Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-01
A Voice from the South.

We cheerfully publish the following letter from
a clergyman in South Carolina, written In reply
to a letter of inquiry FRONT brother clergyman in
Vermont The writer is well posted, and entirely
reliable.
0RASGEBuRG, 5. c., October 90, 1876
Dear brother Your favor has just come TO
hand. am more than Glad to hear from you, but
sorry to get so gloomy letter! Why are you so
despairing in regard to our national prospects
There is in this election no compromise between
the two partes-and as we look at il here, no CON
seryatism-none in the national ticket and not
one particle in state ticket. All of the nomi-
necs of the democratic party in our state are
men who were In the rebel seryice-o1icers in that
service. Tilden is an anti-war democrat in his
history In the late war. An out-and-out demo
crat So we have it, and il we get whipped on
that line, il WILL AZ you intimate, be giving up
much for which we struggled and bed in the re-
cent war.
You seem to blame our colored population that
they do not stand unfnchingly forth party who
gave them freedom; but you cannot realize their
condition. As the war closed the North were 80
kind to the old rebs who had been hanging to the
throat of the nation. that you gave them back all
their land, and all their civil and political rights
The poor colored people had nothing, They have
been obliged to work for less than they could
comfortably live upon ever since The white poo-
Pile own the land-the old quarters in which they
live, and they work for fifty cents per day and
less, and feed themselves. Now they are told
they will be turned out of doors, and left to
starye unless they will vote with their old friends
the democrats have had large number Of
men to me, recently, who have bought land and
have ii half and two-thirds paid for but unless
they can complete the payment or vote the demo
cratic ticket, they are to be turned away. They
have been ssking me to loan them funds and
hold the land until they can pay ! wish |
could But II is vastly worse than this they
are being threatened and alarmed by armed
men The democrats turn out armed and on
horseback to attend many OF the political meet
ings, and by force and arms seek to carry every
thing their own way.
You ask after this state. We shall roll up a
large Republican majority II the people can only
vote without intimidation, and freely. Governor
Chamberlln IL taking course in connection with
the general government to secure freedom from
the terror OF armed organizations and we have
strong hopes Of the state You may expect us 10
majority for Hayes aud Wheeler.
We expect here--l mean the Republicans Of this
state--that Hayes ,oW be elected, and the demo-
Gratis, OF course, expect Tildens election; and so
they did Horace Greeley's, Seymour and Blair's,
etc The Lord have mercy on us in the South, II
nlden is elected, for the people here will have no
mercy We can hardly live with them even In the
hope Of democratic triumph what could we do II
they should get consumation Of their fond polit-
ical hopes? We occasionally hear that II they
could get rid Of the carpet baggers they could
manage the T" darkies 10 suit themselves and
think this would be the result. II requires AN ed
ncation that slavery never gave the oolored peo
Pile, to enable them 10 run n political campaign.
Tell our good Methodist friends 10 make the
most they can oia Of yfrdternitg up there, for we
get none Of It down here. | have not been asked
Into Methodist Episcopal South pulpit for the
eleven years have been In this country The
feeling since came South, never has been more
Tildene nomination.