The New York herald., 1878-11-25
south Carolina Politics.


Gus and interesting exposure, by promi-
nent and honorable South Carolina demo-
crat, Of the gross misconduct of tho men
who have got control of the democratic or
ganization in the lower counties of that
State, including the city Of Charleston.
This democratic ring as Mr.. Campbell
rightly calls it, has not bull-dozed the
blacks; it has undertaken to bull-doze the
whites. Its policy appears to be the literal
realization of what is called '.solid South,
for the political aim Of this ring is to force
all the white voters to remain in one party,
subject to the dictation Of the ring, whose
members have made themselves the masters
Of this party, and to reject the negro vote,
pass laws making it difficult for the blacks
to get in their votes, and then stuff the ballot
boxes and put their men in by deliberate
fraud.
The HERALD has often warned the demo-
Gratis of the political dangers Of ''solid
South" it has often pointed out to them
that the maintenance of the coior line was
justifable only while their States were de-
MED local self-government, and would be
impossible without fraud whenever the in
reference Of the federal government ceased.
This letter of Mr.. Campbell shows the
truth Of all we have urged on this head.
All the events of the recent election show
the impossibility OF maintaining ''solid
South, or a solid white democratic, vote
in any Southern State, except where. as in
Louisiana, the federal officers and repub-
lican leaders are particularly and Justly
odious to the people; or except where, as
in South Carolina, intimidation, not of the
blacks, but of the whites, united to un-
blushing fraud, is practsed by the demo-
cratic leaders.
Mr. Campbell deserves lasting honor from
his State and the country for his manly
stand for justice and fair play and for the
solemn engagements made by Governor
Hampton and the democrats of the State
That he had not the open and determined
support Of Governor Hampton is disgrace
to the Governor which must sink him very
deep in the contempt of honorable men of
both parties everywhere. But we wait to
see if no protest will come from Charles
ton and from South Carolina, and
whether that State. does not contain
sufficient number of honorable and high
spirited democrats to unite in public re-
pudiasion Of the misconduct of their party
leaders. It is plain that if the democrats
in the negro counties of the State had been
faithful to the Hampton policy of justice to
the blacks these would have freely supported
the democratic candidates. Mr.. Campbell
writes, .But for the conduct Of the demo
cratc) executive committee the republican
vote Of this county would have been given
heretofore and would now be given to such
democrats as stand by the Hampton policy,
which means merely the observance of good
faith, fair play, justice and the protection
OF the colored man in his rights.
We warn the Southern democrats Of one
thing-their States are now restored to
local self-government; the responsibility
of giving the colored men justice and fair
play rests upon them. The old system Of
federal interference will not be re-estab-
lished, and it is even probable that the
next Congress will repeal the federal elec-
ton laws or many parts OF them. But the
Northern public, feeling that full justice
has now been done to the South, will hence
forth watch the conduct of the democrats
there with redoubled jealousy, and so long
as public opinion in the South tolerates
such policy as that of these South Caro-
lima democrats so long the North will unite
against the democratic party of the country.
The recent events in South Carolina, Of
which Mr.. Campbell in his letter gives
only an incomplete history, will be found
to have decided the Presidential election in
1880 against the democratic party unless
public opinion in the South promptly and
conspicuously condemns and disowns them.
That is the moral of the whole matter, and
it is worth while for Northern democrats to
consider it.
An Interview with Ewing.
We copy from tho Cleveland Herald a