The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1872-09-21
Mass Meeting in Charleston.
HYFITh TaLLE..

III = Hill "a Ss g.
at tnnss meeting held in Charles
ron last week, at which FIVE or six
Thousand persous were present, Gen.
,!dses, ibid aeI Mellon mud Gsh r. b
llllotr were the principal speakers.
Judge Melton made an extended
speech. beginpipg with the history OF
this StaeldnriGg andssiacehhe Shr, and
vindication Of his reasons for becoming
a, Republican. He d:scaimed any feel
ing Sof hos,ility to that vust majoritY ci
thesa.Shita people of the State who
differed with him in politics, and paid n
high tribute tothe werth and character
of the people of his native State. He
belieyed that the reason the colored men
had been compelled to tur u to the car
pet bagser for leadership and advice was
because the native South Carolinians
had refused to lead them. The coIored
people, in their ignorance and inexpcr-
ience, had to have white men to.lead
them; there was demand fo, white
men, and, as is always the case, that
demand found its supply. He had no
words ofopprobrium' for honest Repcb
licans coming to the South, but for
those men who had come with their
shrunken carpet'bags, intending only to
swindle a fortune for themselves out of
this State aud theu return to their
native North, he ehad the most utter con-
tempt. The result Of fcarpet- -baggism had
been that the State was bank rup. in
funds, in resources and in credit, aud
was left standing before the civilized
world ii burning disgrace to Republican,
institutions. There was no use miucing
Words about tho inatter, uiidethe State
bad been siun clear into the ground by
unbranded and unprecedented rascalities
the IwiI,te men from the North came
down here, took charge OF affairs aud
tonnd the colored men docile, otcdient
and anxious to discharge their new
sa9s',ss sfi'izenseip ia se haasst and:
efe'iitabie iianpert A,nun. them came
his esteemed friend, Mr. sRcnBen Pom.
'inson, hiso,her highly, respected friend,
the Hon. ID. I. Curbin, and many others
whom it was unnecessary to- meutiou.
One % those met was now the BOXERS
capdiiatei for Governor, aud he had one
OF two little remarks To max about him.
lie .alne down here in 1862. landed
B.uuior,raud 'ensuged III the occppativn
Of u gschv6i master. That %as very
audable thus far. aud if he had stuck
to teaching school : he would pr.bubiy
not have had to say these things against
nim. But he 'ouly pursued that pro-
tession until reconstruction came, when
he was. elected a representative IN the
General Assembly. AT that time the
'coiored people had no idea OF bribery
and cprrupiioO, and, but tor the teach
inss hey soon received, they would s;lii
.. puro aud uucorrup,ed. hui bribery
was brought to them, ana they were
hardly to be blamed for begiuning ii.
The State then had bank, of the bills
OF which large amount had been issued
before the war. Those bills were bought
up in 1867 and 1868 by a few sharp
men, and one Of the first statutes enacted
in this State by the new Legislature was
an act to Issue bonds to redeem those
bills. That act was passed through the
Legislature by means of bribery. He
would not name the bribers, but he had
already mentioned them, and they still
h:.'' t;;s: G::aTivsUou Counuv. Next his
esteemed friend, Mr.. Reuben 'romlinsoD,
was elected auditor, aud in 1868, while
he was auditor, bill was passed creating
the sinking fund and sinking fund com
mission. Tie direct object of that bill
was to enable the Gree nyiie Railroad
Ring to obtain for themselves, for
mere song, the shares of stock of the
Grcengilo aud Columbia Railroad then
owned by the State, aud he charged
directly that bill was passed by means
of bribery, and that Tonlinson was con-
nected with the passing Of that bill, and
was IA prominent member of that Ring
In that transaction he prostitutcd his
office, betrayed his trust, .debauched the
Legislature, and piiered the property Of
the State: in currSing out the conspir-
acy he got James l.. Orr, Who tn had
the confidence of the white peopl, OF the
up-couuty, to induce them 10 sell their
shares iu the Greeuyjlle Road for "a