The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-09-23

/ Carolina Contrasted-Kepublican Ouarrels--
u pendent.
To tie Editors IF the ". Y. Erening Post:
! Having a thorough appreciation Of your
endeavors to present your readers with just
views of public affairs, | am induced to be.
lieve that you will be glad to receive trust
worthy information throwing light upon the
much.vexed Southern question.
| happen 10 have lying before me two pri.
vate letters received within a few days ! asst,
which by comparison tend to show how and
why we southern men, old wings, Union men
and all, feel constrained to vote the Demo.
cratic ticket. One letter was received by a
young friend, now in my house, from his
father, a clergyman, residing in what was
once the richest part of South Carolina, but
now almost desolate. ] give short extract
from it, as follows:
Things are looking very dark about here.
The negroes are becoming more turbulent.
At a meeting here the other day, two or three
hundred met; the meeting was called to rati-
iy the appointment of Hayes and Wheeler.
Governor Chamberlain came here to address
them. The opposite party had determined
to prevent him from speaking. Captain Shat
| fer, after two or three other parties had failed
to control them, was put forward TO preside.
The Dritile party rushed upon him, and 4
struggle ensued IN which Schatter was near
| ly pulled to pieces. The scatfold was pulled
down, and in the melee Harley, who can t
keep still, was smaTtly cut. The whites seem
slightly demoralIZed and scared, and fear
we will have rough times this fall Looking
away from my own qualification and at your
Interests doubt more and more whether you
would be wise to accept the offer of the school,
here. The unsettled condition of the coun-
try makes all contracts uncertain and inse-
cure and of course if there should be anar.
chy 1t will knock everything into pl."
need only remark as to the above that the
various partisan factions spoken of are all
Republicans.
The other letter comes to me from a lady
client in Georgia, and shows remarkable
contrast with the above. l extract the fol.
lowing statement:
81 went a few days ago over plantation
which has some forty hands on it, chiefly as
tenants, running one, two and three horse
farms. They began few years ago with
neither provisions nor stock. One negro en-
tirely free from debt will make over thirty
bales of cotton and plenty of corn beside 9th
er provisions. Others will make in smaller
proportions but all are independent or be-
coming so, and do not know that these are
hard times"
! This accords with my observation and ex-
perehce here in Alabama. | have number
of negro tenants on my own plantation who
three years ago had nething, but now have
new wagons and teams and farm utensils and
provisions and are now gathering fair crop
of cotton. While in New York and Phila-
delphia few weeks ago | conversed with
gentlemen engaged in supervising mission
work among our negroes. They had recent
ly visited South Carolina and Alabama, and
the condition Of our cOlored population here
was so far superior TO what they observed OF the
negroes in South Carolina that they seemed to
question whether they were not of different
race. / observe also IN the reports to the trus-
tees of the Peabody Educational Fund TALL of
them, rs you know, gentlemen elevated above
sectional and party bias statements lndtcat-
| ing that it was considered useless TO attempt
any work IN South Carolina, FLORIDA or Lou
islana, the only southern states under Repub
lcan rule, until there is a change in their To-
| cal governments.
! Except in those three unfortunate states we
have peaceful, contented and prosperous com
munItieS. more quiet and orderly than any
other part of the Union. Our laburing popu-
latiOn, as my Georgia correspondent says,
don't know that there are hard times II
has not always been so. Our prosperity dates
with us from the time we succeeded in throw
ing of the yoke of the Republican party. 1t
is the Republican party which has impoyer-
ished the whites and DECEASED the negroes IN
South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, and
which keeps them in that condition. Reason
about Il rs YOU will, no other sensible cOnclu-
sion can be arrived at. They have the same
population, white and black, and the same
institutions and history as the rest of US. We
are comparatively prosperous, and getting
better every day; they are IN taiters and dis
content. And il is all because they are Re
publican and we Democratic. Now in all
candor | ask, woald you advise Us 10 go back
under Republican rule? Would you do so
were you IN our case; And IL is fair TO add
that we appreciate fully the meaning TO be
extracted from the nominations at Cincinnati
and the recent nomination of Governor Nor
gan. They promise well for the country, az
they indicate defereuce 10 the growing spIr-
1t of purity and independence in the Repub-
lIcan party But il would not be safe for US
10 trust that yet Governor Hayes is doubt
less an amiable man, but Andrew johnson
and General Grant went into office fayOrably
disposed TO Cancellation with the South, but