The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-04-10


: a great many. They differed fro
these latter IN many ways.
: Under the State constitution adopte
In 1870 the apportionment Of polite;
power IN the State Senate was such ,
TO hx and perpetuate the domination
the coast counties by reason OF the faC
that each parish Of those countie
which were organized after the MAJ
ner OF tbs Cuurch Of England, wa
given senator, while the interiO
counties, then large in area and sparse
~ settlod d, were given only one Sena
tor each. The county of Charles
ton, with it's nine parishes, was thu
given nine senators, and the othe
coast counties had proportionate mum
| Oers OF Senators not at all correspond.
ing wi;n their popu alton later on.
This one-sided and unfair conuitio.
was g source of constant angry dis
| CusslOn and led to u division of "u,
country" and low country in Stat,
politics and insured the absolute domi
| uatlon OF the city of Charleston in
State affairs. All efforts to undo the
wrong were futile. The same constitu
tion provided tnat the governor anC
other State officers and the Judges o
the supreme and circuit courts should
be elected by the legislature, so tha;
the people were permitted TO vote only
for members of Congress, county
officers, and members of the leglsla,
ture. And the control of the machin-
my OF the counties even for the dis.
.ursing Of taxes and performing other
duties incident to county government
were in charge Of u board of commits
sioners appointed at the capital. This
government was as nearly aristOcratic
as has existed anywhere in America,
and two generations had passed away,
and third habituated to its require
ments was in possession Of the govern
ment when the civil war came on.
The large slave owners and families
OF greatest prominence and wealth.
by intermarriagc and other alliances,
held absolute sway in State politics,
aud the masses were mere puppets to
register their will. The State was
Democratic or Independent in national
politics, but it was aristocratic in local
affairs. This aristocracy, be 1T said 20
it's credit, gave the State as good gov
crnment, SO far as purity and honesty
were concerned, rs any country ever
had. But prouder, more arrogant,
or hot-headed ruling class never eX-
listed. Under the reconstruction con
stitution OF 1865 the election of COVER
nor and State officers was given to the
people by direct vote, and the scheme
uf county government was dece ntral-
IL ID aud placed in charge OF board
of county commissioners elected by
the people.
During the eight years OF radical
misrule, when the carpet -baggers and
their negro dupes trampled the whites
under foot in a way no other English
speaking community ever endured
klin hn hn .,N)s
collar" there was no opportunity for
growth along the lines Of true Ameri-
can citizenship and genuine Demo
cracy. To define it more clearly, there
was no such thing as rule of the peo-
pie, either white or black. When, in
1876, the white prople, in desperation,
rose and Overthrew the reconstruC.
tion government and drove out the
horde of til YES and bribe
takers, they were confronted with this
condition There was "a clear numeri-
cal majority OF negroes Of voting age
Of about 10000, and IL is sef-evident
proposition that white unity" was
the battle cry that most appealed to
the sense and patriotism of every white
man in the State.
anarchy and the burde nsome taxation
which mad existed, the reconstruction
government had dissipated the assets
OF the State bank amounting to 3,000,.
0O0 had squandered the States in
terest in railroads to an equal amount,
and had issued bonds increasing the
State debt from $6, ,000, 900 to more than
$40 100000, with nothing to show for
it. 1t is small wonder, then, that the
whites knew and understood the needs
of unity.
The political demarcation was q
color line, pure and simple. Demo
cracy meant white supremacy; Re-
publicanism meant the rule of the
African and carpetbagger and native
scalawag, the most dcspisel Of the
three. The newly emancipated white
men, who stood erect in the conscious
ness of being once more citizens. of
South Carolina, and freemen as far as
the State was concerned, followed the
leaders who had led in the fight for
t. at emancipation with almost blind
idOlatry. These leaders at once be.
came almost omnipOtent in State
politics and the paramount thought
in the minds of everyone VAS how to
retain control of the State government.
Prior to the war there had been
little or no division along party lines
in the State. 1t was said that when
Calhoun took snuff, the State sneeZed ;"
and hero worship has always been a
leading characteristic of our people.
The lack of familiarity with partisan
or party politics and the total lack of
familiarity with the machinery for
controlling and directing party policies
were great draw backs. In fact, the
people knew almost nothing about
such things. The four years of war
and the eight years Of reconstruction
during which there was paralysis OF
citizenship, had bred a torpor which
made it easy for the old aristocratiC
families aud those in alliance with
them to resume control, and the neces
sites OF the political situation, the er
forced white unity, made it easy tC
continue that control.
The constitution had been changed
the power vested in the people, bu
the conditions were not favorable 70,
its exercife. Party nominations were
made in convention Il mean as to State
officers and Congressman, and in man,
counties for all oflicers) from 1876 {,
800. From 1876 to 1880 there were n,
causes of cOmpiaint-every white maj
was satisfied with the management O
affairs and everyone set about actiyel,
rebuilding the State and advancin,
his individual interests. But In 1873
the poison began to work. Ring rul
Is an inevitable growth where only on
party exists. The conventions wer
manipulated as they usually are b
courthouse rings, and these worke