New-York tribune., 1873-04-11
SOUTH CAROLINA PROSTRATE

! COLUMBIA, March at is something more
| than question OF mere curiosity Who rules this
| Legislature o. tits, TO an overwhelming extent
have already seen, composed OF onlored men They
of every hue running from coal black through in
termediate shade out to what pure white There
appears to be scarcely limit 10 the variety OF shades
the cOOred population OF the State and their repre-
sentatves in the Legislature hardly less various
There is really no way OF knowing whether any given
individual in South Carolina has black blood his veins
except by tracing his descent. The specimens Of the
whtened-Out coored men the egslature demonstrate
this. But who leads among this assembly Of blncks and
| yellows Is it the white meni BY no means. Sambo
has already outgrown that.
| THE LEADERS or HOUSE AND SENATE BLACK MIN.
There a disposition among the old whites Of
the State say and believe the white blood in
the which is managing affairs ~ the new
gime. The pure blacks have been set 40 low in the
scale that IT would show greA. want OF penetration
great misrepresentation the part Of tho old
for them to admit the capacity OF the black to conduc
civic affairs we'll as they are conducted here
Hence all credit Il apt to be denied them and given to
the element Of white blood that cOurses the veins OF
their ightercOlored brethren. Lot us look about the
Legislature and see how this is. The who uni
formE discharges his duties in the most unassuming
manner and in the best taste Is tho Chaplain OF tho
House. He is coal black In the dignes and proprie
ties OF his Office, in what he says and, stl better, in
what he omts say he might be pro6tably studied
model by the white political parsons who often Of
hcate In Congress. Take the Chairman OF the House
Committee OF Ways and Means He Is another full
black BY his position he has charge OF the most
important business OF the House. He was selected for
his solid qualities and he always TO conduct him
self with discretion. Two OF the best speakers in the
House quite black. Their abilities are about equal
Their moral qualities differ. one appears to be honest
and tho other 10 be a rascal. They are both
leaders rather than led Go INTO the Senate. 1t
is too much TO say that the leading man OF the Re
publican party in thar body Is Beverly Sash q man
wholly black He is apparently consulted more and APP
pealed to in the business OF the body than any
man IN it, IL is admitted by his white opposition col
leagues that he has native ability than half the
white In the Senate. There Is the Senator from
Georgetown lie boasts OF being negro, and OF having
no fear OF the who man In any respect He evidently
has love for him. lie is truculen and audacous and
has as force and ability of the lighter col
ored members OF his about him. He appears to be
also one OF the leading strikers and is not led except
through bis interests To the least, none OF the
lighter coored members OF the race command any moro
consideration possess any more marked influence or
talent than these and other specimen blacks who might
be named that there 10 be reason for the
conclusion that it Is the white element IN the negro race
that is enabling this body OF former slaves to discharge
the functions OF legislators The full blacks are just as
much entitled to the credit Of what is done rs the
| ycllows.
| ASTAGOEIsH BETWEEN BLACKS AND YELLows.
The future results Of this yet to be developed In
affairs here. History indicates that there is nearly
| great an antagonism, when disputes of begin.
| between blacks and yellows "a between blacks and
whites The germs Of this antagonism already begin
TO show themselves The white blood often takes
on ars when II Is commingled well when it is un-
mingled. The negro begins, he did in Bayd, by
getting rid Of the white man. After he is disposed Of,
the muatto may be pursued with equal persistence. III
South Carolina should be Africanizcd the same ten
dency to make 1t pure black government would it is
likely manifest itself here In Hayt SO far however,
the tendency has only been to get rid Of white local
leaders and as they have been hitherto mostly carpet
baggers there shoudbe nobody to complain 1t Is such
merit to- drive them out that nobody stops to ask OF
care who follows them and fills their places. Where
| ever those places have been filed by colored men
the change has been advantageous 60 the State This is
| notably the in the important office Of State
Treasurer, who is coOred man educated abroad by
| rich father who lived in Charleston. But as the
| treasury OF South CarOns has been so thoroughly
gutted by the thieves who have heretofore had posses
sion OF the state there is nothing left to
steal The note Of any in the state is worth as
much on the market South Carolina bond ItwOuld
puzzle even Yankee carpetbagger to make anything
out of the office Treasurer under such crcum
| stances
cAPPEr-BAGGERs 40 LONGER POWERFUL.
Three OF these old carpetbag leaders out OF place.
remain In Cl'Gmbia each 1t said, rolling in wealth.
They with ew remaining greedy legislative cOnfede-
rates. whom Sambo has not yet dismissed together with
the present Jew Governor constitute the chief orna-
mens OF that privileged society Speaking generally,
then we may say, that the State Government Of South
Carolina no longer hands OF the carpetbaggers
II in the possession OF her people. The present
State officers legislative and executive, ALL or nearly
ALL South Caronians The Governor is a South Carolina
white man, the LeutenantGovernor, the President Of
the Senate the Speaker Of the House. the Treasurer and
other State officers. all Of the sable tint and all
alike natives South Carolina mas therefore, to all in
tents and purposes, the charge of her affairs The
evils she suffers the character Of her rulers
out of the nature Of the constituency which chooses
| them.
That the State has been yictmized plundcred. and
robbed by audacous scOundre from abroad IL not to be
denied But at home she is mainly rescued from their
clutches and 1t is not they whom che people Of the State
| will have much longer to contend with. Those who
| would reform South Carolina In the future, will have
chiefly its native population only to deal with. The
black man Of Legislature feels his oats and considers
thar the time has already arrived when he can take
himself. He is not going 10 throw away however,
his party relationships or his party advantages He
will these in the future AZ he Is now using them to
advance his purposes. He is familiar with the uses
of the caucus and the league and he feels strongly the
advantages OF combination and concentration, and he
has learned the trick Of using them as well as his white
brethren II sometimes said that in these caucuses
and leagues all legislative affairs are shaped, and that
| here the white man bears sway The action OF the
! Legislature does not bear out this view. There
| WAS measure up for consideration the other
| day In the House, in which the negroes broke
away and voted alone. 1t bill for railroad very
much needed, and which there could be and was no
honest objection But OF the corrupt negro leaders
thought the corporation could be forced TO pay for the
charter and II the members opposed they could get
pay for their votes Accordingly the great BODY OF the
darkies combined and the bilwas refused passage 10y
a decisive majority who chucked over their achieve
| ment they would have done II they had conered