular ticket
the Reformers will declare vengeance
against them; if they go for the Reform
ers, the regulars will make victims o
them. If they go for neither, and n.,mi
nate third ticket, the fighting factions
r will unite and ''tax them to DEATH ant
1 deprive them of their lands by means o
, confiscatOry assessments. So, they cal
|; only sit helpless while the two factions o
plunderers fight, and hold themselves il
readiness to make terms with the victOrs
1t is to be noted that both these corrup
, Radical factions ''support Grant, ant
each is trying to Guido the other in de
, monstratiOns o. devotion to him, and t.
on. bid the other in its claims on his recOg
nition.-Missouri Republican.