The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-04-07


nr the crowd belonged to the African race.
Tbey were of every hue from the Ngpt
octoroon to the deep black They were sucn
aIookinr body of men as might pour Out o.
a merkei.house or q courthouse at random
in any southern State. Every negro type
and nhysiocnomy were here to be seen. ITEM
rho Seuteel serving-man to the roughheWn
customer from the rice or cotton-feld. Their
dress was as varied as their countenances.
There was the secondhand black frock coat
of inlirm gentiity, glossy, and threauoare.
There was the stove-plpe hat OF many IRON
inys aud departed styles. There was also 20
be seen total disregard of the 1proprietles
Of costume in the coarse and d'Tty garments
OF the field; the stub jackets and slouch hats
of soiling labor In some instances, rough
.yuoollen comforters embraced the neck and
hid the absence of linen.-HeaYy brogans
and short. torn, tTowsers 1t was impossible to
hide. Tile dusky tide flowed out into the
Uttered and barren grounds, and, issuing
through the coarse wooden fence Of the IN
closure melted away into the street beyond.
These were the legislators of South Carolina.
x-crrruRED SOCIETY OVERTURNED. =,
In conspicuous bas.relef over the door OF
exit. ON the panels of the stately editice, the
marble yisages of George NcD1the and
Robert Y. Hayne overlooked the scene.
Could they vertically witness it from their
dread abode? What then? 81 .tremble,"
said Jefferson. in the opening scenes oil
American independence, i tremble when Il
reflect that God is just" But did any of
that old band of southern revolutionary
patriots who wrestsed in their souls with the;
curse of slavery ever contemplate such de-.
scent into barbarism as this spectacle i'm
piled and typi6ed? "My God, look at!
This 7" was the unbidden ejaculation. of
a iow-country planter, clad in homespuD, ,!
as he leaned over the rail inside the
House, gazing excitedly upon the: body;
In, session. "This is the first time |;
baye been here. thought I knew what. we!
weredoing when we consented to emancipa,I
ton. I knew the negro, and predicted
much that has happened. but never thought
it would come to this. Let me CO."
Here then is the outcome, the ripe, per-
,fected fruit Of the boosted civilization OF the
South after two hundred years Of experience
IA white community that had gradually risen
from small beginnings till it grew into wealth.
culture, anu refinement, and became accom-
plshed in all the arts of civilization; that
successfully asserted its resistance to q. f0-t
reign tyranny by deeds Of conspicuous yalor !;
which achieved liberty and independence
through the fire and tempest Of civil war,
aid illustrated itself in the councils of the
nation By orators and statesmen worthy
of any age or nation; such q COM
lnnnity is then reduced to this. 1t lies pros
trate in the dust, ruled over by this strange
conslomerate, gathered from the ranks OF its
own seryile population. 1t is the spectacle
Of society suddenly turned bottom-sldeup.
The wealth, the intelligence, the culture,
the wisdom of the State, have broken
through the crust of that social volcano on
which they were contentedly rcposing, and
have sunk out of sight, consumed by the sub
terranean fires they had with such telnerity
fbraved and defed. f
~ THE BLACK HOUSE IN SESSION. e.S5
~, In the place of this old aristocratic society
stands the rude form Of the most ignorant
democracy that mankind ever saw invested
with tue functions OF government. II Is the
dress of the population habilitated in the
robes of their intelligent predecessors, and
asserting over them the rule OF ignorance
and corruption through the irexorabie ma
chinery Of majority of numbers. It il
barbalism overwhelming civilization by ply
steal force. It is the slave rioting in the
Iialls OF his master. and putting that master
under his feet. Aud though it is done
without malice and without vengeance, It
is, nevertheless none the LESS completely
mud absolutely done. Let us approach
nearer and take closer view, We will
I. enter the House of Representatives. Here
sit 124 mem bers j; of these, % are white men,
representing the remains Of the old ciViliza.
ton. These are good-looking, substantial!
,i,citizens. They are men Of weight and stand'
ling in the communities they represent. They
: are all from the hill country. The frosts 81
! sixty and seventy winters whiten the heads
1nyy. elf
- and silent. They, feel themselves Ito be but
loose stones. thrown in to partially obstruci
acurrent they are powerless to resist. They
,ssay little and do little as the days go by
-'tThey simply watch the rising tide, and mark
the progressive steps Of the inuId atlon. They
hold their places reluctantly. They fet
q themselves to be in some sort martyrs, bound
- stoically to suffer In behalf of that still great
eiemeptin the State whose PROSTATE fortune:
are becoming the sport Of an ,unpity iDg fate.
Grouped i'm corner of the commodious and
well.furnished chamber, they stolidly survey
the noisy riot that goes on in the great black
2 left and centre, where the business and de
bates Of the House are conducted, and where
sit the strange and extraordinary guides Of
the fortunes Of once proud and ha1ghty
State, In this crucial trial OF his pride, bis
manhood, his prejudiees, his spirit, itmugt be
said of the southern Bourbon of the Legis-
lature that he COMFORTS himself with 'digni.
-aEty. b reserve, and sdecorum that command
f< admbation. He feels that the iron hand Of
destiny Is upon him. He Is gloomy, discon-
/. solate; hopeless. The gray heads Of this
( generation openly profess that they look for
8 no relief. They see no way Of escape. The
recovery Of influence, of position, Of control
: in the State, is by them feitto be impossible.
They accept their position with stolcism
that promises no. reward here or hereafter.
They are the types Of q conquered race.
They staked all and lost all. Their lives re-
main their property and their children do
q not, War, emancipation, aud grinding taxa
ton have consumed them. Their struggle
now is against complete :coafscation.. They
endure and wait fer the night. 80. s,s8ssS
This dense negro crowd they sconffont 90
~ the Debating, the squabbling the elaw-mak.
ing, and create ailthe elamor and disorder Of
asbea body. These twenty three white men
--are but the obseryers, the enforced auditors
z Of the dull and clumsy timitatfong Of "a de
Lucrative body, whose appearance inC theiI
present capacity Is att once wonder anda
l3.. shame to modern civilization. gs.ar Z
IS THE LOOKS oP THE MEMBERS. s;s,t ] x
Deduetipg the a3 members referred TO,
who comprise, the entire strengthen the OPP
position, we fnd 10l remnants of TIL;
70i, Of are fcoiored and q are their wbits
body OF whites In the House mesed than Tire,
m the Statesthe iDjusfic pf this sGEsprDpo rtioi
is manifest, since the black pSpnatl Ion In ti,
State is reiatiyeis four 10 three 0f the whites