The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-23
co,servat;sm Our Only Safety.

Conservatism OuI Sihy Ss'@osy
The recent act OF barharic folly IN the
santh Carolina L legislature ia electing WHIP
PER and Moses to be circuit Judges has
excited general censure. Conservative and
Republican presses alike have denounced
the election Of these incompetent persons In
indignant terms. The putting OF such men
in such important places lin positions where
right. and justice areisubmitted to their dec'
s;on-is considered an outrage on ciyiiiza'
ton and liberty Itself. Liberty cannoteSist
without intelligence, and honesty must De
s;,ied with intelligence TO insure to the citi.
zen that security aud right without which
liberty is a mockery and fraud. WHlPrER
il an incompetent and dishonest negro.
MosEs is VIGOROUSLY dishonest, and has DOT
been engaged in the practice Of the law for
sonle years.
or what utility, however, Is the. censure
heaped upon the Legislature Of South Caro-
l;uas Should It not be heaped upon the
needless and bitter partisaDs who fastened
government OF negroes upon refined COM
munstys Upon the black legislators Of the
Palmetto State these censures have no effect.
Indeed, they are not responsible persons.
They have, indeed, all the capacity snd n
ness for their positions that they had when
Congress made them eligible TO their seats,
but no more. They never were capable,
and the blame for their elevation attaches 10
those who clothed toem with the legal right
to that elevation. They themselves have an
immunity from responsibility and reouhe.
An should fall upon the trae authors OF
their existence as legislators-up tbose who
clothed them with power to give their lSno-
rant Judgment the force and decision OF law.
The Federal Congress is the great criminal
which stands before the civilized world Tor
judgment as having committed the greatest
crime ever perpetrated against civilization.
Why should there be an expression OF
surprise at the act Of the South Carolina Lee
gislature: Such surprise can but be anecteo.
Has not the history of the negro Legislature
been one continued repetition Of folly and
outrage? The public treasure has been
fouandered. The public officers have filed
their pockets by robbery, and the taxpayers
have been subjected to burtbens tantamount
to the confscation of their property to sup
port the waste and corruption Of the govern
ment.
In the matter of the judiciary, the Supreme
Court consisting of three judges, has one
negro utterly incompetent, who has been
mere cipher upon the bench; who conforms
to the ceremonies OF the court, enters solemn
" with bis silk gown, and sits with bis white
colleagues as a mere automaton, asserting to
their opinions. 1t is fortunate that be does
so. lie is thus, perhaps, harmless. But the
law establishing court of three judges is
rendered abortive by the placing of an indi-
yidual who is unable to give an intelligent
judgment to sit upon the highest matters of
State concerDs
But it is not on. III South Carolina that
outrages have been committed by incompe.
tent and dishonest persons who are By the
fatal reconstruction laws placed in authority =.
LOOK In nearly all the southern States where
al one time and another since the war barba.
rism, dishonesty, and tyranny have run riot.
The untsiling ally Of incompetency and vul-
garity is dishonesty. 1t >haa beeS found to
b, so in every instance where the barbarous
ell ment in the body polite has been
| Efficiently strong to induce unprincIpled
persons 10 hope for success, through its sup
port. 1t Is ever on the destructive side.
Does not the experience Of Virginia prove
this? 1t is brief while since we had all the
tcrrors of this fearful combination upon US.
General ScHoFIELD, the wisest and fairest Oh
ficer that was ever sent to rule over US, did
Yirginiaps the honor to say that they were
tie most orderly and law-abiding people he
hid ever knowu-that they seemed to him to
Be able to get along without government.
And General SCHoFIELD dreaded the submis
sion of such people to the rule of the me-
groes and such whites as at that time exclu-
srcly possessed the right to vote. He did
not think there was enough OF them compe-
tent 10 ill the Offices of The State. Indeed,
that intelligent officer saved US from the
worst features Of the Republican constitu.
ton.
The examples are abundant of the unyary.
ing tendency to destructiyeness of all legs-
lation and of all executive administration
controlled by an alliance between barbarism
and faithless and sordid politicians.
And when We consider. these facts we
have something else to do besides merely
denouncing the authors Of evils the like OF
which never before fell upon civilized land.
That would indeed be poor excuse for
men of energy, experience, and manhood.
We would poorly perform our duty II we
failed to exert all our power to break the
force of these evils, and protect the. Govern.
nent and society from them.
The people Of Virginia have nobly per-
formed this duty. The whites In Virginia
are strong enough to take care Of themselves,
and they have taken measures to do so. They
formed the noble Conservative party which
has protected Virginia from. the worst of
evils. Every case like that Just brought to
the notice Of the country In South Carolina,
should strengthen our devotion to the Con-
sentative party, and fill our hearts anew
with gratitude towards it. We can never
appreciate 1t too highly; we cannot dep-e-
cate too earnestly every effort to impair its
strength and authority-the most deplorable
and dangerous of all Of which is the ex.
pedient Of seeking negro votes to bring de.
feat upon white people.
Hrr OffF POD