Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-01-11
Correspondence OF the Grant oouoty HERALD

COLUMBIA, 5. O., Jan S, 1877.
Columbia.
Columbia, once the seat of comnse-
tion-a very quiet city on the surface
now-was the pride of the Palmetto
State "beioah the wah." 1t was WIS.,
tied by Sherman's army on its march
TO the North. | believe it is disputed
whether it was champions Legion"
or "Sherman's Yanks" who set fire to
the city. But, there is no doubt that
it ,oaS burned Out of l24 blocks or
squares, "a were totally destroyed !:
and the burned district contained over
500 Understanding churches,
banks, Q hotels, convent, foundries,
factories, and dopots, besides a large
number of smaller buildings. The
bridges were destroyed by tie re.
treating rebels under Gen. Hampton's
command.
But the city bears few traces now
of that great confagration.
The Old Citizens.
Its results are felt rather than seen
for, by this loss. hundreds of rich
citizens were ruined, and their old
hatred of the North made seven times
hotter. IL is idle to hope there can
be any love of the Union in South
Carolina among the white citizens of
the State, until the last man ofthe old
ruling class, is securely screwed down
in his coffin. But, On the other hand,
until the red clods rattle into the
grave of that old survivor, there will
be no attempt made in this State to
bring on war against the Nation
again. They have been taught to
fear its power. Hence, their one aim
now is to secure the National Govern
ment. This was the controlling i'm
pulse that led to the violence and the
frauds-cruel and atrocious-of the
late political campaign. 1t was not
in the nature of things that the men
who starved and tortured thousands
of Northern prisoners who fell in their
hands should hesitate to assassinate a
few score Of negroes in order to carry
s'solid South" Carolina for Tilden
and Hampton. And the proof is over.
whelming that they die not falter
when the time came. They find, now
that they did not kill negroes enough
and that they did not commit perjury
enough, to leave the result in nc
doubt. Both Hayes, as President
and Chamberlain as Governor are
elected.
Hayes Election Admitted.
The Democratic Congressional
Committee before they left the city
publicly admitted that, both in fac
and on "the face of the returns" the
Republican Presidential Electors were
entitled to their certificates. Yet, the
Democratic Presidential Electors, by
the connivance of the corrupt Su
preme Court-described, a year ago
by Gen Hampton. as made up of ga
Jew, Niger and et-bagger'
the three most odious human emit.
ties to ''the chivalry" of South Caro-
lina-have had the effrontity to pre-
sent their illegal credentials to the
acting Vice-President of the United
States 1t is the old Southern game
bluf'-once so effective; and even to-
day not without its influences
Chamberlain's Election Disputed.
On the "face of the returns" there
is no doubt that Hampton was elected
and that Chamberlain was defeated
A brief explanation of this apparent
anomaly will show why Chamberlain
is undoubtedly the rightful Governor.
The Representative Northern Re-
publicans who came here after the 7th
of November urged the representative
South Carolina Republicans to avoid
any chance of dispute as to the va.
lditv of the returns of the vote for
the Presidential electors. The Re-
pnblicans here therefore counted "the
face of the returns'-without taking
any note of the protest and affidavits
that came up from different counties
and from hundreds of precincts pro.
testing perjury and frauds both in
voting and in rendering the results.
The Supreme Court tried to prevent
the counting of the votes for the Gov.
ernor. State officers and Legislature
bv different writs and under various
texts This was done in order to ena.
BILE the Democrats to declare Hamp.
ton and a Democratic Legislature
elected. The Board of State Can.
vassers were tire atened with punish
ment for contempt of court if they
proceeded to investigate the evidence
before them until it should decide the
question submitted to it. ONLY ten
hours Of the ten DAYS allowed by law
were left; and still the Sunreme
Court withheld its decision. IF the
Board of State Canvassers had waited
till noon, its powers by law would
have expired by limitation They
went to work and riohtfnllv threw
ont the counties of Edoefield and
Laurens, In which the frauds were
unquestioned and the most conspicu-
Ous.
Edgefield County Votes,
Take Edoefield as an example. Il
is separated from Georgia by the Sa.
vannah River. Hundreds of Geor.
CLANS came over and voted there, not
at one precinct only, but at every
precinct they could reach
What was the result
The State census of 1875 shows
that Edgefield has
Black male population of -. .4400
White male population of. -. .2722
A total population of. 1922
In 1874, Green the Democratic
candidate for Governor, received 1000
votes and Chamberlain, the Republi-
can candidate, 339s--a total vote of
629S.
This year, on "the face of the re-
turns" Chamberlain received 3IO7-
a falling off, from intimidation chiefly,
of only 29l votes; while Hampton
claims 6267 votes-an increas of
1857!
If every white man and every black
man in the county bad voted there
wonld have been 1900 vatas cost IN