Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-01-04
Correspondence OF the GRAFT couaty HERALD

nave been nearly two weeks in
South Carolina.
During this time | have heard the
| stories and statements of over two
hundred citizens,-men and women,
white and black, Republicans and
Democrats, cultured and illiterate,
soldiers and civilians from different
counties and districts of the State
! and have read the sworn testimony
of host of witnesses who had been
summoned to Columbia to give evil
dence in the United States District
Courts as well as large collection of
affidavits and letters on file in the Ex-
ecutlve archives. Gen. Sherman once
remarked, in casual way, that, if he
owned he'll and Texas, and was
obliged to live in one of them, he
would not hesitate to rent out Texas
and live in the other place. Now,
South Carolina is worse than Texas.
Last spring | was in Mississippi, and
heard all the evidence given before
The Senate Investigating Committee
there. / thought then that | had seen
the reverse of the apostolic vision of
the heavens opened-and that the In
ferno itself had been moved to Missis-
sippi. But South Carolina is worse
than Mississippi. It's banditti is more
remorseless, its politicians more un-
scrupulous, and its disting uished rep
resentatives more untruthful. If the
Rep ubicans of the North, and the
law.abiding portion of the Democratic
party, could know the true condition
of affairs in this State, it would be
blotted out from the map of the Re-
public and military government es-
tablished here until the present race
dies out. The evidence given before
the Congressional Committee here
has been aptly characterized as "mo-
notonous-the monotony of assassina-
ton" This was the utterance of one
of the most conservative and distin-
cuisine statesmen of the nation.
"The Chivalry"
There are no such people here as
the chivalry in the sense in which
civilized persons understand the term.
The public men of South Carolina are
veneered barbarians. And the We
neering is very thin. They scruple
at neither lies nor murder to accom-
plish their ends. 1t is perfectly as
founding to read here the statements
they telegraph to the North. Seven
tenths of them are absolute lies. In
enfranchising the blacks, the North
forgot two things first, the AFFECT
Ignorance in which slavery had kept
the bondmen; and second, the savage
brutality that slavery had bred in the
blood and bones of their masters
Andersonville was the RI pc fruit OF
such a system. | heard the other day
an old Judge in speaking of these peo-
pie say, "The Sioux should be brought
here to improve the breed. South
Carolina" he added Gin the geology
of human history. has only reached
the Devonian period the epoch most
prolific of monsters" 1t seems a
harsh saying But | predict that the
evidence that will be published by
the Congressional Committees will
show that this verdict is as just as it
is severe.
The Two Races and Parties.
Let me briefly indicate how these
brutal "chivalry" conducted the last
election. Early in the Spring Gen.
NJ. G. Butler began to advocate the
'sstraight out policy, that is, that
the rebel Democrats should refuse to
CO operate with the reform Republi-
cans and make partzan effort to
carry the State.
There are $4,000 more adult male
black than there are adult male whites
in this State. Not one in hundred
of the blacks can be coaxed or bribed
to vote the Democratic ticket. They
all vote at every election They re.
gard the ballot as the most precious
symbol of their manhood. These facts
rendered the success of the Democra.
cy as a party utterly hopeless at any
free and fair election. Their leaders
tried by every peaceful agency to di.
vide the negro vote. They never
made convert.
"Carpet-bag Rule
This was unfortunate for all classes
for it made the Republican party ire
sponsible and put many bad men into
office. Black demagogues were often
elected to the legislature and there
were unwise expenditures and unneo-
issary extravaganza. But, although
the TAXATION was necessarily heavier
than before the war, ii aoas and has
always been much less oaerous than in
the Northern States. Apart from any
extravaganza, the mere fact of eman-
cipation more than doubled the ex-
penses of the government, because as
one example every black offender.
formerly punished by his master or
not punished at alp. had now to be
prosecuted in the courts of the State
This nearly doubled the machinery of
justice. Schools were established for
all classes. In the days when chivary
ruled there were no free schools for
the whites; and it was penitentiary
offense to teach black child how to
read. Almost every principle and insti-
tuition Of progress in South Carolina
has been introduced By the denounced
and detested "carpet-bag governments :"
Bear this vital fact in mind. Now,
the reason why Notwithstanding this
fact), the taxation here under carpet
bag rule is not excessive as com.
pared with the taxation of New York
under shellalah rule is because the
Federal authority commanded that
the Southern war debts should be
wiped out. This mandate ruined
thousands of rich men who had loaned
their money to the Rebel Government,
but it lessened the burden of taxation
all over the South.
Reform Inaugurated.