The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1882-11-24
THE EXPERIMENT OF NEGRO SUFFRAGE
AND ITS RESULTS

hiShfccn' years ago the right to vote
was conferred on the freedmen in South
Carolina. There has been. therefore, time
enough to try the experiment whether the
present generation of freedmen can BE- ex.
pectcd, when left to their own advice, to use
their political power judiciously for
the common good The infamous charac.
ter Of the State Government from 1868 to
1876 is universally known, and the rasc.li.
ty of the leaders, both white and black. wa,
generally condemned, SO the public scnti
ment of the country justified the political
revolution of 1876, because it was realized
that no set of white people could, or should,
submit to such degradation aud loss as were
inflicted upon the people of South Carolina
The revolution accomplished, there was
feeling, both in other States aud in this
State, that there was no longer an urgent
necessity for the continuance of white su.
prcmacy, inasmuch as under NO conceivable
circumstances could the government Of
Scott, Moses and Chamberlain be lcStorcA
Fortunately We have the facts to guide us
i'll coming to a conclusion upon this subject.
The Democrats have been in power in
South Carolina about eight years, and the
colorcd people understand that their ow n
peculiar rule was ovcrthrown because of
its dishonesty and incapacity. They know
too that the Republicans in the North and
West, towards the end, were fierce in their
condemnation Of the fraud and venalitv
which pcrmcatcd the government. There
has been every inluconent, therefore, to
select honest and capable candidates whc:-
ever the coiored people retain the power.
1t happens tina. there is a county III this
State in which colprel supremacy, rs
matter Of voting, is sc iudisputed that the
colored people arc ut liberty 70 move politi
cally as their reason and knowledge dircc'.
This county is Beaufort, where Che elective
officers have been filed since 1868 by Re
publicaus. Tho registered vote in the
county is: whites, 33j; colored, 5, HIS.
There are nearly twenty times as many
V.
For number of years the Democrats have
not nominated canlida,cs, aud the colorel
people elect thcirnominceS without difficulty
or opposition. What is the character OF the
candidates in this Black county? last
Tuesday there wcr3 elected in BeauloYtthr @
mcmbcr@ Of the Legislature and the county
officers, including the Probate Judge. By
the character of the mcnibers OF the Legis>
laturc and of the Porbato Judge, the prs
grcss of the co!orei People Of the cJuaty
can be measured.
Two of the three members Of the Lcgisla.
turc are unknown to us; but of the third too
much is known. The name OF this fellow
is Hastings Can't lie was member Of the
Legislature III the times ofg1ol Stcala.. 1t
is proved in the Report Of the Committee
on Frauds that Cant. received shire of
the br!bo given to the Legislature for pass.
ing the Furniture bills; that he received a,
one time Sl75as bride from the Republican
Printing Company and that he WAS paid $75
for supporting claim of iI,rly Solomon's.
In the report OF the Committce Is published
also Gantt's own affidavit that he was paid
500 by State Treasurer Parker for votin.,
for the Blue Ridge bill. This precious
scamp is deliberately chosen By the colorcl
people of Beaufort County to rcpHscnt them
in the Legislature ofthis State. 1t will be
no more than is demanded by respect for
its own members if the legi laturc shall
refuse to permit this scl'convicte6 briba.
takcr to sit among honest m.n rs member
Of the General Assembly of South Carolina
The Probate Judge, however, whom tho
Beaufort people have elected is a worse knayc
than Hastings Can't. This probate Judge is
w. J. Whipper, who was prominent mem.
Der OF the legislature during The Radical era.
How much he stole will, perhaps, never b,
known; but it is proved by the Committee on
Frauds that his rooms at Columbia were
handsomely furnished at the expense of the
State; that he received $4,000 for voting for
the Furniture claims; that lie charged and
was paid $50 day for professional services
for forty ,>threc days in investigating the af.
fairs of the Bank of the State, amounting to
$3.50, aud that he was paid $500 tor
voting for one Of the Printing bills Dis
trict Attorney Melton, who at the time was
Attorney~General of the State, is authority
for the. statement that Whipper, as Sinking
Fund Commissioner, was defaulter to the
amount of $4,000
1t will be remembered that Whippcr with
Ex-Governor Moses was elected Circuit Judge
by the Legislature in December, 1876,