Litchfield enquirer., 1877-02-08
a southern Dilemma.

pleasure of the Northern people with the Southern Carpet-bag gove .nments. and to their probable speedy overthrow. We call the attention of our readers to the admissions of tho South Caro- Ilna Republican, the latter half of whose article will be found on our first page. Its closing sentence speaks in the following decisive terms of the negro's present incompetency for self government.
 As to the negro's capacity for govern. ment. I must say frankly that he iss no more fit for it than a crowd of Irish rouehs picked mp promiscuously in the streets of Northen city.
 We gather from the article, also. that under the present rSginae. the accidental impeachment of Chamberlain excepted. the negro rule is growing worse instead of better He has been to school to the Carpet Bagge,; and, now, having become thoroughly versed in the dishonest meth- ods of his teacher, he proposes to begin business on his own account,
 They understand all the arts of the lob- by; they are quick with points of order tack on riders. hurry jobs through under the previous question, etc. They under stand we'll how to make corporations pay for bills, and candidates for nominations Rings are well known in their politics They have rivaled in repea . ing any feats of Tammany or of Philadel- phia roughs. Charleston County has been chiefly the theatre of these deeds. Ne groes in swarms go voting from poll to poll in the country, and then enter the c cty and vote at several precincts there.
 The groaing intelligence of the race not tending to honester government. but to demand for participation in the plum der of dishonest government.
 For three or four years they have dis played great dissatisfaction with theii white leaders. Our votes keep the part, in power, and we ought to have the offices. ' In consequence, many white leaders have been discarded. and those who yet remain prominent have had .o use money and official patronage freely to retain their influence. Out of about, one hundred and twenty-five republicans in the two legis tive houses last session, about one hun dred and ten were colored.
 In the convention which renominatpd Chamberlain, last September, "South Car olinian" admits that the corrupt element was in the majority. They dared not re nn1;oko Nbo
 A compromise was effected, and the governor was renomlnated; a few of the highest offices were given to his adherents, and the rest were given to the corrupte>t men in the corrupt section of the par'y In 8 majority of counties the corruptlonists broke out in open re- bellion, put up their own men. and re fused to give the Chamberlainites show ing; and the Chamberlainites and Mir. Chamberlain acquiesced.
 If such was the action of the party in the hour of it's direst peril, we can judge how little chance there will be of reform should It's power become assured. Cham berlain will be discarded on the first op. portunity. and South Carolina will be cone St. Domingo. in all save it's mas sacres.
 Nor can We look with unmixed compla- cency on the restoration of the South Carolina whites to power, especially ii their reactiohary tendencies areto be un- der no restraint of a Republican presi- dent and Congress. It is dilemma from which. however, there is no escape. To hold the late master under political cub jection to his late slave is a sin against ed. South Carolina cannot be remanded into the provisional" or territorial state without Congressional action, and the Democratic House would certainly block any such measure Nothing remains, therefore, but to let the whites try their hand at local government. once more Of the two evils-government. hy black ignorance and dishonesty. or by white bIgotry Hnd nto'erance- think candid men must choose the latter; differing therein from "South Carolinian" who seems to incline to the former.
 The heat of presidential election, and the fiery onslaught of the whites on the monstrous engine of tyranny get up over them by their old slaves, now their pollt- ical masters, has evidently led to his se- rious over-estimation of the dangers of such reaction. The fallacy of one of his prophecies of evil is already obvi ous. Writing as he does before the meet ing of Congress Tn December, South Car olian" says:
 The excitement in the South over the presidential contest is literally frightful Should it be adverse to Mir. Tilden, the national House of Representatives and Mr. Tilden have it in their power to cause m explosion in the South so terrific thai the outbreak of 1860 61 will be almost forgotten.
 Since this was written, Congress has met and Northern Democratic dema- gogues have done their best to stir up the South to war. The attempt proved So NssSA AoAAutOs uC 4uAOV OcWcauOE OI the white Soutaerner in the face of tile exciting political emergencies of the past two months has won the commendation of all parties.
 Who can wonder that there. should be ostracism of Northerners when we consid 'r the bitterness of the Southern defeat and the bitterness of the subiectlon that nas succeeded that defeat. But we not only see no indications of second rebel
 ion: we can see no reason for it. Even 'South Carolinian" confesses that the re .nslavement of the negro is out of the question. so that the great motive for r b b.llion Is dead.
 There will no doubt be serious oppres. sion of the negro under a reastionarv white rSginse in South Carolina. The reader of Macaulay cannot but call to mind the similar events which character
 zed the rise of tue ignorant majority
 A AN