The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-07-08
For the anderson Mtelligencer.
Gov. Chamberlain and Reform.


white native-born citizen voted for him who
has the right to hold up his head and demand
the respect of the tax-paying citizens Of this
State that vast crowd of those who for many
years have fattened upon the poverty of an
unfortunate people, took him upon their shoul-
ders and hoisted him to the seat he now occu-
pies; when we inquire into the probable mo-
tives of Whittemore, Moses, Parker, Worthing-
ton, Cardozo, etc., in selecting him as their
flag bearer; when we remember that reform
would be financial ruin to every one of them,
and that they would almost perish if driven
off from their unholy plunder of the treasury,
we are obliged to look for the reasons why that
crowd should permit any reform through their
Governor, or why that Governor should be
willing to punish the men with whom he has
so long associated, and to whom he owes all
that he is, in respect of political preferment.
The people of South Carolina are eminently
coniding, crushed and ruined as they are;
they caught with avidity at SCOTS second-term
messages, and their hopes kindled at their en-
couraging promises only to die sudden death
under the accumulation of the frauds which
he promised to suppress. Then there were
some who, in their desperation, tried to think
that our young "native" would respect his
mother, and feel for his brothers in afaiction.
We all know how his administration set at de-
fance every virtuous and patriotic principle,
and the terrible prostration of the public inter-
ests which ensued Now, the very same crowd
that imposed upon us Scott and Moses has
given us Mr.. Chamberlain, and our drowning
people are again catching at the straw of
melliAuous message! We must have some
thing better than loud-sounding professions
before We surrender at discretion, for, granting
all that the Governor claims for himself, we
see difficulties in the way which he cannot sur
mount and secondly, he dares not to attempt a
reform.
II we understand the meaning of the term,
it consists in abolishing all unnecessary Offices
the reduction of the salaries of all those that
remained the election to Office of intelligent
white men, who are taxpayers, and who would
accept Office in the spirit of faithful servants
to the public; the reduction of the taxes to
the very lowest point necessary for defraying
the expenses of an economical government.
These are some of the most prominent features
of any real reform, and it is only necessary to
ask if Whittemore aud his crowd could live in
this State another day under such sweeping
of the Augean stable. And dyet, this very crowd
must assent to the legislation which will secure
these most valuable objects. They are in q
large majority, and nothing can be done
against their consent. The negroes keep them
in the Legislature, and the Governor may sing
all the syren songs to the Conservatives which
he can invent, and yet Mr.. Whittemore and
his crowd have all the power, and the only
question is, how will they use itS To rob
themselves of present advantages, or continue
to rob the white tax-payers9 We have only
to inquire of the human heart, and the answer
is before US.
There are about thirty Conservative voters
in the Legislature-eighty-6ve colored represetf
tatives and thirty-one white allies, from whom
the taxpayer has nothing to expect, but legal
lied robbery. What can Mr. Chamberlain do
with such crowd as this? He is perfectly
impotent to carry out any measure whatever
which may not exactly conform to their notions
of what is due to the pockets of their self-con-
stituted guardians of "our beloved State"
And he will not dare to face the men who put
him in Office with proposition to put them
selves out, and it is simply ridiculous to talk
about reform" whilst the life of the State is
in the hands of those who see their own finan-
cial ruin in any such measures No one is
more sensible of this than Mr.. Chamberlain
himself, and he must know that all the promi-
ses he is making, and all the hopes he is en-
couraging are entirely dependent upon the
nod which shakes the ambrosial curls of MIR.
Whittemore and his allies. Guided by our
knowledge of the human heart, we can imag
inc that Mr.. Whittemore would not seriously
object to the Governors making as many dem
onstrations as he please, to crafty the Con-
servatives, and make show Of working in
their interests, and by that means keep them
quiet with the lamp of hope still burning be-
fore them. Indeed, it is the very condition to
which an astute robber would desire the Con-
servatives to be reduced, for to operate upon
them whilst they are under anasthetic in1u-
ences, would be far easier than to overcome an
active resistance. Suppose it were understood
that the Governor was to make all the noise he
pleased about reform, and ''do" all that he
pleased, provided he failed in everything he
attempted, and that in the face of all this
Whittemore and his crowd should rush their
measures through, and they, too, make show
of fight against the Governor, taking care
never to hurt him, would not such scheme as
this be the very thing that crowd would want?
Whilst Mr. Chamberlain would be gently rock
ing the Conservative cradle, and permitting