The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-13
A WORD FOR CHARLESTON.
The Cp-COumtry Should Defer to Her
Superior Wealth and Intelligence.

There is an evident disposition cropping up
among some of the up-country dcnago&ues,
which we are sorry to sec cOuntenanced by
some of the up-country press, to excite Sec
tiOnal prejudice and issue between the up
country and the low-country. 1t Is a dcplor.
able sign Of the times that even In our Stat e
Legislature there are members found capable
of pandering to such miserable sentiment.
toriety Of attempting TO inspire the idea that
the "up.country," as he calls his section, Suf-
fers injustice by an misrepresentation by
the "loW-cOuntry,' as he IS pleased to try anu
diSsever the State. AS if we are not members
of one common bndy-one mother. Has he
never read the fable of the Billy and its menl-
hcrS? 1t is true that the Democratic White
Convention of 1863 broke up the parish syS-
TEN and virtually destroyed that Intelligent
conservative influence which that wise Sys-
tenn inaugurated before the war i'm the picnti-
tude of our States glory. Would Mr. Rice
and his compecrs regard with Jealousy the
growing prosperity OF the low-country AFTER
its recupera;iHn from the results of spOliation
of the vandas that invaded its soil and equal
ly dominated the upper section of the State
as they did the lower when the foot OF tho
thief pressed the surface OF our fair land?
Does Mr.. Rice and the caucus of "anti-low.
country" members of the Legislature not re-
member that while their property was IN COM
paratlve security, the lOw-country was over
run uy the carpet l-baggcr and the Radical ana
their malign influences" The lower section
"
and now, as matter Of sclfproteclion, she Is
entitled to an undimnished representation In
the councils Of the State as established by his
and our fOrefathers. Will they be willing to
make common cause with the strangers ana
aliens that have deSpoied this finest section
of the state, and have fattened upon the
homes and lands Of our best citizens, and de-
sire to see the low-country not only 0eSfad"d
by the continued presence OF the carpct-baS-
ger, but reduced to a vassalage to their breth-
81 ~
In reply to the stabs made at charleston
and the low-country by the hbbcriHe Press
dnd Banner last week and week before, which
admits that it is Jealous Of Charleston for its
full representation we have only to say that
We are sorry that such unworthy sentiments
should be lelt, much less expressed, by Broth
er Wilson. For ourselves we love the dear
old city and its surrounding country. and we
don't think that the rest cf the state can do
too much for our dear Old war-Scarcd city by
the Sea. There is there concentrated IN pro-
portion 10 it's white population greater de-
gree of wealth and capital that benefits the
whole State than in any similar community
in South Carolina, and certainly as much in
telligencc, virtue refinement and cultivation
as can be found in an equal area in the world
We cannot be Jealous of Charleston. Our
love for the devotion of her sons to every good
object inspires our confidence in her rcpresen-
tation however large il may DC. May ttnever
be diminished.
We commend unity If there was half the
unity throughout the Stale as eXisi ed in 1876,
when. with uneXampled unanimity, the up
and the loW-country were hand in
hand to redeem and disrnthral the State, we
need never again fear the 1nSihiouS attacks
from traitors and srnlawaSS from within nor
from Radicals and aliens from without.
We deplore the apparent device upon the
part OF some to inject into Stale politics any
thing looking to a ACKNOWLEDGMENT of our
body polite. Disguise itas we please. Charles
ton deserves and will control the balance of
power to which the intelligence and wisdom
Of her representative sons viii: ever command:
We should all he proud of them. and, instead
Of seeking 10 diminish, we shonll strive to in
crease the prestige of our Queen City-CharlCs-
ton.