The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-04-12
ISOlM!E 81. 4! ;, r A ST HISTORY
lex. Gov. chambs s,lain Whites Ct
the Re construction Lsws
AS NE sA,W THEM.
During the Good Days cf Good
Stealing and 'il'age il Seu'h
n Carolina. Hampton as
.aLeader.

:.
55tsS'3 Carolina. Hampton as
a Leader. @
hat the reconstruction measures of
l the Republican Congressional leaders
Immediately after tho war were mis-
Y take was maintained by this papor at
h .he time. That they wore directly ro-
spopsiblo for the era of corruption and
miegovernment which sfilioted tho
South up to the end Of tho efforts to
Amaintain a black or Republican supro.
< mAcy through the uso Of Federal troops
and denial Of political rights to tho
1 rebel or white leaders has boen abund-
.antly demonstrated in the passage Of
time. OF tho nature Of tho blundor
4 and its deplorablo oonse quep COS no ono
lis betterS9s jfied to spoak than Daniel
u H. UhaluSerlain, Of this State, fcrmcr
s Governor OF South Carolina, who most
4 fittingly heads list of Atlantic Month
] " contributors on reoonstru ction in tho
H South. His article in the April num-
ber Of that magazine ID we'll worth at.
tention.
The purpose as we'll as the ELECTS ef
S Thaddeus Stevens and Oliver p. Nor
4 ton were to unite The blacks, wholly
D regardless Of their utter ignorance and
incxpe rionoe and unftnoBs, and SECURE
to them, and the party they were allie d
with, that supremacy in Southern gov
ernment which their numbers alone on.
titled them to. Thus. the natural rulers
Of that section were not merely ignored,
but were sharply antagonized and en-
bittered to tho last degree. Tho in
evitable consequences to the negro him
self were the worst possible and are
ccnspiouously felt to this day.
Governor Chamberlain was not by
3 any means sympa'h heiio agent of the
85 Gong g-eaaional ne mists in their
n measures of The time. Ho had enlisted
4 from Massachusetts and was in CON
4 max d Of oolored troops during tho lat
y ter part Of tho rebellitn, settling in
f{g South Carolina after the war. Ho had
4 pei icoivcd the folly Of the plans of the
Congressional leaders in reconstruction
I at the outset, and in his yisita to Wash
Il ipgton in or about tho year 1867 he had
many interviews on tho subject with
men like Morton. Of the obduraoy and
intolerance Of lThaddeus Stevens in
s. forcing measures seen to be most unwisa
\ BY Mr. Chamberlain, tho latter givea US
n aorno idea when he now says that "mero
personal sclf,respeot limited the
sYriter''a; Intercourse with him o. ons
Whenilatsslt 'MYrsG Ghaia s q;
~ rolin, 5SAected Cover.
SShor BY tho black vote he did what ho
oonld to crush the over-presumptuous
Ss3 ness Of tho negro party and bring the
= !. ssWhitcsinto that participation in the Gov
s eminent Of the State which their educa.
J:tion, ability and expe rienco entitled
them to. His refusals to commission
two Judges nominated or dictated by q
hepublioan caucus is a case in pciut
which 10 historical in South Carolina.
That Governor Chamberlain failed to
gain the confidence and support Of the
4 whites, who turned to Wade Hampton
in 1876, is very far from telling against
the ability, irnpartiality and honesty Of
hia administration. Under the oirsum.
N stancesit was hardly to be expected,
tand tho settlement of the disputed re-
quits Of the State election of 1876 by
~ Mr. Ohamberlain's withdrawal of Lis
X claims and the passing Of tho State into
he hands OF the whites was the wisest
]. possible and and reflects credit upon
him. Il is inter esting to note that ho
y has, in this article, only appreoiativo
words for his old antagonist, Gen. Wado
HAMPTON, whom he oharacterizes as tho
one truo leader South Carolina had had
after Calhoun. The stronghth of his
!. Leadership, Mr.. Chamberlain says, lay
not iii his intellectual or oratorioal
superiority, "but il high and foYceful
!" character, perfect courage and ZEAL do.
3 votion to what he conceived to be tho
welfare Of South Carolina"
vi tho general chars oter Of tho re.
oonatruction measures Governor Cham
y beflain says: .0I
1T is now plain to all that recon
3 Bttuotion under the Acts Of 1867 was,
& at any rate, q .frightful experiment,
which never could have given reel
u statesman who learned or know the
{ facts the smallest hope Of suocos 8.
Government, self. government, tho caro-
8@4of common public interests by the peo-
pie themselves, is not 80 easy or simple
ga taak as not 10 rt quire modicum of
experience as we'll as modioum Of
mental and moral character. In the
3 ,rlasa Of $4,000 oolored voters in South
4. Caroline in 1867 what elements or
i forces could havo existed that made for
good government? *** Added to this
obvious discourage ment and impossi-
Z bility in South Carolina was tho fact
that these 78, 900 colored voters were
distinctly and Of design pitted sgainst
4 46, 600 whites, who held all the proper
I ~, education and public experience Of
the State. 1t is not less than shocking
70 think Of such odds, suoh inevitable
4 disaster. Yet It was deliberately
planned and eagerly welcomed at Wash
3Sipston, and oalm'y accepted by the par
ty through tho country"
And again in concluding his reviow
"a most valuable historical chapter
S@ofS South Cardinals ton.years' export.
B 9fioe under reoonstruoton, no says:
%lho chapter Of recent events eov.
BY this papor smado up largely
OF the: fccord of mistakes aud crimes
4 followed by the sure, unyaryipg rotri.
buttons which all history tosohes arc
tho early or late result. Of evil courses
In nationa and States as we'll as in in
diyiduals. 10 whom, humanity speak
& ing, arc these woes and wastes charge