The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-04-18
The Charleston News And The
Tax-Payers' Convention.
From the Gresnsille Republican ]

There are some lessons to be derived
from tho lats gathering at Columbia
which called itself tho Taxpayers
Convention, which it would be we'll for
the people of this State to. take to
heart.
Ono Of these lessons is, put not your
faith in tno Charleston Netus and Cour.
Ter! Now, We do not mean by this to
say that the news columns of this sheet
are unreliable, or that it habi;u,lly and
willfully misleads its readers. But what
we do mean to say is, that NO faith oan
be placed in the political course Of this
paper.
Why, in this year of Grace, 1864, We
end it making fierce asaaults on tho
Executive, legislative and judicial
branches of the State government; We
sec in foremost in its attacks on the so.
called Printing ring wohe,r it, than.
ders Of denunciation against corrup tion
in the Republican uarty and every little
while feeding its vanity by publishing
some compliment Of itself, written by
some innocent country man who really
bclievcs that the Neps ana Courier
means What it says.
But there are somo among tho people
Of both parties in this State who have
longer memories than these same fat.
tcrers to the Ne,os and Courier's vanity!
There are some of US whose memories
go back to period earlier than the
year 1873, and who can recall some of
the events of the years 1871 and
1872.
We belong, unhappily, TO this mum.
Der. We recall the days when the
Charleston Ncms was the Official organ
OF Charleslon c"',nty; wheu it publish cd
the laws of the State AS advertisements,
for which it charged full rates; when it
rcarcd out as mildly IA any licking dovo
at the patient wrongs Of the Republi-
can administration OF that day because,
iorsnv,h, i. fed OH the pap from the
public treasury.
Pretending to bca Dsnncr,tic organ,
and the mouthpi.cc 81 ar that was pselli-
tically honest aud virtous in those days,
it was content to be in tho pay of a Re-
pub adminiatr.ti III anI main.ain.l
ui"~.~S, pitouSu ~ iUnE III slIeuce swas
profitable.
And during the campaign of 1872,
when the merits aud de,nerits of the
rival Republican candidates 1or State
officers were Thoroughly discussed, on
which side was lie Ncws tound7 On
Mesh1e If the present State a,ln.;nistru
eion, which it is now arraingaius!
The editors of that sheet knew rer.
iectly we'll IN tn SUM ,ncr Of 1872, what
would probably be the administration
which it helped to elect Helped, do
VIC say! Aye, which did moro to elcc.
the prcocu, State government than any
Ole agency in the State!
How many timos did it declare its
choice to be the candidates WHO wsre
elected, rather than tho candidates who
'o"lted the regular Republican ticket,
and how its lead was followed by almost
evcry other conservative or Democrat
paper in the State
But that fight is over, and those of
us who were boilers have proit.d By
the lcsson of that campaign. The News
then had its way. In less than two
ye,s it i, fierce in its attacks on its own
State government.
lts editor-in.chief goes to the Tax.
payers Convention and denouuces the
wrongs which, if they are real, he did
MIRO to faatcn on the people of this
State than any other man in it holding
similar Poati"n; and if thoy are ouot
real, it is worse than puerile to cry and
lament over.
He can not plead ignorance of what
would be the probable conduct Of the
State government. He knew what was
tho past history ofits members, aud from
that could tell what SSits future career
would be. If the Printing Ring is a
sulndlo and a wrong in 1874, it was one
in 1912; but the Nc,Os said nothing
tasanst it then tWby Let tho vouch.
ers In tho State treasury answer a
What evidence has the News and
Courier furnished that it will stay in
tho path of reform' which it has opened