The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-05-10
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1877.
SOUTH CAROLINA.

the communication. We publish it as
going to show the feeling of at least one
educated, thinking man and while our
readers will differ with llm In his views
upon some subjects, the letter Will open
up a train of thoughts which are foreign
to the average Northern man. While
admitting that no millennium will follow
the turning of South Carolina over to
Hampton, and that murders and other
crimes will not cease all at oEce, he Is
willing to shoulder the responsibility
and be answerable for the protection OF
the rights of all men. As to the effects
of Hayes policy in strengthening the
Republican party in the South, we differ
with the writer, as also, perhaps, on
other subjects but the letter is valuable
as being the eernest statement OF one
who is in position to know whereof he
speaks and whose opinions are worthy
of respect. The writer says
CHARLESTON, S. c., April %, 1877.
= I wish very much that you
could come here and spend short time,
Mt least. with us-sometime now before
the heat of June, or in the winter, when
at least the change of temperature will
be for the pleasanter. 1t would give me
great pleasure to show you all that Is to
be seen here i'll regard to the status,
political and material, of our people.
In fact, we ale confident that the more
intelligent men, really in search of truth,
come among us, the betterit will be for us.
1t is difficult for me, of course, to
know the exact enquiries you would like
to make and consequently to tell you
what you wish specially to know. But
I presume the chief doubt which now
rests on the Northern mind is whether
the turning over the State government
to Hampton Will affect our relations to
the general government, the negro, and
the future party relations.
So far as lean Judge, the relations to the
general government will not be affected
in the slightest. If there is onethlng
for which theSouth is earnestly DESTROYS,
it is peace and quiet. 1t is its only chance
to restore its fortunes, and this now IS
its chief aim. The North may, I think,
safely dismiss all fear of having in any
way walked of anything of what it
calls s'the spirit of rebellion. The
South acknowledges the fnality of the
result of the war, and will now struggle
for its prosperity, which it knows is in
separately connected with that of the rest
of the country. Consequently it will
struggle for that also.
AS to the negro: He has been the
s'ward of the nation" He will now be
ours. He won't get offices, as he has
heretofore, for which he was utterly
unfit aud which made him a curse to the
country. He will get exactly what he
would get with you such positions as
his abilities and brain entitle him to,
and no more. He will, for years yet to
come, necessarily constitute the laboring
class will by degrees save money and,
as now in Georgia, buy land which will
support himself and family and enable
him to save the most of what he makes
by working on the farms of his wealthier
neighbors. The few of them that are
fit for Office will get such. In fact, I
think they will get more offices than an
equal number Of equally educated whites
would get. But they will not rule the
taxpayers, to levy heavy taxes and then
steal them.
OF course we are not going to have a
millennium all at once-or at any time for
the matter of that. There are plenty of
restless, unrnly spirits among us, and
there will be occasional murders, ETC.,
but not more than in any other commu-
nifty of the same size, and the white
murderers will, I think, meet with less
leniency than the negro murderer, on
account of his greater intelligence. ]
hope neither will meet with any leniency.
But these murders will be much less than
heretofore. Under the villainous courts
and yet more villainous juries which
we have had it has been impossible tc
punish crime on the part of negroes IL
the courts. A bride of S25 would stoE
any conviction and hence violence was
the only means of stopping crime. We
would have had vigilence committees a:
in California, but that even this semi
regulated method of administering rough
Justice by community in q state of chao:
would have been considered rebellion
and been suppressed by the army of the
United States so the only resource the
community had to protect itself agains
crime was the private redress of wrongs
very bad, very untitled to state o
civilization-but whose fault not ours
certainly, heretofore. 1t will be ours il
the future and this will, 1 think. make
the numbers of such deeds of violenc,
much less than heretofore-at least, sucl
viii be the effort of the conservativ,
portion of the party which Hampton
truly represents.
AS " lhs 1utuIe pdIty IeiatiOuS
think Mr.. Hayes effort to build up
new party at the South is destined t.
failure. Now that slavery and the issue
of the war are gone, trust that section
alIsm will die out. But am confden
that the feelings OF generations won
die out in Mr.. Hayes four years, an,
that the utilization of the South with tn
Democratic party will remain as stronl
as ever for years to come. But it vii
net h., r,r-d FOR coo4innal isar1.S