The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-09-28

ture were persons of character and intel
ligence, who would cooperate with him
in eHecting the general and special re-
forms promised in the Republican plat
form. The principal State officers, cleo
TED III I872'for four years, held over, and
there was no opportunity Of making an
Improvement there. Governor Cham
berlain was we'll aware that the clique of
wire-pullers who nominated him.; and
elected him, expected him to be plant
tool in their hands; their subtle and in
fluen6al confederate, ,,if not silent partner,
in every scheme of public plunder.
Nevertheless, he appealed to them to
nominate candidates who would make
Republicanism respectable, aud whole
sale stealing impossible. It was waste
of time. The, Legislature elected when
Mr.. Chamberlain wasS elected was, in
point of ability and virtue, the worst the
State had ever seen. 1t had no redeem
ing quality, as q body of Radicals, and
waslconvincing proof that the single OBJ
ject of the sounding phrases of the party
platform was the cajoGng of unwary'
voters alE.i.a .s.., s.i. 80. bt!i
Governor Chamberlain, backed by the
Conservatives in the Legislature and by
Conservative public opinion, opposed, q
steadfast font to the gang pS thieves
whom Patterson counsellsd and Elliott
led. In his dealings with the Legisla-
ture, Governor ,Chamberlain's principal
error lay in making occasional conces-
sions to the unscrupulous majority, with
the hope of thereby securing the passage
of measures imperatively demanded by
the public good 4 The motive was praise-i
worthy = the effect was bad Any sur
render to, gognery, for whatever reason,
is a loss Of moral force. Again and again
the corruptionists triumphed,; and the
head-centres of rascality were the Elliotts
and BoWRsg whpse eliminating crime
was the work, of the memorable "Black
Thursday" when Whipper and Moses,
so far as the Legislature could accom-
plish it, were elected to the Circuit
Bench. The energy of Governor Cham
berlain's condemnation of this and other
like outrages, brought to his side tha
whole, bedySof Cbnservative citizeps and
won }or him the commendation ofgood
people everywhere. Deliberately Gov
ernor Chamberlain took his stand against
the knsyish leaders of his party. With
almost Demosthenean .eloquence te
artraigned them for their chronic igha
rance, their stupidity and their persistent
yillainy TbEibdfden of yhis letters and
speeches was Honest Government, and
No Compromise with Corruption!
The General Assembly at length ad-
journed,s and the work of preparation for
the coming election began. Insehsed by
the partisan9tone and temper ofthe let
tes of Governor Chamberlain concerning
the Hamburg riot, and satisfied that the
Republican party was incapable of puri-
flying igdf Che DE oer:acy, with reluc-
tance on the part of thousands, decided
to nominate full State ticket. Mr..
Chamberlain, with some hesitation, de-
termined to be candidate for renomina-
ton, and with the aid of Patterson;
whether spontaneous or sought, he re-
ceived the necessary vote. UPonaccept-
ing the nomination. as; he had done. in
1874, he entreated the Convention to put
none but honest and competent Repub-
icans on theSGcket. THE answer of the
Convention was the, unanimous nominal
ton of Elliott for. the Office of Attorney
General, followed by The nomination Of
Bowen as Presidential Elector for the
State at large, and of Cain and Buttz for
Congress-, These persons, with others on
the ticket, are! the very crew against
whom Governor Chamberlain has de-.
clared war, and with whom he is bound
never to make peace. ,'.
In addressing the Convention, before
these nominations had been made, he
said 3 eff your nomination of me is an
endorsement of my administration, as !
understand it to be, then you are bound
to see to it that the ticket shall be in har-
mony with such reform. If it IS not, if I
am not surrounded by such men, 1t scM
be asd1icuh 9gsamJor neyo1determise
whetha u wiH Be scritat aohils Jor me 10 IN
dcrtake to carry ON The caauass." The
State officers who, in response, were NOM
mated, are mot in harmony with such re-
form; their interests are on the side of
jobbery and debauchery by which they
have lived these eight ye;.s. & They and
their followers caused the miscarriage of
the chief reform measures proposed by
Governor Chamberlain and by the Con-
seryatiye members of the Legislature.
And as the State candidates are, so will
be the candidates for the General Assem-
bly,. Governor Chamberlain knows, he
cannot close his eyes against it, that his
election, with Elliott as Attorney-Gen-
eral, with Patterson as the power behind
the throne, and with g Legislature made
up of the minions of s;wails, Whittemore
and Jones, will make the State the help
less prey of the most uinscrupulous crew
of trained public plunderers that this
country has ever known, If civilization
was in danger when Whipper and Moses
were elected, the political and social
fabric would totter to its base if the Rad
ical candidates were elected Already
many disgusted Republican has aban-
doned the moribund party. Knowlton,
Smith, MeLaurin, Rose, Epping and
Cooke, have pledged their support to
Wade Hampton. Shall Chamberlain,
who, in intellect and varied culture, in
moral courage and acuteuess of compre-
hension, towers above them all, remain
Joined sto;the body of this death, and, Id
lending his talent to those whom he has
publicly denounced as dolts and scoun-
drels, justify the worst that his enemies
have ever said of him?
Wade Hampton aoiN be elected Governor
of South Carolina, whether Governor
Chamberlain remains on the Radical
ticket or refuses to run. When the
whole low-country, as it will be, Is
aroused to an appreciation of the peril OF
the Commonwealth, and manfully Sec
onds the mountain region, where Liberty
finds her constant home, the election of
the Democratic candidates is assured.
This is our honest belief, and we do not
express it with the view Of efecting. Mr..
Chamberlain's action. NotdoubtJ In a
good cause, he would gladly head even
forlorn hope But the cause of which,
by viftne of his nomination, he sis the
champion; is the cause of Vice and fraud;
All the strength the Radical State ticket