St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-13
Justice to Chamberlain.

III V Redield in Cincinnati Commercial
Chamberlain is cOnspicuously the one
South Carolina republican who has
never used politics to make money.
His republicauism is from conviction,
and he has done all that mortal man
could do to make it respectable in that
state. He has wasted his law practice,
endangered his life, and fooled away
all his money trying to be governor, not
because he wanted to he, or because
the place was at all desirable, but he
got into the harness, and, from his view
of things, there was no way but to pull
through. His instincts as Il refOrmer
are SO earnest, and his desire to make
the republican name respectable in
South Carolina so strong, that he went
before the legislature and urged them
to reduce his own salary to $4,000, IA
beginning in the work of letrenchment.
He pleaded for economy and reform
with tears in his eyes, and for the selec-
ton of decent and competent men for
Judges. But talk of this sort to the
South Carolina Legislature is about as
effective as the reading of Watts hymns
to a drove of mules. In the face of
these appeals, the Legislature one day
took advantage of the Governors alb
sence and elected Moses and Whipper
to the two most important circuit Judge
ships in the state. They did it openly,
defiantly, and for the purpose of show
ing Chamberlain that he could not rule
the rOost with his reform ideas. He
would not sign the commissions of these
chaps for 'judges.' He protested that
the civilizations of the Cavalier and the
ROundhead were in peril. The Legis-
lature, never having heard of the Cava-
lier and the ROundhead, concluded that
they had been generals in the rebel
army, and that Chamberlain had gone
pellmell into the democratic party. He
was so unpopular that he was not al
lowed to speak at Orangeburg, the mis-
guided blacks driving him from the
platform with boots aud yells and wild
cries that he had sold out to the dem
ocracy, and was no longer the black
mans friend. Nothing but the match
less cruelty of the democrats in seeking
to overcome $4,000 black majority by
the shotgun, drove the republicans into
nomination of Chamberlain.
He has been serving as Governor the
past four months without pay and with
out prospect of pay. His treasury is
empty. Tens of thousands of dollars
have rolled into Hampton;s Golfers, be-
cause the tax-paying portion of the
community recognize him, while Cham
berlain's treasury has received but nine
hundred dollars! Chamberlain to-day
owes two thousand dollars to one of the
Columbia banks, money borrowed to
pay his personal expenses while acting
as Governor. Nothing but stubborn
will and the clearest convictions would
cause him to make so many sacrifices
as he has in his warfare against the
cOrruptions of his own party and the
aggressive cruelty of the democrats
He is man of decided ability and cul-
tnre-a graduate of Yale-and was pro-
nOunced by the late Reverdy johnson
to be one of the best lawyers in Amer
ica. He has an interesting family, and
the relief they will feel should his
claims to the government be decided
adversely cannot be measured in words.
For months his devoted wife has lived
in daily and nightly dread that the
hand of an assassin would take her hus-
band. He dare not walk the streets OF
Columbia, and the tread of federal sen