The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-15
Correspondence Of the Mew, York Sun.

Correspondence of the Ne,1, York Sun.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Feb. l..
The closing hours of Chamberlain's
career in South Carolina have come.
The sign which formerly told where a
back-stair approach could be profession
ally engaged to any Of the departments
of the carpet-bag government has come
down. Chamberlain, Melton & Wingate
have dissolved their law firm, and the
two latter are alone in the world. No
longer does the Executive head of the
State throw off the cares of public life
and spend his evenings in counselling
private clients. He is absorbed in MAX
ing his own affairs as nearly bomproof to
law as his fertile brain can engineer.
Heis even setting his house in order for
an early departure. His fine mansion is
for sale. 1t has been offered at low fig
ure several times during the last week.
1t is of no use for Chamberlain and his
tax gatherers to remain any longer in the
State, for they will get no money. At
present these officials are sadly neglected,
and their doors are never darkencd by
any of their former victims. Under Til
den these doors will be closed forever.
But if Hayes should be declared elected,
Chamberlain will probably be shining
light in the new Administration. His
friends claim that he is to be the Attor-
ney General in that event, and will here
after be found in Washington, running
the national machine. suppose, upon
the same plan as that by which he has
gutted South Carolina. This is to be his
reward of merit for securing the Electoral
vote of his State.
The rest of the fraternity are equally
disturbed with their reticent chiettain.
They, too, are like him, preparing to
fold their tents and steal away. Even
the money changers, who have been reap
ing the heavy agios between the face de-
mand of State paper and its market value,
are closing up their shaving shops, and
bidding their former friends farewell.
State paper has lost its charms for them,
Notwithstanding it is down to twenty
cents on the dollar. They were once
lions. But circumstances beyond their
control have intervened, and the real
lion has come. They are selling out
whatever they have on tand that is mer-
chantable.
1t is time these gentry were goue.
Their presence only has served during
the last two months to make the anarchy
they have instituted the more apparent.
1t has encouraged the lawless negroes to
violence and aggravation. This has been,
perhaps, more conspicuously felt in this
section than elsewhere in the State.
Here the municipal government is in the
hands of the Republicans, aud is as yet
unassailed in its stronghods Of oppres-
sion. The Mackey-Cunningham city
tax for this year is quarter per cent.
higher than before upon the stilted assess.
ments of last year; while tor all the good
it does, the municipality had better not
exist. During the day the white ladies,
and the children going to and from
school, are constantly annoyed by the
negroes. Insulting remarks, thetts from
the person, and rude jostling upon the
sidewalks are of every day occurrence.
At night the professional thieves ply
their calling as regularly as an industri-
Gus man goes to his daily labor. Almost
every house in the city has been stripped
of its lead piping and copper pumps.
The police seldom if ever rest these often
ders. In several houses the annoyance
has been so great that nightly watch is
kept up by one of the family, and in some
instances the burglars have paid the pen
atty for their felony by carrying off a
load of lead they had not bargained for
The usual channels of correction for
these abuses, the courts, are bad at best;
but now they are all in confusion. Judge
Reed, who sits upon the bench here, has
his seat contested by Whipper, the negro
Judge elect; the clerk, Mr.. Whitman,
who sits at his desk, is litigating with j.
H. Ostendortf, who was elected in No
,vember by 5000 majority. The Trial
Justices, who originally had Jurisdiction
over all criminal cases, are duplicated as
Hampton and Chamberlain appointees.
The State Solicitor, Buttz has abandoned
his office to take his seat among the ex-
treme Republicans in the. National Con-
gress. The jurymen are twofold, and
each drawn upon doubtful venires by
Democratic or Republican Jury Com
missioner. In fact, it would exhaust
term of court to decide who is to consti-
tute it, and then it could not be assured
OF its own position.
The Stale Supreme Court is busy try
ing to unravel this tangled web. Its
docket contains questions as to the tenure
iof office of Governor, Lieutenant.Gov-
ernor, every State Office, half the Clerks,
Sheriifs, Judges OF Probate, all the Coun-
ty Treasurers and Auditors, Trial JUS
tices and Jury Commissioners, as well as
OF two of the Judges, with a possibility
of the whole Circuit Bench being evicted.
AS yet they have made little progress.
The only case decided was that OF the
Presidential electors, and that question
went off on technicality, as Improperly
brought before the court.
In the Circuit Courts, where some OF
these issues have been decided, the de-
crees of the Judges have been at variance.
Judge Reed of Charleston has held that
there was no legal election on Nov. Z for
Clerk, Sheriff and Judge of Probate, and
that the old officers hold over, while
Judges Townsend, of Marlboro, and
Northrop, of Laurens, have seated their
newly elected officers. Judge Carpenter
has decided there is no legal Governor,
and that Chamberlain holds over a. a
de facto Governor, while Judge Mackey's
decree declares tor Gov. Hampton"
All this litigation is bonanza for the
lawyers. But the departure of Chamber
lain will make a vast difference in the
condition. With him will depart all
opposition to those who were legally
elected. and the State will once more set
tie down to peace and the production OF
cotton, rice and naval stores.
VALUE OF THE OYsTER.-Gov. Kemp