New-York tribune., 1876-10-14

III
those sent to the party conventons-were still srs-
tocrats for the aristocracy includes most Southern
ers capable of leadership. But then they were
mainly new men. from the younger branches of the
old families and whether new old bad, perfOTce,
to conform to the powerful public sentiment OF their
party. Hence the political conventions Of the
South Carolina Democracy acted sensibly and mod
erately strong since the war has been the desire
of the body Of the whites to avoid conflict and to
accept the situation. If / am not mistaken, the
bombaTdment of Charleston had something to do
with this and the march of Sherman from
the seacOast to North Carolina. 1t broke the
faith Caronans had TepOsed in themselves
showed them, so long accustomed TO planta-
tion dcspotism, that thoy themselves had
master who could tread them down with
heel Of iron. Hence the terrible disrnay Of the
Ku-Klux when Merrill and his soldiery were sent
among them hence the efficiency Of United States
troops to preserve order in localities where they
are quartered, and, consequently, the eagcmeSs OF
the white Republicans and negroes 10 call ON the
National Government for protection whenever they
are molcsted by the Democrats.
FFFRCT OF DEMOCRATIC SUCCESS.
Gov Cbamberlain's administration, then, for
year and half was the golden era of South Caro-
lima politics. The negroes were free, enirmcmsed'
and unjisurbcd in their rights, and yet the whites
were conscientously projected from piunder ana
high taxes. But Gov. Chamberlain had not been IN
power year when the XLIVth Congress assembled
at Washington The great tidal wave Of 1874 had
sent large Democratic majority to the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES,, and prominent among that majority
were many ex-COnfedeIate generals From the very
moment it met noticed an unusual though carefully
concealed, agitation among the fre-eatlng aristoc-
racy of this State For years their occupation haO
been gone Discarded in politics. out Of Office, they
had been compelled to keep the noiseiess tenor OF
their way along the cool sequestered vale OF prVae
life But their pride 1t seems, had not fallen win
their fortunes. They had been compelled TO keep
quiet they complied against then wills, ana held
10 their old opinions. They bitterly reflected that
they had seen better days. and nursed ther wrath
10 keen it warm. But now a ray of hope dawned on
them. They heard of Ben Hill defending Anderson
VILE and jefferson Davis in the Congress of the
United States They saw SOutherners once more
holding up their heads in the national capital
They could hardly trust their senses. And then they
looked around them; all the Southern States were
once more Democratic except South Carolina and
Louisiana These States alone had Republican Gov
ernors and negro Legislatures. They alone had not
their Sicphenses, Gordons, Lamars, Hills, and Proc
Tor Knots in Congress Then they reelected on Mis-
siSsippi-how her 10000 negro majority had been
Transformed into 10000 Democratic majority by
that they had been relieved from oppression; that
their confessed debt to their reform Governor was
vet unpaid, and that while they supported him, as
in the past there was no danger of msgovomment.
But should they rest content with this? Why not
Get the upper hand at home and then make a des-
perate attempt to seize on the reinS Of power at
Washington
The FIRf-EATER| CHANGE OF BASE.
The fruits of such thoughts soon began to appear
A violent Democratic daily established IN
Greenylle-a section of the State where the whites
Outnuubor the colored people. 1t began series OF
the most outrageous Onslaughts against Gov. Cham
berlain and accompanying these were the most
vehement exhOrtatons for the whites to arouse
and shake off their lcthargy, and follow in the
wake Of Alabama and Mississippi. Very soon in
several of the adjacent cOunties-the old ku-kluX
counties where the negroes are in tie minority
the whites became during the Spring OF this year
estranged from Gov. Chamberlain and opposed to
The compromise policy. But despite its efforts the
majority of the whites ll those living in counties
where the negroes pre1ominate) remained content
with things rs they were. And this too, although
Columbia daily Joined in the advocacy Of the blood
Gnd-thuuderp policy. Tie influence OF The Charleston
Nei-s Ind courier had much 10 do with tins. II was
then the only daily published in Charleston, was by
all odds the leading journal of the State perhaps Of
the south and had a circulation ten times as great
rs that OF the straight-out organs combined. 1t was
found necessary to establish fre-eaiihg daily in
Charleston; so The journal Of Commerce appeared NJ
May. II was intemperate past all expression in ad-
vocatirg its views; and, as soon as possible the
duolist h. Bamwell Rhett, jr, formerly editor Of
Tie Charleston ercurg and NCg Orleans iiceyaHe, was
installed rs editor. H is the son of the famous Il.
Barnwcll Rhctt, lately deceased, ex-senator of
the United States from South Carolina, TIE mo 9
ultra Southeuer that ever breathed, the man to
whose efforts above all others Is TO be attributed tie
passage Of the ordinance of secession the rival Of
jefferson Davis for the Presidency Of the Conled-
crate States. The is ike the father
In the mean time came the celebration Of the Fort
Moultrie Centennial in Charleston. This was to
South Carolina what the Bunker Iiiil Centennial
Was TO Massachusetts. The aristOcTats made it a
real old-time Southern revival All the rifle clubs
uben only dozen IN numborli in the State, together
with an equal number from Georgia and elsewhere,
were present. Gen. Wade Hampton was puJ in COM
mand. Thousands and tens of thousands OF yisitor-
throngcd the city from every part OF the state
There were two military companies from the North,
bnt the leaders succeeded in exhibiting TO the people
of South Carolina the spectacle Of Thousand '.
Confederate troops once more under arms, with
Wade Hampton for thcir captain. This produced a
profound sensation and touched chords in many a
South CaroEnian's bosom. Then the speeches were
fun of the past glories of the State OF her proves
during tie war. of her wrongs since the war; and ol
her future when she should be relieved from thral-
dom. There were many colored policemen in South
Carolina whom the white, here had learned to treat
properly; indeed they wcro so common as to attract
no notice. But the troops from Democratic Georgia
were startled at sueh novelty as negroes holding
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