New-York tribune., 1900-12-14
SOUTH CAROLINA TOPICS.
A TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENTS ANSWER TO THE
STATEMENTS OF A CRITIC.

. TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENTS ANSWER TO THE
STATEMENTS OF A CRITIC.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: V. p. Clayton, a very worthy man. ~
a letter 10 The Tribune under date Of Charles
ton November ., undertakes 10 correct ''glaring
rnisstatement' in an article from your Columbia
correspondent AS 10 the figures on the states
vote Mr.. Clayton is correct Writing a week be-
fore the Official figures were obtanable, based the
statement on the figures reported. These included
Richland County complete which contains the cap
ital Of the State. The Democratic Executive Com
nittee and the newspapers had urged the people TO
vote The result showed about one-fourth the vote
in the August primaries. The same proportion was
shown in towns reporting. This would have given
II maintained throughout the State. vote OF less
than 5000 I allowed 10000. but returns from the
backwoods surprised everybody The possibility Of
the Republicans capturing the State if prepared
and alert was. Of course based on q 5000 vote.
Mr. Clayton declares that Republicans have al
ways since 1865 had full Congress ticket in the
field at each biennial election If that is fact it
has not been known TO the general public
But II is al the statement that there is such
ignorance among the young whites IN the State
that about one hundred young men" IN the "a
south Carolina Regiment could not sign the pay
rolf that Mr. Clayton seems 10 take the greatest
offence He had communicated with the super
intendent of Education. who declares my state
ment absurd" and says that common ooserva-
testimony OF Colonel Willie Jones. who believes
the statement is erroneous" and does not believe
there were twenty-five men in the whole regi-
ment who could not sign their names All OF
which goes 10 prove that the active and prae-
deal Superintendent Of Education has something
70 learn about the ignorance in his State. and that
the average colonel Of volunteers is not an intel-
gence bureau.
Captain w. z. Gonzales who as adjutant Of the
sert to form the % Regiment. is authority for
the statement In drawing the for the nrSt
40 he found that fortyfour could not sign the
receipts AfterWard, mastering ot1cer for the
regiment and as captain or q company, ne en-
countered the same ilteracy. But there Is
stronger proof than this. The muster out rolls in
the Adjutant- Generals Office show that, although
fully two hundred had been discharged or
died since the regiment was formed, numbers OF
whom were among the most ignorant in the regi-
ment; and although several who went into the
Army unable 10 write were taught by their ON
sign their names, at muster out 1o2 men had
70 make their mark.
The records OF the lst South Carolina Regiment
are too imperfect 10 enable statement 10 be made
for the whole body. but the muster out rolls OF
three companies-G and K-show that seventy
saven, or % per cent Of their enlisted men, could
not sign the rolls.
! canrot agree with Mr. Clayton that this ex-
hibition of the ignorance OF young white men is
harmful. In my opinion we are suffering under
two curses-ignorance and the hip pocket pistol
They go together, and neither evil will be eradi-
Gated until those with the power face them and
the wild country boy, with ignorant parents, TO
school Compulsory education is his only salvation
THE TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT.
Columbia, s. c, Dec 5, 1900