Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-05-08
SOUTH CAROLINA ABROAD.

No one can be wholly lndlferent as TO "na'
others think of him. At least no man can be
regarded as good and trustworthy member
of society," who can treat, with perfect contempt
the opinions of others respecting himself
What is true respecting the individual, is true
with regard to the place where he was born
the community in which are all his early as
sociations, and the country that he calls his
native land. Lord Byron, in fit of frenzy
pronounced bitter curse upon his native
England; but no doubt, when reason and the
instincts of his nature returned, he regretted
at heart what he had written and said against
England. The Pilgrim fathers fled from
England to Holland to escape English tyran'
ny; but when they would leave Holland for
America, they desired to be regarded as
Englishmen and to colonize under British
patronage. 1t took the Revolutionary war to
kill the love of our fathers for Old England
Americans still point to England with emo
tions of filial respect.
Moved and animated by the same feelings
which characterized the patriots and pilgrims
of old, every South Carolinian loves his native
State, and desires that her name may stand
fair and unsullied before the world. Nor is
this an idle dream. The prosperity of every
enterprise and of every individual in the
State depends, to a considerable extent, upon
the position which the State of South Carolina
occupies in the eyes of the world. A good
name is not mere ornament. 1t is an indis
pensable reality, without which no true great
ness can be attained. The honest man with
the reputation of a rogue, may enjoy the bless
ing of an approving conscience, but his intiu
ence for good is no greater than that of the
veritable rogue.
What the reputation of South Carolina
abroad is, we do not deem it prudent, at pres
ent, to say. We are vain enough, however
to think that from the time of her early set
tlement up to very recently, the reputation Of
South Carolina is creditable. Unbiased his
torians have awarded to South Carolnians
the honorable title of "refned gentlemen.
1t seems the only object some people have
in view, is to injure and degrade. The best
things that some men think they can say, are
the most abusive words they can utter about
their native State Their vocabulary of abus
i've epithets is exhausted in describing South
Carolina. These things 60 abroad and make
an impression which is any thing else than
favorable for the general good. One would
suppose, did he not know to the contrary
that large portion of the people of South
Carolina are in starving condition. From
some things to which currency is given abroad
it might be fairly concluded that the war, the
ku-klux, and ku-klux prosecutions, literally
and totally depopulated the whole State; but
still there are many good and honest men and
women in South Carolina, and the majority
of these are in prosperous condition.
The government of South Carolina is moi
such as we wish it was; but honestly, it is
not rs bad as some people make it out to be
There are two poles, and both are regions Of
perpetual ice. We injure ourselves by saying
that thing is better than it really is, or by
saying it is worse than the facts in the case
will warrant. If the government Of Paradise
be taken as a model, the government Of South
Carolina is bad, indeed; but if human gov
ernment be made the standard, the govern
ment of South Carolina is long ways from
being the worst government the world ever
saw. We are no apologist for the State gov
ernment. This is not our object. Our only
intention is to show that South Carolina
whilst it may not be the best place in this
world, is by no means the worst. There may
be some States in the Union that have better
governments than South Carolina, but there
are some that have decidedly worse govern
ments. We mention no names, as our inten
ton is not to injure any one. What good
we calmly ask, can be accomplished by Will
flying and abusing every thing? We cannot
by this means, advance what is good, neither
can we cut off abuses nor reform errorists
What would be thought Of the planter who
would heap all sorts of abusive and deroga
tory epithets upon his plantation? Would hi
increase its intrinsic value or render it more
saleable? No. He would decrease its rea
as we'll as its marketable value. He would
do himself and all his neighbors a real ant
lasting injury. His worthless plantation
| wonld he regarfled rs a sample of the land il