The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-08-29
The Coming Election.


tho future The election this fall will
settle the fate of South Carolina for years
to come, and, perhaps forever. The last
two years work of the Republican party
has wellnigh ruined the State and bank
rnpted the taxpayers, and if it should fail
this timc to put forth ticket that will
commend itself to the people for lis intelli-
Gencc and honesty, the result will be an
uttsr apd iguominious defeat There
wqs1 e. time when the colored people would
vote for opy man, no matter how infamous
his character, that the party saw e, to
nominate. That time isno more In tb c
corn. field, at the plow and the hoe, sweat
Ing in the rays of o b"oilng sun, in order
teatthere might be enough made 10 support
the Government, the colorcd people have
Ronoercd the question and the charges
fhnde against their officials. They have
come 10 the conclusion that they are, alas,
TOO true in many Instances and have
opened tlcir eyes TO the enormous amount
o." taxes collected for the support of n
corrupt and rotten Government. The fact
of it is, the colorcd people can lily bear
such burden in their present impovshed
condition. They have to rent lands from
white land owners, and if taxes are high ON
said lands, tho proprictors WILL as matter
.oi course, demand so much more from the
,rGSYn ,rGSYntfrs,, The lower the taxes, tho lower
The, rent of lands will be. This is the case
.ipa nutshell. High tax ,tiou oppresses tho
spovT colored farmer equally with the rich
landed proprietor. II is true tho amount Of
taxes paid by each man may be entirely
different, but that does not mend Tho
meter. Where one party can pay
ehundred dollars into the Treasury, and not
ff,iss it, there may be ten poor farmers, who
nHnnot spare five dollars from their scnutv
ameans without cntailiug want upon thejr
sneedy families. And yet the poor men
make up the party that rules South
Carolina. Now what shall we do to remedy
this evil 1t needs to be taken out bv III,
root, for it has become cankered sore ON
The body politio, aud will result in tho
death of the Republican parry if not cured
or removed. To commence, we advise the
nominotion of men whose experience, ability
q and honesty will be satisfactory guarantee
,,ef e better state of things. Never will the
,nR9er and lately cmancpated slave accumu-
dIllfteeryt.o himself n con petency-a homestead
! ,fpE himself and family, become contcntcd
I. ,snd happy, while he is taxed to death And
d eysn If taxation were ever SO light, that is
vsno reason why bad men should be e,eyatod
toofiicc. The colored man is upon trial, nd
it 10 not unfrcquently the case that he is
; Judged by the party whom he helps TO place
SIN position. Is it not then his duty TO sup
sport only such men as will do him credit,
Hfand refect honor upon his party? There is
ilsueh thing as q constituency being dis
Hgfnccd by their would-bo representative
men. II is our desire 10 see tho Rcpubl;.
ehn party live and prosper, but If the tide
Of corruption, which hangs about us like n
hideous' nightmare, is not thrown of, VIC
see no other fate for it in South Carolinn.
save that of a di sgraceful end. In such n
crisis, those who helped to pull it down. will
not be found in that day walking side by
side with the poor men, who will have TO
suffer. Sleek and fat with the ili-gotten
spoils of Office, they will bctake themselves
? back to happy Now England, where they
will read OF our troubles without sigh |
Unhonored will be the memory of the Re-
publican party, while its grave will be
covered with the tears of ruined people.
This 10 no fnncy sketch or undue stretch of
the Imagination Every man who knows
any thing ut nll, and who is not blinded by
fnnacticism, knows that withoub reform
The present dominant political organization
in, this State, cannot live. When its power |
I rof cohesion dies, men whose hands ora ,i,-
clean, will either deny their guilt or hunt
homo in a healthier climate. Hence the |