National Republican., 1876-02-07
D. e. CHAMBERLAIN.

tOV. Chamberlain, of South Carolina, Is
lt present receiving some notice from the
press of the country IN connection with the
orcn letter recently addressed by him to
senator Morton. 1t may not be unintcrcst-
ing TO our readers to be informed something
about the antecedents Of the man. We
may remark, en- pasSaHt, that few years
since Chamberlain was daily denounced
by the Opposition press of the South as
l'cing the most corrupt man in South Caro-
lima, and it was to him, more ihan TO any
other man, that the misgovernment which
afflicted his State was attributable. After
serving for time as sergeant and after
wards commissioned officer in a company
of colored cavalry upon the sea coast of
South Carolina during the latter years of
The war, Chamberlain settled down upon
Wadmallw Island, where he engaged in
the culture of Sea Island cotton. He
catered to the worst prcjudices of the lately
liberated blacks and actually cunspircd
with them to prevent the return of their
old owners to the homes from whence
thcy had rclugecd. DR.. MclIsnry, now of
Napoleon, Ohio, who was then an assistant
surgeon in the United States army, and
stationed on Wadmalaw Island, under the
command of Mai. Gen. Scott, then in
charge Of the Freedman Bureau, declared,
in i letter addressed to a gentleman in this
city, that ''siX months Of the time which
lie should have devoted TO the care of
the sick was expended in preventing q
wholesale massacre of the whites through
"thc Vaccinations of Chamberlain. Scott,
the General commanding, once threatened
Chamberlain with the ''balland chain if he
did not cease his efforts TO array the blacks
against their old owners. The Jenkins,
Fipps and others on Wadmalaw Island can
attest the truth Of this statement. As cot
ton planter Chamberlain was not 4 success.
1t is said that he never paid his laborers,
but of this VIC know nothing further
than rumor. At all events, he was in
need circumstances when he took his
scat in the Constitutional Convention of
the State as delegate in April, 1865, and
the 1.-the form of the then embryo Gov
crnor was covered by an army blanket
coat, which, from its patched appearance,
reminded one of the historic coat of many
colors In this convention Chamberlain
exhibited all the traits of the demagogue.
lie introduced, and supported at length,
resolution asking the General Government
to appropriate 81, 600, 600 to purchase lands
for his homeless constituents. By just such
trickery he succeeded in having his name
placed upon the State ticket for Attorney
General, and was elected, and entered
upon the discharge of his duties when
Scott became Governor. As Attorney
General it was his business TO protect the
interest Of the State, but we find him en-
gagged in various schemes whereby the
treasury, under the management of his
friend Parker, was depleted. The Land
Commission swindle was concocted by
him, and ex-Treasurer Parker states that
Chamberlain 'tgot the lions share in this
fraud upon the State, getting dollars
"where c. p. Leslie and himself only got
"cenis. During all this time the embryo
''reformer" was in a dormant state, and
WAS on the most intimate terms with such