The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-09-04
SOUTH CAROLINA POLITICS.

porary NJ least, ana possibly permanent, or
the little oligarchy of "Lower Country"
planters, which, with the exception of the
Reconstruction period, has ruled the State
since it was Colony. 1t is amazing that
this upheaval has been 30 long delayed, for
the people of South Carolina have, for more
than century, been dumbly submissive to
the rule of little slaveholding clique in
way that seems incredible in this country
There has been absolutely no real democracy
in the State Governmental has been an
has done what it pleased with the common
people. Prior to Reconstruction it did not
allow them to vote for any State officers or
President Of the United States it denied
them education, discouraged immigration
lin 1860 there were but 9,906 foreign-born
people in the State, of whom 6,535 were in
Charleston); it frowned upon every thing that
looked like progress, and it forced them
relentlessly into the rebel army to fight
fight they had no hand in bringing on, and
for purpose which would have riyeted the
chains of slavery more strongly upon them.
1t is curious to study how this WAS done,
and the effective measures taken by the
slave lords to perpetuate their power. Like
the rest of the States of the South Atlantic
seaboard, South Carolina is divided geOogi-
cally into two parts: the swampy Lower
Country" in which are the rice and cotton
plantations owned by wealthy planters and
worked by immense gangs of negroes; and
the Upper Country" inhabited by the
poor whites" When the State Constitu-
ton was adopted after the Revolution the
plantation lords arranged il that the State
should be governed by Legislature, the
Lower House of which should contain 124
members, GO of whom should represent
population and GO taxation" That gave
the slave bosses an undoubted and peTma-
nent majority, and enabled them to do what
they pleased with the more numerous
sandhillers" of the Upper Country. No
man could be elected to the Legislature I'M
less he owned $4,000 worth of property.
The Legislature elected the Governor Lieu
tenant-Govornor and other State officers, and
appointed the Presidential Electors. II
passed very restrictive laws in favor of the
wealthy landholding classes, and in general
did what it pleased in the interest of the
planters and against those of the common
people.
The result was that South Carolina Jagged
far behind the rest of the country in every
species of progress, and all interests Ian
guished.
The Reconstruction Constitution, adopted
under military pressure of 1868, let in some
light, by putting the Government on a
democratic basis, but the slave-bosses soon
regained their ascendancy, and turned the
hands of the dial back as far as they could.
The Tillman movement is a revolt within
the Democratic party against the rule of
these oligarchs, and it has the sympathy of
everybody outside of the State 1t fayors
liberal provisions for common-schoos, in
ternal improvements, revision of the laws in
the interest of the common people, and, in
short, putting the State abreast ofthe times
Nothing since the war has equaled the
bitterness with which the old bosses have
fought the leaders of the new faction. The
State has been convulsed by the struggle,
and frequently fearful riots at public meet
ings were only avoided by the merest chance.
The only thing that prevented the old bosses
from resorting to their fayOrite expedient of
murder to get rid of Tillman and his associ-
ates was that their opponents are quite as
expert killers as themselves, and, rs the re-
suit showed, more numerous. Finally, the
bosses have seen that the instruction is
really revolution, and they have sub
mitted with bad grace to the inevitable.
Undoubtedly, the State will be greatly the
gamer by the success of the movement
MUCH interest is aroused over the coming