The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-17
STANDING UP FOR TIE STATE.

Senator Buffers speech on tho "Census
Frauds.-somo Plain English for tho
"POlitIcai Hiehwaynen"-The Amazing
Progress OF South Caroiina-What has
been Suffered and what Accumulated.
Senator Butler, III opening his speech,
called attention To the letter Of Gen.
Francis a. Walker, superintendent of the
census, dated January Is. 1881, written
in response 10 Senator Buffers resolu.
tuition calling for the report of the su.
perlntendent OF the census touching the
alleged fraud in the enumeration Of the
inhabitants of South Carolina. This
letter (the substance Of which has been
published heretofUre) "answers 60 COM
plcteiy the charges made from time to
time by partisan stump orators and sub
sidized organs" that Senator Butler
asked that it be read by the clerk for the
information of the Senate and the cnun-
try. This having been done, Senator
Butler said:
This full and complete reply TO the
imputatioDs of unlairness and fraud
| ought to satisfy the minds Of all men and
put to shame the authors of the baseless
| cIiumnies; but am not content TO stop
here: A certain Republican stump
orator on certain occasion in New York
CITY, where there was evidently an un.
| controllablc desire to fire the hearts" OF
his audience, concluded that u Just aud
honest recital of the truth would fail OF
that purpose, and therefore chose the
following language of insult and misrcp.
resentation rs q more potent appliance
for the occasion:
Perhaps this point vii! seem to
you to challenge some atteuli0n.-
For the population of Southern
States we must go back to the census oil
| 1870. That count Of the people was
made by enumerators not selected by
Southern senators and members of the
House as "non purtisans" and profession
al rciormers. 1t was made by the regu.
lar marshals and their deputies, and the
compensation was SO adjusted rs TO in.
duce thorough visitation and at the same
time to guard against cxaggeration of mum.
bers. No imputatiun ut fraud was ever
cast upon the work. Such thing IA plot
to labricate Il monstr0us increase of pop.
ulation in one section in order to battle
tho course Of nature and the logic of
events in another-a plot to change the
balance Of power and population in or
der aggrandize one section by estab
fishing falne basis Representation and
app"rtionment. thus robbing other sec.
tions of their share in governing the
country, in levying taxes aud appf0pria.
ting money, had not Mt hat time
occurred 10 the conservative iUes of Rnd
icalisn. That particular spoke i'm the
wheel Of devltry had not turned up to
the shifty patriot Of that day. Now such
schemes seem 10 wax apace. We read of
producing false heirs to thrones and es.
lates, but 10 multiply false heirs without
nny one to personate them on scale so
grand as seems now In process, would
stupeIy the ingenuity of n French novel
list, or anybody ese except thorough
going, non.partisan, conservative disciple
OF the Democratic persuasion, wanting
nothing for himself, but ready to do aud
suffrr tor white mans government with
"TcfvIm" and n change"
| The same orator makes also the follow
ing glatuitous fling:
This ls The ordinance of higher power
than South Carolina census taker."
| And in the course of the harranguc of
the aforesaid stump.orator broadside
after brondsde oi figures, problem after
problem in arithmetic, ,ingeniousIy cipher
oil out, were hurled at the South plau-
j Z,
! but as, disingenious and unfair as the
intellect that fabricated them and malig-
nant IN their purpose as the heart that
| inspired their utterance.
| Senator Butler then showed the popu-
lation of South Carolina to have been,
according to the census of 1870, 705, ,606,
and of 1880. 500, 1906, an increase in ten
years of 2S9,700-4l06 per cent, and
said:
The enumeration OF 1870 was made
under Republican auspices "by Repub'
lican marshais aud their deputies," not
"by enumerators selected by Southern
Senators and members of the House us
non -partisans and professional reform
ers." Never! The blierest enemies
aid must accomplished sianderers oi
Southern Senators and members Of the
House" cannot charge them with such
n puerile abortion.
Some ut least of the Republican "Sen-
ators and members of the House" of
that day of corruption and partisanship
are entitled to, and shall have, the
credit of the paternity of that deiormed
offspring. 1t is nf n piece with almost
all else that WAS done in the halcyon
days of Republican domination in this
Capitol Let us see what the present
superintendent of .ho census says about
it-a Republican and gentleman of
ability, culture, and honesty, whose
confirmation Southern Senators are quite
willing to be responsible for, md who,
believe, does not share the distinction
| with hia present accusers Of many things
done In 1870.
Senator Butler then read the Census
reports giving increases of 100 to ITO
per cent. in particular townships in
South Carolina, and said:
AT Orangeburg Courthouse the CEN
aus of 1870 gave population of 246,
that of 1889 of 2.ll0, an increase of770
per cent. The enumeration of 1870 is
80 ridiculously absurd. that q stranger
who had never seen the town, upon the
most casual observation, would pro.
! ::ounce 1t false. And 40 of Greenville
Township in Greenville County, and of
DeKalb Township in Kershaw County,
and of oil the "n,inor civil divisions"
in which comparisons have been made.
And | think we have much greater
| right to assume that there was in 1870 q
plot to fabricate an enormous decrease
ut populntion-a plot to change the
balance of power and population, in
order to aggrandize one section by
| establishing false basis of representa-.
ton and apportinnment In the South.
Such particular :'spoke in the wheel of
deviltry" of that day would haze fitted 70
aptiy with other "spokes Of deviltry cfthe
Radical wheel, and have been SO easily
adjustable, that no great stretch OF the
Imagination .rnn!a BE required &c :ssssssssssii :ssssssssssii