The Hawaiian gazette., 1873-02-05

vcnres,7 and in those revenges history
finds not seldom its highest poetic express
son And men who have defed the logic
Of events. and scorned TO be taught by
past example, are sometimes brought to
blasphene because the past Is not dumb.
The dumb past hes behind the age of
letters, and men have known this for
centuries, vet persisted in courses which
al experience teaches never fail to bring
such deiers TO grief.
The situation in South Carolina, con-
trasied with the situation twelve years
ago, presents the finest example of radical
change, amounting to complete revolu-
tion. In the annals Of civilized mankind.
Twelve years ago, South Carolina was
governed by a white minority, and was
not Republican within the meaning of the
Constitution. The State was as COM
pletely in the hands Of few governing
families as if they owned it in fee simple.
The entail was as strict as that of any
English estate As one generation drop
ped into the grave the sons stood In their
fathers places, ruling wisely enough, per
haps, but not in accord with a govern
meni by the majority, which the organic
Law assumes TO guarantee to every con-
stifuent Of the Union. Under the old
regime. South Carolina was an aristocracy,
minus the gilt and gold lace But, not
unmindful Of the piquancy of paradox,
South Carolina ranked in political annals
a Democratic State. A more stupen-
dous satire upon political nomenclature
never existed. Aristocratic constituencies
sent Democrats TO Congress, and a com
munity of thoroughgoing aristocrats
elected Democratic governors to conduct
State affairs. 1t was a political fiction
almost surprising belief No Democrat
ever presumed to criticise that highly
anomalous situation. The fact goes to
show how completely names and things
may be divorced when a party degene-
rates into nOmInalism.
The situation in South Carolina, to-day,
Is graphically depicted by Democrat of
the old regime in the correspondence to
the New York World Thus he indites
with ink, in which some gall appears to
be mingled, that the President OF the
Senate Is 4 negro; the Speaker of the
House Is 4 negro; two-thirds of the mem
bers Of both Houses are negroes; the i'm
portant committees are presided over by
negroes; the doorkeepers, messengers,
and other officers are negroes; the Lieu
1euaut Governor Is also a negro; all the
State officials, save two, are negroes;
and, TO crown the misfortunes of South
Carolina, we are told there is no justice
Tor white men there because the iuries
are negroes.
1t remains for the Independent journal
Isl 10 finish the picture of revolution by
stating that not more than ten years ago
nearly all of these negro officials, if not
all Of them, were as much the property
Of the white men who now complain that
they cannot have justice, under the law,
as 50 many horned cattle and horses.
When and where did times whirligig
bring such a revenge as that? As a rev
olution II Is without precedent As an
eUemPlifcation of the dealings of Provi-
dence with man It stands alone in the
utterances of It's rebuke of overbearing
pride As an illustration of the radical
nature Of Republican government 1t is a
study for statesmen. For the first time
IN half century, the government of
South Carolina is in accord with the the
ory and under the guarantees of the Con-
siitution Of the United States. As an
illustration Of the maxim, Man pro-
poses, but God disposes,n the situation is
worthy OF the study of those divines who
converted the relations of the historian
into Divine mandates, all for the profit of
human slavery. As they assumed to be
called to preach, they now sit in their
studies stricken dumb, all their fine rea-
sorlng and subtle fallacies consumed to
ashes before their eyes.
And this is just 1t is God dealing
with man as man deals with his weaker
fellow. For three-quarters of century,
the white minority sat in the high places,
and worked their selfish will unchallenged.
while the black majority toiled and spun,
denied knowledge, denied personal lib
cry, denied possession Of wife and chill
dren, soorned, degraded, outcast. Was
there ever a rational being so fatuous as
10 believe that such glaring libel upon
free government could endure? Is it pos
sible that the subtle mind of Calhoun
never, at any moment, saw the system he
sought to perpetuate, crumbling and fall
ing TO overwhelm the men who profited
by its So clever a man must have had
vision Of retributive justice, like another
Samson, Wrestling away the supports that
upheld the superstructure of wrong. If
he did have a glimpse of this future, he