The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-09-05
'oKAEoEsURa, S. c. SEPTEMBER 5. 1879.
'tf'iDEArOCRATIC TICKET.
investigations,

During the last Congress there was
aperfect mania among the Rcpubi-
can members and many Democrats
for the appointment OF investigating
committees. The oslensiblc reason
was for the examination Of frauds
wherever they might exist, but the
real reason was to lay bare TO the
country and especially to the saints
of New England the crooked ways of
tho South. Orangeburg remembers
,yerywell the Investigating farce, en-
acted Ut Charleston last winter when
some Of her best citizcns were drag
ged from their business, their fami-
lies and their homes on the evidence
of a perjurcd, colored and sclf-consti-
tpted victim and afadjndged to be de-
tserving of tria! by 2 Hotoriously one
lasd 5aas ssJ1dgSp:jbeforA a bqpght and
packed jury; and the entire peop|ee Of
this State remembers, too, the shame
less compromise which put an end to
the doings of this Radical Court and
gave immunity to Radical thieves
who had grown fat on the taxes OF
her people. I his investigation was
but The reduplication Of those held at
Columbia, New Orleans and Wash
iingtop, where committees were pack
ed, witnesses bought and innocent
men persecuted-all that the Rcpub-
iican party might hpld high carni-
val over these Southern States.
Whilst this mania was raging, and
amid the examinations and rccrimina-
tiops 80 inglol iously INDUCED in be-
tween our Northern Republican and
Democratic friends, Senator M. c..
Butler, Of our State, secured the ap-
pointment Of similar committee
with himself as chairman, to invcs,i-
gate the election frauds of New Eng.
land itself. These sainlcd apostles
2f o, new political creed had not the
most distant idea that this bold Caro-
inian would carry the investigation
war into ehe very heart Of theircoun-
try, but such proved. to be the fact.
Holding lin memory tho ignominy
heeped upon his own state, he wrongs
bis ,peoplp. had suffered and the bold
hqtt''upehccked lmpudence of their
Jaducers, no determined to-. make
bslAt tho frauds by which the North.
ern masses had been 30 long heldin
political slavery and ito brand the
pctpetrators.o OF those wrongs with the
btigma the!r deeds richly deserved.
SO vigorously was this investigation
eonanntcd and in such rapid success
si0n were fraud after fraud and
wrong after wrong unearlhed-
80 large that Southern misloings
were but tho feeble limitations, that
.be Northern press we're stunned and
The Northern people agIlast while be.
holding the unfolding of crimes large
enough to damn thousand Blaincs
and Conklings. Time enough llaying
elapsed, however, to recover from
the .iiHss'cllect, the country is alive to
The fact that the most undoubted cvi-
qcnce actually exist of tho rottenncss
of the election laws and, indeed, OF
their whole political system. Now
that Maine, heretofore largely Radi.
cal, is now posing between Ropubli.
canism and Democracy, and that
Rhode Island, alarmed ut tho cxpos-
ures OF. Senator Butler, is willing
10 look into the private affairs of
some of her leaders and submit the
matters possibly to the courts of the
state. Whether these violators OF
law and" dcccncy arc ever made to