The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-05-24
THE CHANGE in, CAROLINA.
How it Strikes Republican Cores
pondent--The Legislature-C Cham
berlain. -

Cotun0td C0IreSpondence Ctnctnndlt commercial.
To see large parties Of well:dressed
ladies and gentlemen going up to- the
Capitol, visiting the Senate and House,
calling on the Governor, chatting with
the heads of departments, and making
merry all about the, dismal building, is q
sight SO new and novel as to invite at
tention. In all my experience in the
South Carolina Capitol, which has been
considerable in the past eight years, I
have never seen q lady within the walls
of that. building until this week This
shows with what adherence the whole
thing was regarded by the white people.
They had as much aversion to their Cap
itol as to smallpox hospital. II, How
changed! Yesterday and to.day,I have
seen two or three hundred ladies visiting
the Capitol. Seats have been provided
for them as much as possible on the floor
of the two Houses, and the sight of so
much style and beauty among. them
makes the ldtime colored legislator open
his dull eyes in astonishment.F - -
The House of Representatives is diff
ferent looking concern from what it was
when last ]. saw it, Formerly. the Dem
ocrats had only from twenty-five to thirty
members, a little Body of whites shelved
off in the southeast corner and surround
ed in front by eighty or'ininety, 1erftable
looking black Republicans, They were
powerless to do anything but argue with
the black mass around them, for their
votes made but small showing.upon the
white side 7of theebook.S Wallace, the
present Speaker, was then a member, a
fine looking man from the up country,
but utterly unable III former days 10 see
a way out. He used to tell me that he
could not conceive from what direction
the salvation of South Carolina was to
come, but only knew that the then state
of affairs could not in the nature of things
forever continue. Now. the entire right
side of the Chamber is. occupied by1as
fine looking body of.white men as you
will see in any Legislative assembly.
What a. change. from; the motley crowd
ofa few, years agogIa change for the bet
ter, in appearance and conduct. The old
black Legislature was a noisy and tur,
bulent body, smoking, drinking, dancing,
laughing and cutting up all sorts Of un-
mannerly ,capers, in the truly joyful Afri-
can style The Speaker 6ad about as
much contro,l, oyer. them, 2 A.! ias1 herd of
Kentucky Mules. Elliott was the only
black Speaker who could hold them with
in,the bounds of.anything like decency;
the Others, like lee, who: isa small man
with mot much physical or intellectual
force, could do nothing but rap and yell,
drowning other noises with the volume Of
tiisrown making! a24..i .i,liei'( :J:e1pY i,al
aIBut,nowit the body is so we'll behaged
as, to strike the observer, the first moment
be enters. Upon the right, as I have
stated, every Seat (save two or three are
occupied by white'meh. eUpon the left
half. the seatsuares esvacant, and; the Others
are occupied by ,about thirty coal black
negroes. What contrast it makes
Step to the 'front.' and look first to the
Democratic and then the Republican
side.. The contrastis o1erpowering.l9 y
10, yesterday Ispasselg by lChamberlain's g
house. His household goods are packed,
and his household gods have gone before.
The hallway was fIlsa With trunks and
boxes. Thebspeople: pass by: and say:
"The chief of the carpet.baggers is going;
let us give thanks. Yet he daily and
nightly walks the streets without fear and
without insult, which he could not possi'
bly, have done whilesattemptingi to force
his claims to the office of. Governor. u. 1t
was Chamberlain, as the leader Of. the
blacks and as Governor, set up by their
votes, if set up at all, that called forth
such deadly hostility, and not Chamber.
lain as citizen. As a icitizen,he could
remain here with all easeland safety, and
get;as much1 to dorm hisprofession as the
next manjlbut should: he ibranchi ooff into
politics again, and, .,go'. aboutrthe, State
speaking to and organizing the blacks
the deadly hostility would break out
again.! The simple itruth is: thehwhites
believe thatlthey have either to'be' I'M
der the ;governmehttof the blacks or ION
top. b. .aI-.sl i 49, s,.. a!a:o'; @'.2t
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