The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-08
RECONSTRUCTION IN SOUTH CARO-
lima

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litical affairs. In this time much of the
passion that was engendered during and
| by that era of misrule and outrage has
passed away, and the events as they oc-
CURED are now being reviewed with COM
parative calmness by the people of both
North and South. The Atlantic Monthly
is publishing a series of papers on recon-
struction. one of which, that on Recon
struction in South Carolina" is from the
pen of Daniel H. Chamberlain. He is
we'll qualified to discuss the dark period
He was an actor in the scenes.
Mr.. Chamberlain was born in Massa-
chusetts. He enlisted in 1864, and served
as lieutenant and captain in a negro cav
airy regiment. At the conclusion of the
war he was one of those who came into
the stricken section to make their for
tunes. He had graduated at law at Har-
ward, and upon removal to South Caro-
lima he became nOminally a cotton Planter,
and opened law office in Columbia. He
was a delegate to the constitutional con-
vention of 1868, which was largely COM
posed of negro ex-slaves so ignorant that
they were unable to write their names
In the same year he became attorney gen.
eral of the state, under Gov. Franklin J.
Moses, whose very name will forever re-
main a stencil in the nostrils of honest
men, This office he held for four years,
during which time the carpet-bag leeches
and the venal and ignorant blacks held
high carnival of looting by every means
which the shrewd and interruptions white
leaders could devise. In 1874 Mr.. Cham
berlain was elected Governor. He was
candidate again in the memorable cam
pagn of 1875, but was defeated by Gen.
Wade Hampton, after the use of strenuous
measures by the white men. After his
defeat for Governor Mr. Chamberlain
returned North, where he has since lived,
with the exception of a short time few
years ago, when he resided in Charles
ton as the receiver of the South Carolina
Railroad
1t will thus be seen that Mr.. Chamber
lain made his advent into South Carolina
in bad company, with which he was as
ISOLATED to a greater or less extent for
six to eight years. That he kept himself
tribute to his integrity. most search
ing investigation. made by the Legislature
Of South Carolina about 1877 or 1873, failed
to disclose any wrong doing on the part
of Mr.. Chamberlain, but did show that
on many occasions he had antagonized and
held in check the hooters who were deter
mined to make the most of their oppor-
tunities while the EZRA of good stealing"
lasted. At one time while Mr.. Cham
berlain was Governor the Legislature
elected the infamous Moses and a
negro of the name of Whipper to be
judges of the two most important circuits
in the state. Gov. Chamberlain fatty re-
fused to commission them; for which he
received the thanks of the white people.
1t Is not to be lost sight Of however,
that while Gov. Chamberlain kept his
hands clean, and probably gave the state
as good government as any other man
could have done under the circumstances,
he used all of his power and influence to
keep the Republican party, which he
knew to be rotten to the core, in power.
1t was he who appealed to President
Grant for troops, in response to which
Columbia was filled with United States
soldiers. However, after the inauguro-
ton of President Hayes, Gov. Chamber
lain withdrew his claims to election, and
left the state.
All of this is by way of showing that
Mr.. Chamberlain knows his subject when
he writes of reconstruction in South Caro-
lima. He was in a position to see things
from the inside. That they were horribly
corrupt he asserts in strong terms. But
he, in common with others, knows that
the corruption was the inevitable result
of the national administrations policy of
forcing the domination OF ignorance and
unscrupulousness upon the people. "In
the mass of $4,000 colored voters in South
Carolina in 1876, what element or force
could have existed that made for good
government" he asks. These 5000 col
ored voters were "ptted against 46 900
whites who held all the property, educa-
ton and public experience of the state.
lit is not less than shocking to think of
such odds, such inevitable disaster"
The blame for the reconstruction horrors
Mr.. Chamberlain places primarily upon
the shoulders of the intolerant Thaddeus
Stevens and the equally bitter oliver p.
Morton. They originated and framed the
reconstruction acts of 1867, which were
passed by Republican 'doctrinaires" and
congressman who knew better but were
overborne or overpersuaded by party lead
ers who moved on, driving the reluctant,
ostracizing the doubtful, brutality riding
down those who dared to oppose" 1t
was the plan OF the party leaders to make
the South Republican, and they hesitated
at no device to accomplish their purpose.
1T is now plain to ALL" says Mr.. Cham
berlain, that reconstruction under the
acts of 1867 was. at any rate, a frightful
experiment. which never could have given
a real statesman who learned or knew
the facts the smallest hope of success"
There could be but one outcome of the
effort to force a government by an igno-
rant and inferior race upon an educated
and superior race; first corruption and
then revolution, which was the process
In South Carolina. Nor was the revolu-
ton bloodless one. And the blood that
was shed is upon the heads of those Re
publican leaders and 'doctrlnaires" who
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