Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-06-10
South Carolina.

EAST SIDE
South Carolina.
Mcssrs Editors The WArcnwANs edito-
rial last week on the condition Of affairs in
South Carolina, doubtless correctly Describes
the great change in the relations between the
existing races, the old and the new ruling
classes
As represented, " it would seem that the social
and political and financial and moral condition
Of the State is in the highest degree deplora
bic. Before the war, South Carolina was one
Of the proudest States Of the Union. She
boosted Of her aristocracy, her wealth, her POI
litical influence, her culture, her refinement
and eloqucnce But she has now fallen from
her eminent aud commanding position, and
her entire social and civil life has been sub
yerted and turned upside down. Today the
old, cultivated wealthy, refined elias. Of the State
is underneath-the Old SUBJECT, ignorant,
seryile class, is at the top So complete a so.
cial and political revolution never before oc-
CURED in any State in the world in so short a
time
This gruphic statement Of the cnse seems to
suggest some thoughts on the mutability Of
human affairs In the editorial there appears
no attempt at moralizing or philo'ophiziug no
inference of effects from causes no intmatiou
that the present has any necessary connection
with the past, except as the contrast Of the
one to the other no recognition Of reciprocal
ton or retribution or retaliation, such as Prov
idence may permit without approving, as a
means Of teaching men that justiceand lenieucy
to those in their power, is the best policy
May we enquire, does the state Of things in
South Carolina teach us any lesson2 Is his
tory Of any use as a teacher Of individuals or
Of States? Of statesmen or of nations Does
history never so repeat itself, that reasonable
inference for the present or the future, may be
made from the past? II not, then it were bet
ter to substitute for history and biography,
the iancies and speculations Of the novelist.
1t may be safer to reason from facts Of the past,
than from hypothesis Of our own to believe in
a higher law in the affairs Of State, as in in
diyidua life, to recognize God in history, if not
in the United States Constitution.
South Carolina has, indeed, occupied prom
inent, a proud place in the family Of States
She has reared not few men Of talents and
raro attainments. If their craftsmanship was
not Of the broadcast kind, it was devoted to her,
and made her conspicuous in the National
Councils as the representative Of the reputcd
interests Of Southern policy Her public men
were Of the extreme State Rights school, and
held their allegiance to the nation a. a matter
Of convenience and option rather than as a
principle Of obligation. Hence came her
threatened notification in 1899 and open re
belion in ls6O-6l. Had other Southern States
as fully sympathizcd with her in the former az
in the latter period and had they been equally
impulsiye and improyident with her then as in
1850, and the President and Cabinet of the
same material then as in the latter time, the
rebellion would be ante-datod nearly forty years
With her devotion to the one idea that slavery
was the cornerstone Of the republic, and that
all social, all financial, ali political principles
centered in that corner, she was all wrong
Socially, the ruling class was proud Of birth,
" NtaAbh hAl sulphur kAiklNhlluu III Ill kltlI
habits of thought aristocratic, and domineering
in their manners. With, perhaps, few indi-
ydual exceptions, the ruling class regarded
the colOred man as Of an inferior order Of be-
ings-it only to serve the white man, as other
domestic animals minister to the wants of the
master-made chattel personal merchant.
able commodity, without moral responsibility
but subject to the seyerest eorporeal punishment
for all offences against the slave code. Teach
ing negro to read was one of the highest Of
fences against this code. In his state Of seryi-
tude, Ignorance was bliss for the negro. That
was the theory of the law during slayery's ex-
istence and the political effect of the law was
perhaps, about as applicable to large class of
whites.
As vast majority of the present voters of
that State grew up to manhood without any
book instruction, it is no wonder, though ever
80 deplorable, that the ruling class of numbers
should be sadly deficient in the intelligence now
so desirable. Neither ought we wonder that
class educated in slavery should not have the
clearest ideas of the rights of property, especi-
fHhJ NhN AiAhNs VI hltll ioIlutT UlhsLtIs
in property acquired from unrecompensed
labor. Without any wish to revive I'M
pleasant memories Of the past, which happily
are passing away, is it not rational TO re-
gard the present lamentable state of affairs
IN South Carolina as natural, though not
necessary result, of so great change from tho
abnormal state of both social and political re-
lations existing before the war? Both bond
and free have suffered in one way or another
from the former relations of master and servant.
and will doubtless, in their new and changed
relations, till more intelligence and a higher
sense of justice shall prevail When both
classes shall better learn their duties and in.
terests in these changed relations, and forget or
forgive the past, and all shall have learned the
great truth, " that the Most High ruleth in
the kingdom of men, and gveth it to whomso-
ever lie will South Carolina may rejoice in
her complete emancipation.
We did not attempt to moralize or
philosophize," for the reason that ethical
philosophy about such things is so common
and cheap, and is so likely to reflect our
own ideas and notions rather than Gods
thoughts, which are considerably higher and
often quite other than ours. The duty of
Christian citizen or statesman is not 10 sit
down under existing evils with the iatalistic
cry, " 1t is Gods will" but to do what he
can to remedy them. If these deplorable
evils exist in South Carolina, it is necessary
to rectify them first, and "moraixe after
that is done. Any moralizing that satisfies
us that an existing wrong is Gods will, and
that we ought to acquiesce in it, is devilish
We pointed out the evil and the possible
remedy. 1t is the business Of Christianity
and craftsmanship to apply it.