The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-03-16
.''Ihc Democrats Praise Me."

Such was the refrain Of Gov. Chamber
lain in his letter to Senator Norton
What has his Exccllency done that COM
mands the admiration of the Democrats,
and induces them to swell the paans of
his triumph? There are some things in
the public record of Mr.. Chamberlain
that shrink from the light of reason and
shun the light of day. With these, how
ever, at present we have nothing to do.
1t is his record as Governor that VIC pro-
pose to disscct; and, in doing so, we candid
ly confess that we nowhere find grounds
for Democratic praise. That he is bet
ter man than Moses or Scott we readily
admit and believe, but it by no means
follows that he is the head centre of many
virtues. We grant that Governor Cham
berlain has attempted the reduction of
our taxes. But let us consider the past
and present only for moment. In other
days when South Carolina was wealthy
and prosperous, her citizens were called
upon for taxes to an amount less than
half million of dollars When Mr.
Chamberlain reached the gpbernatorial
chair, what did he find? He found the
State impoverished and her poverty
stricken citizens paying all annual tax of
two millions of dollars. He found that
his own immediate political party, stag
gering beneath the weight of many Of
fcnses, had become a stencil in the nos
trils of every decent man; and he found
the National Republican party threaten
ing to "unload' South Carolina. Such
were the existing facts when Mr.. Cham
berlain was elected Governor, and sub
mitted his proposition for the reduction of
our taxes. Knowing, as he did, that a
large amount of the two million dollars,
paid in by the people, was applied to cor
rupt and illegal purposes, could he, as an
honest man, have acted otherwise than
he did? We give Mr.. Chamberlain the
credit of honesty in this matter, but we
fail to see in it anything commanding
praise and admiration. In this MIR.
Chamberlain only did his duty. He
simply acted the part of an honest man
and no more, and we cannot see that it is
deserving of praise. Ifso, then there are
hundreds of citizens in South Carolina
who come fully up to the standard, but
who live wholly unconscious that they
have done anything big with merit.
In addition, Governor Chamberlain re-
commends that the election of Justices of
the Peace be given to the people, and
that there be registration of voters
Now, we may be very stupid, but really
we cannot see anything in these recon-
mendations deserving of praise. In ma
king them he only proposes to enforce
certain provisions plainly provided for in
the Constitution of the State. Could he
do less and observe fully his oath of
Office? In so doing, we readily grant
that he shews willingness to meet the
duties of his position and the require
ments of the Constitution, but we never
heard, until recently, that the simple dis
charge of duties willingly assumed, was
just ground for praise and commendation.
In so doing, he shews himself superior to
Moses and Scott, his predecessors: supe-
rior to the brilliant Legislators who form
the majority in our General Assembly,
and who, in throttling the plain provis-
ions of the Constitution, are morally
guilty of perjury. But we cannot see
that this secures anything of praise, while
to question it certainly ensures disgrace.
But it was in refusing to commission
Moses and Whipper that Gov. Chamber
lain brought down the Democratic house.
In the election for judges, if we have
been correctly informed, Governor Cham
berlain had his favorites in opposition to
Moses and Whipper, and exerted all his
power and influence to secure their sue
cess. But the bugles sang truce, and ne
left Columbia to take part in the Greek
Exercises at Greenyille. The enemy,
however, proved faithless, and the Gov
ernor returned to Columbia to find the
field lost and his forces routed. With
the rapidity of a commander fertile in re-
sources, he quickly threw himself behind
the ramparts of the Constitution, and, in
refusing to commission the worthy leaders
of the conquering cohorts, he robbed
them of their victory. Now, it strikes US
AS strange that Governor Chamberlain
should know so little just before, and
know so much just after the election. 1t
does seem a little strange to us that Gov
ernor Chamberlain, the day before the
election, was in utter ignorance that the
Constitution provided that judges should
always be elected for term of four years
and that the decisions of the Supreme
Court were in harmony with this view,
and that the day after it should all pre-
sent itself to his mind in light so clear
az to admit of no mistake. we say it
was a little strange. Only this and moth.
ing more. If the election of Moses and
Whipper was illegal, could Governor
Chamberlain have done less than he has
done? If it was unconstitutional could
he have pursued course of policy differ
ent from that which he has pursued?
We mean since the election.
In all that we have said, we have no
desire to lessen the just rewards due to
the Governor. Our only aim is, if posi-
Bile, to convince certain Democrats that
they have been making much ado about
nothing.-Laurenscille Herald.
GRANT1sM.-It must not be supposed
that Belknap is any worse than the others
because he gets justice first. He has