The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-10-25
CARPETBAGGER CHAMBER.
LAIN.
why South Carolina il Deter
mined to Throw Of
His Rule.
SHE sTOOPs TO Conquer
And IL Making y Vigorous Canvass
Against the Forces of Ignorance
and Corruption.
New York Herald letter.

knob by General Newtons little daughter
when He'll Gate was blown up to start the
explosion I'm a Republican, but can't
vote for Chamberlain. Neither will /
vote for General Hampton, because he rep
reSentS opinions at war with my whole
life. Personally | like General Hampton;
personally, / do not like Gov Chamberlain.
\ man of his character is not fit to discharge
the duties of the executive of the state. He
is like skillful forger, who would be more
successful in making forgeries than
burglar"
This was the voluntary expression of
Judge Carpenter of the judicial circuit, in
my presence few days ago, and give it as
a sample of what you can hear at any time
coming from the average Republican of any
responsibility or social standing. The differ
ence between Carpenter and his associates is
that, while quite a number of them freely
announce their intention of voting for
Hampton, few of them disagree as to their
estimate of Chamberlain. Blows fall thick
and heavy from all sides on that gentleman's
devoted head. He is openly denounced by
Republicans as well as Democrats as one
of the most corrupt and INSCRIPTIONS
leaders of the Republican party in this state,
not excepting Franklin ]. Moses, who was
dubbed by the New York Times The Robber
Governor" As TO the comparison of the
state to bed of nitro-glycerine, it is not at
all inapt, nor is the picture overdrawn in
stating that it would require a very slight
touch to cause an explosion. Both parties
and races are aroused to the highest pitch of
bitter political excitement. The whites are
making their canvass with all the energy of
desperation and despair and the great mass
of the blacks stubbornly and superstitously
cling with the tenacity of political bigots, to
their Republican religion. The former are,
for the first time in the history of the state
unanimous in the great effort they are now
maklng to recover the government and free
themseivesfrom the oppression fastened upon
them by ignorance, corruption and whole
sale public plumber On the other hand the
negroes, as race, follow their leaders, fear
ing, as they have been taught, disfranchise-
ment and bad government if the whites sue
coed, and those who are intelligent among
them and have profited by politics realize
the fact that if they once lose the govern
ment of the state they can never regain it.
This fear operates to combine the very worst
elements of the negro race in the fiercest an
tagonism against the whites, and, If possible,
the negro women are more bitter than
the men. 1t is not uncommon to
hear of these black Amazons openly
announcing that III the event of a con-
fiict between the races they could
use the torch to such advantage as to leave
the homes of the whites mass of blackened
ruins throughout the country. The negroes
docile creatures that some people at the
North believe. They are by far the most in
tolerant, proscriptive and vindictive against
political apostates of their own race than the
whites are. Consider, too, that they have,
as monopolizing the militia of the state, over
10000 stand of arms and an adequate supply
of ammunition to the muskets distributed
among them, and it will be seen that the co.
600 negro voters of South Car olina are quite
a formidable body. To make the matter
still worse these arms are not
where they should be, in the ar
mories and arsenals of the state. They are
in the hands of the negroes. Hardly
a cabin can be found without its old army
musket new breechloader, and those
other favorite weapons of the negro, the
razor and the torch, are abroad in endless
quantity. With all these warlike appliances
and with their passions inflamed by unprin-
cipled and dangerous leaders, who hesitate
at nothing, not even at having the negroes
butchered to accomplish their ends, ii can
easily be seen that in an excited political
contest like the present there was ample
ground for apprehension and alarm among
the whites. And in this lies the origin and
explanation of the rifle clubs and the Saber
clubs.
A distinguished Mississippi orator said
here some two or three years ago, "Be pre-
pared for violence and you will have no vio-
lence," and acting upon that theory the
clubs were formed in nearly every city and
county in the state. They are all armed-I
would say armed to the teeth-but unlike
the negroes, their arms belong to them.
They had to buy and pay for them. They
have Winchester rifles, pistols and sabers
and ammunition, nearly all purchased from
the government of the United States In
this aspect of the case, Governor Chamber
| lain's expression that the state is like an
armed military camp" is not far wrong;
but have now been i'll the State almost two
weeks and have yet to hear of or see any
| public display or exhibition of arms, if l ex-
| cept two old pieces of artillery which were
being taken to Sumter to fire a sa-
lutte for Hampton when he addressed the
people there. Hampton's meetings are the
most enthusiastic and orderly ofany political
meetings in the entire country, and the Re-
| publicans and. their speakers are invited to
every one of them, to hear and to be heard
| But ii is in this that the Republicans don't
| tote fair" They will not hold meetings of
their own, nor will they accept the division
of time rendered them at Hampton's meet
| ings for their speakers. Their policy is TO
| keep the negroes as much possible from
the temptation OF the winning ways and Sc
| ductive Establishments of Hamptons speak
| ers 1t is the first time since reconstruction
| that the Democrats of South Carolina have
| stopped to conquer" and it is amazing,
| considering the menacing attitude of the
/ parties, to see how keenly and well they are
1 beginning to appreciate the homage due to
the new sovereign in American citizenship
| when his vote is wanted They do not
bully, patronize or argue with the American
lied African, but they coax and court him,
and often succeed in gaining his political
| affections Go to any meeting of Hump
| tons and you can now see negroes by the
hundred, mounted and mixed with the
whites, wearing Hampton badges and cheer
ing Justify for that candidate of reform and