Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-10-18
A Black Chapter In the History Of
Radical MisrGIe in the South.

Our esteemed contemporary, the Times,
Yesterday recited at some length and In a
somewhat ford strain the story Of Franklin
j. Moses, for some time, by favor Of the
Federal authorities at Washington, Cover
nor of the State of South Carolina, and now
a homeless vsgrsnt arrsigned for petty lar
ceuy in a New York Police Court. "No
need to point the moral" says our contem-
porarv. tsof this sorrowful tale" Is this so,
indeedY Is there no need indeed to point
the moral of a sorrowful tale which could
never have been told had not the people OF
the victorious North, carried away by the
passions of the civil war and blinded by
the arts of INSCRIPTIONS demagogues
alike to the true condition Of the de-
feated South and to the true
principles Of our government, sustained
the Congressional leaders Of the Republic
can marty in policy disastrous to the South
and deadly to those principles All that
the Times now says of the official career OF
Franklin J. Moses as Speaker Of the AS
sembly and as Governor OF the State or
South Carolina is but the echo OF the
earnest protests then raised by the people
of that then Frustrated State and by the
Democrats of the whole Union against the
man himself and against the system which
made It possible for such a man to prostl-
tute the forms of popular self-government
to the service of his own greed and that OF
his allies and Confederates. Thus the
Times tells the tale:
cat the close Of the war, although he had
thrown himself heart and soul into the Con-
federate cause, he saw, as but few Others
did, that the leadeRof the newly enfran-
chised freedmen was sure of power, and he
took I'D their cause with an enthusiasm
that seemed almost real. His sagacitY and
audacity were rewarded. Speaker of the
Assembly, he engaged in career Of corrup-
ton, bribery and robbery which has had no
parallel in this country. He made no
bones of his rascally intentions. If he
wanted money, horses or any species OF
property, he demanded these of the men who
sued for his influence in the passage of bills in
which they were interested. He procured the
enactment of a law which gave him, as
Speaker, unlimited power to draw upon the
Treasury, and from that day his warrants,
taking precedence of all other demands,
were plentiful as the leaves OF the forest;
He owned a money mill. Having issued
nearly $2,000,000 in pay certificates as
Speaker, it was obvious that Gov. Moses
would rule the State with all the profigacy
and extravaganza that he had shown in his
less influential position. There was almost
no limit to this mans recklessness. He
seemed utterly devoid Of moral sense. He
levied toll on every public and private legis-
lative measure with money in IT. which
record, for example, that a valid claim of
100000, held by a banking company against
the State, could not be paid until $25, 900
was handed over to Moses. He involved one
of his underlings, Humbert, in scheme by
which the State was plundered OF $4,000,
and what seemed to be a grand larceny was
attempted against the State, and when the
officers went to arrest His Excellency they
found him int enched in his palace guarded
by the State militia. He gave away pardOns
like holiday baubles. Pimps, blacklegs,
criminals of every complexion were pardon
ed by telegraph, by letter, by verbal orders
to iailers, and with freedom which prom
ised immunity to crime so long as the Of
fender owned in Moses friend"
This is not the history of a Fanariote
'Iiar, lemonade seller and thief" sent by
the Sublime Porte TO rule over Syrian
pashalik. 1t is the history Of Republican
Governor of an American State, put and
kept in power over that State by Federal
bayOnets, at the dictation Of a reckless Re-
publican majority in the Congress OF the
United States. 1t is recited, not by South
ern Democratic journal, but by the leading
Republican newspaper of the chief city of
the North. Were these things done by
Speaker Moses or Governor Moses in a cor
ner? Were they not as well and as fully
known to every intelligent man in this coun-
try, who knew anything whatever of the
South, at the time when they were doing
as they now are Is there no need to point
the moral not only of such a tale, but of
the telling of such tale, not when the tell
ing might have served the State, but now
when the chief actor in these scandalous
scenes has executed the judgment Of all
injured people upon himselfP