The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-09-07
The Situation in South Carolina, rs seen
by Business Man.

A prominent business man of this city
yesterday spoke to US in regard to the
condition of affairs in South Carolina,
where he has large interests. He said
that, from his own private sources of in
formation, he was satisfied that desper'
alto efforts had been, and would be, made
to intimidatc the freedmen, and to thus
overcome the decided Republican ma
jority in that State. One of his South
Carolina corrtspondcnts-a gentleman
, doing a large business there, and not at
nil Il polticiun-had written him a letter
received here ycsto rday, which gave in
: tcresting glimpscs into affairs in that
State. The writer had seldom or never
before made the slightest reference to
Il ,llic;l disturbances, but these had be
come 50 threatening to business that he
7 v us forced to do so.
The recipient of this letter was rcluct-
: ant about furnishing any part of it for
publication, as unpleasant consequences
might follow, affecting his business inter
csts, but he finally selected and copied for
us the following extracts, which give a
better insight INTO the situation in South
Carolina. than anything we have lately
seen.
His correspondent writes:
You have probably heard of the negro
. laborers' strike ON the rice plantations.
The cause was, that the planters having
made contracts in the Spring at fifty cents
per day, cut it down to forty cents alter
. the planting was done, and that payable
in bills, redcemable in cash two years
hence, thus compelling the laborers to
spend their money at the planters stores
and getting only about twenty-five for the
forty cents.
Tie general outlook for the Fall cleo
ton is somewhat alarming. The Race
question is becoming very prominent, and
10th parties are banding for no good pur-
pose.
There was Republican meeting the
other day in Beaufort county, composed
mostly of blacks, which was broken up
in the usual manner by large boiy OF
mounted and armed Democrats (all
whites.l They sent dispatches to Georgia
announcing that there was riot OF the
blacks, and that they were burning the
IDENTIFY to get a detachment of regulators
from Augusta to come down and have an
other shooting match, rs they did at
Hamburg, but that plan was defeated by
their inability TO reach the scene OF action
IN season. At A. a party of sixty armed
white men stopped il train and demanded
that it should 90 back with them to the
meeting, but this was refused. Such
crazy set of men surely never cursed any
country before. To see them with shot
gums, rifles and pistols, of all sorts and
sizes, without order or commanders, is
really frightful, particularly rs some of
them are drunk.
There is no trouble to be apprehended
from the negroes; all they want is some
show of fair dealing, so that they can live,
but if the planters can starye them, 1t
may aid them politically.
Our readers will bear in mind that this
esiimony comes from business man of
decided ability; was not intended for pub
LEGATION, but sent to confidential bust
ness correspondent, as part of the infor-
nation bearing on the business prospect |
of South Carolina, and, of course, was
not written with any idea of political eff
feet here 1t shows that the war of races
is not over in that State: that the blacks, |
as Of old, are taken advantage OF by "the !
superior race" as witness the swindle on
the rice plantation laborers; that the
whites are using every means to intimi-
date the negroes, and eagerly seizing &C.
c.sons for other Hamburg affairs, and
that unless the President carries out
vigorously his proclamation enforcing the
"Scott-Lord" resolutions, the negro vote
of South Carolina will be no larger than
The "white liners" there see fit to have it.
1t is not necessary to do any "sLriek-
ing" about the situation revealed in the
letter we have used The facts-whch
are corroboratcd by an abundance of
testimony-are sufficient Of themselves,
TO show that in South Carolina the war is
not vet over; that the freedmen need still,
;.nd for many years will need, the pro-
lection of the Federal Government; and
that if the Democrats acquire national
power, the anti-sIavery amendments will
he OF no more effect in South Carolina
than the Popc's last Bull.-N Y Ece',-
ing Nail.