Litchfield enquirer., 1877-02-01
Put vourseuves In Their Place !.

Put Yourselves In Their Place!
 1t may seem absurd to refer to the gol- den rule in connection with politics. It is n0A. and never has been, a joint rule of CozsEese or of any legislature that we ever heard sf; aad the legislator who should sneueiOn it in connection with a practica: natter like law-making would probabl! noksee an amused smile on the cOuntenan- cea of aach of his fellow legislators as wers paying any attention to his remarks. Still we have observed that political action or nun-acaSon in violation of that rule is lia- ble t0 become unpopular" and source Of wsmkness to the political party responsi- hIe for it. It is to this danger that we wish so call the attention of our Republl- can frsenas iu connection with an able ar- tscle in the February Atlantic, the first half of which will be found reprinted on our first page. Thls article is evidently written by . Chamberlain Republican; and, thOagh we believe his partisan prej- 1dices have given g strong anti-Hampton eOlOriug to his history of the recent ean- vxss in state, still it is a much more can did picture of South Carolina politics than we have ever before seen from Re pabtican sources.
 We call the special attention of our Re- publican friends to the practical working of Reconstruction in a state where the ne gro vote is m . majority, as pictured by Republican pencil. We are told that iron 1888 to 1874 the state government of SOuth Carolina ''the worst mOckery of the name ever seen on earth. In the legisla- tnre 10 bills. unless of purely legal cAarae4er. could he passed without bri- hesy, and by bribery any bill whatever S,oaIa be passed" By the most bare-fac- sxmuxz@ suv sS@s0 NICUS wss T"rsOs. .."... six millions to thirty -four millions! Tax. s&ien became most oppressive, more op- presmive even than the figures themselves wOuld iadicase. for it must be remember ed that South Carolina came out of the var one of the poorest states in the Un' ioa With a population of 7OO,OOO. the eensus of 1870 gives her only 64 millions oi personal property; less than one fourth that ot Connecticut with only 537, 900 peO pie. Yet on this impoverished commu nity the carpet-baggers levied two mill. ions annually for state and county taxes! ''TRis is cORfscatiOn pure and simple, says the Atlantic writer, and "such dis tress vas engendered that half the real estate m county would be advertised for sale for delinquent taxes."
 Hut from these tens of millions receiv. cd from the illegal issue of bonds. and from all the additional millions wrunt from them by taxation. the peopl derived no advantage. The oficial' grew fabulOusly rich: they built palatia residences and sported blooded horses and landaulets.s. while the old residents o the State sold their heir looms to. keeE from absolute starvation. There was prac ticAlly no punishment for crime, for evel the rascals whom negro juries could ts prevailed on to convict were pardoned out hy the Republican governor. ''In short from 1868 to 1876 inclusive, the govern ment of Sonth Carolina was grand car nival of crime and debauchery."
 Now let us apply the golden rule t. this stats of things: Imagine Connection three-fifths Irish, as South Carolina i three-fifths negro. Imagine the nativ Yankees disfranchised, the Irish enfrau chised, by unsuccessful war. Picture al Irish legislature at Hartford; and nativ of South Carolina elected eur governo by Irish votss-a skiold increase of th state debt and state tax of two cent instead of one mill on the dollar-a "gtan carnival of crime and debauchery." ''con tiscation pure and simple"-sll devastat ing Connecticut for six successive years At the ead of six years, one of the alie' governors of our state suddenly tur
 against the thieves with whom he ha, been before leagued, and gives the Stat two years of comparatively good govern ment. He is everywhere eulogized, am promised the support of the Yankee vot against the thieves with whom he ha broken. Just here. however, let us sur pose that the national party which ha set ap the Irish government over us wa threatened with overthrow. The lou pent up indignation against Irish rul rises to fever.heat, the straight Yankee nominate Joe Hawiey for governor. an he stunps every town in tue State Whs sort of . campaign, we ask our Repnbl can friends, would it be likely to be Would not old Connecticut grow as he against the tyranny of ignorance and ra. cAlity as was South Carolina last fall Would any old Republican touch balle for an alien Democrat, even though a honest oue. when there was any chanc that he could elect Joe Ha~ley? WouI not things happen during the canvas &hat hostile President at Washingto ~evld be apt to consider plain intimids &iOa sf -four Irish majority in Connect seut2"
 It is an Eadeniable fact that the mi, government of the so-called Republican in the Southern States has been such ( would have justified armed revolution but for the connection of those State with our national government. The Amer ,ican cclonies suEsrsd ao sash opersssio