Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-04-30
Letter of Col. Richard tIathersss 15o tooH Htshe
.ESs e Washington Chronicle. a,iI y :

Letter Of Col. Richard Latherss fooH the
,ssias # w Washington Chronicle, q .'i ,,1 P 1.
4 Referring with much qualification TO
our recent Interview on the subject Of the
acknowledged frauds andimisrule now ex
isting ii tie State government of sou.h
Carolina, and which, in common with
every distinguished public man Ihave met
with in Washington, you deprecate and
earnestly desire to reform. yet I find from
your thoughtful remarks as to the difficult
ties of providing practical sredrssa 1for
these'eyils tl,atgyou are doubtful of con-
gressional remedies, and therefore, we are
likely to lose much of the practical value
ofyour sympathy, which your experience
as n statcsiiaii and inf uenee,a as an editor
would otherwise afford sus. I am, there.
'fofs'@ desirodsA Of Interesting your in a
more careful investigation of this subject
because many ofthe friends of good gov
ernment here have supposed that the
people of our State propose no well-de.
Rfipedreniedy under Congressional meas.
ures or Executive Administration save
only that sympathy which, in the interest
of good government and against fraud
and corruptions must necessarily follow
90 plaipa case for their cooperation.
But while such sympathy is material,
and if heartily and judiciously extended
through fall tliesruinifcaticns of Federal
influences in thcStatc by the enforcement
of proper election laws and the mantcn-
nnce of proper officials in connection with
the Federal Administration would meas
urably afford relief. still would also ask
your consideration Sof the more complete
relief which the fouth section of the fifth
article Of the Federal Constitution affords
US, guaranteeing as it does to each State
republican form Of government, which
form in substance can not be said to exist
in State where the rights Of property
are ignored; end where the whole system
of government is oneSof fraud and cor.
lrpption, beyond the reach Of reform by
any means within the power of those on
whom the burdens of such misrule are
made to rest Permit me, therefore, to
aks'yo:ir5 attention to agtew quotations
from distinguished publicsts and states-
men as a partial illustration of my own
views, more to interest you in the use of
your own fertile resourcesiin the pursuit
ofso important an investigation than to
assume for my superficial remarks that
degree of Importance which 80 grave a
constitutional question merits, and on the
determination Of which hangs, perhaps,
the peace and happiness of thousands Of
our fellow-citizens, whose power to resist
faction may depend on the conclusion.
We have constitutional right to a
republican form of government, and now
it is admitted by every class and every
party throughout our common land that
the rights Of property are entirely ignor-
cd, and that there is no machinery within
the State powerful enough to resist the
frauds and corruptions which impoverish
and humiliate us. 1t would, therefore,
be absured to say that we enjoy that
that form of republican government
contemplated by the Federal Copstitu.
ton. julius Caesar everthrew the lber-
ties of the people of Rome in ancient
times, and Louis Napoleon suppie iessed
those of France in modern times while
conforming in the most explicit manner
to the forms of the republic; but no pub
licsts, economists, jurists, or historians
have ever classified these nations as
republics. after the overthrow of the
rights of these people, because the forms
were maintained.
b We are guaranteed by the fourth arti-
,cle. of opr, National Constitution a repub-
lican form Of government. This means
the substance, net the form only. The
form must be the e!mgsanation from the