Litchfield enquirer., 1876-11-02
South Carolina.

WV SOA4SC0 o0 6LCNS 0O~DSS A~O~~~S~-- l the course of affairs in South Carolina. We were very unfavorably impressed by the nomination of Hampton, the organ ization of rife clubs, the Hamburgh mas sacre, and other indications of a determi- nation on the part of the whites to win Democratic victory in November, on what is termed the Mississippi plan" On the other hand it must be remembered that South Carolina has been atrociousiy misgoverned. The majority of it's voters are freedmen; and, from the governor down, its officers have been corrupt ana incompetent to degree that has mace To- cal government worse than farce. Bur- densome taxes have been laid and their product squandered. The state credit has been ruined, and yet there are no public works, no adequate schools. and none of the advantages people have right to expect from heavy taxation. All or nearly all has gone to the private use of corrupt officials.
 lu6 Ou0 1COCOu11uS 4C0euAO OA N0OOSA Carolina politics has been the reforms at tempted, and in some instances carried out, by Gov. Chamberlain. Till recently 1t seems to have been the expectation of the suffering minority to waive their political prejud1ces, and support Chamberlain in the campaign he was projecting against the thieves and corruptionists of his own party. They attribute their sudden change of purpose to their alleged discovery of thu fact that Chamberlain had been com pelled to surrender to the scoundrels he had before been fighting, in order to get renomination. Chamberlain claims that their defection was owing to the recently conceived design of carrying the election by high handed violence. On the fear of such violence he grounds hls proclama- tion against white rife clubs. The whites reply that the state militia is now composed of negroes oficered for the most part by negroes, that this militia is really source of great danger to the peace of the state, and political engine designed to compel the acquiescence of the entire negro population in the ascen- dency of corrupt leaders such as Moses Whipper and Bowen. To meet this dan ger the whites say that, having armed themselves, as the constitution authorizes them to do, they have organized so as not to be at the mercy of the negro mill tia. On this point our own belief is that these rifle clubs have been organized mainly for political purposes, and, though our sympathy is with the white minority which IS unquestionably suffering atro | cious misgovernment, we doubt the ex- pediency Of any rife club policy of de- fense.
 Whether the mere organization of rifle clubs, without any overt acts of violence, ] justified the interference of the general government on request of Gov. Chamber 1 lain, without his even attempting their suppression himself, or the convening oi the legislature, is a matter we greatly doubt. At any rate the prompt obedi- ence of the clubs to the presidential man date, and the recent acts of violence by the negroes themselves at Cainhoy and elsewhere, have turned popular opinion pretty strongly, we judge, in favor of the misgoverned whites.
 Indeed, it is not for us who suffer noth ing to find fault too zealously with those who suffer much, about the tim9p ml9pfass PES sion. The whites of South Carolina ar, in the right when they use every legitl mate endeavor to throw off the burden O. bad government, and we trust they vii have the far sighted wisdom to use nc other. As between Chamberlain anG Hampton we incline rather to the former but if the result of the present excitemen shall be the election of an honest anC competent body of legislators and loca officers, it will be reform that will be worth all it can possibly cost, whatever may be it's effect on politics or parties.
 
 The Senatorial Convention of the Eff teenth District met at the Winsted House on Wednesday, Oct. 24th, and organized by the appointment of Peter Corbin chair man, and Rollin H. Cooke clerk.
 The delegates were as follows New Hartford-George W. Smith, George A Spencer, Orvis Griggs, B. S. Osborn; Tor rington-Jas. F. Calhoun, Edw. B. Birge Thos. A. Starks, O. R. Fyler Morris Richard Turkington, John s. Wetmore Harwinton- Edw. Capel, J. M. Baldwin Abijah Catlin, A. N. Wilson; Colebrook- Peter Corbin, Reuben Rockwell, E. s Simons, O. P. Loomis; Barkhamsted- Elias D. Root. Rufus Cleveland, Lorin A Cook, E. J. Youngs; Harve, l.. Roberts, Rollin H. Cooke, Wm. s Bunnell, F. D. Fyler; Litchfeld- 0. KiIbonrn. Henry l.. Coe, Charles D Kilbourn, Wm. NJ. Webster.
 The committee were as follows: On ere fdentlals-Orvis Griggs, Harvey l.. Rob erts, John $. Wetmore; on Resolutions Jos. F. Calhoun. F. D Fyler, G. A. Spen cer.
 1 The convention nominated by acclama ton, unanimously, Lyman w. Coe fol State Senator from the Fifteenth District and adopted the following resolutions:
 RESOLVED, that we endorse the Repub lican National and State tickets, and cor dially recommend to the voters of tho Fifteenth Senatorial District, Lyman w Coe, of Torrington, as their candidate fol Senator, and pledge hlm our earnest sup port.
 The convention then appointed J. F Calhoun, Reuben Rockwell, and John S Wetmore, district committee for the year ensuing, and voted to publish their pro ceedings in the Winsted Herald, Litch | field Fnonirer and Wolcottvilla Roo;.ta.