The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-10-20

over the fact that they have car
ried the election by large ma
jority. One of the negroes car
ries around ballot with a pic
ture of a rat on it and another
negro asks him what the rat
stands for and the old fellow as
sumes a grand air of knowledge
and says, why, niger, you
doan no muffin. Dat air rat stands
fer de raterfercation of the con-
stitution.' William Pitt Shrimp,
a mite of a white man, and as
small in his principles as in his
stature, is elected governor and
Silas Lynch, an educated mullato,
lieutenant-governor. Lynch con-
trolls Shrimp through threats of
exposure and in that way holds
the state government in his own
hands. Shrimp, the governor,
is evidently a representative of
Franklin j. Moses, governor dur
ing reconstruction days. Stone
man, the radical leader and secret
founder of the Black League,
really the Thaddeus Stevens of
history, is in the town in search
of health. With him is his daugh-
ter, Elsie, and they are boarding
with DR.. Cameron, formerly a
very wealthy man. Elsie, who
nursed Ben Cameron during the
war, loves him, and when Stone
man discovers that the young
people love each other he offers
Ben whom he greatly admired
the leadership Of the carpetbag
party in the state. Ben takes
the offer under consideration as
he thinks that this may open the
way for him to best serve his
people; but the posting of a proc
lamation by Stoneman announc-
ing that the United States troops
were ordered to uphold marriages
between blacks and whites opens
his eyes. He tears the procla-
nation into shreds and casts it
into the teeth of Stoneman and
Lynch.
A very dramatic situation in
this first scene is where Ben
Cameron, the young white man,
meets Silas Lynch, the negro
lieutenant-governor. They stare
at each other and slowly as if
compelled by some instructive
working of the soul the negro
lifts his hat to the white man as
if he knew in spite of himself
that the white man was his
superior.
The second act is laid in the
parlor of the Cameron house.
Lynch has ordered that the house
be sold for the excessive taxes
that have accumulated during
the year just past. He intends
to buy it and turn the Camerons
out. The auction sale begins and
a swarm of dirty negroes crowd
into the house. Elsie hears of
what is happening and comes in
time to outbid Lynch. Shrimp
enters with his colored troops
and prompted by Lynch orders
that the white companies in the
state disband. He demands the
surrender of Ben's sword but
Ben threatens to run it through
him. General Forrest, the grand
wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, is
present incognito and he whis-
pers to Ben to submit as there is
a better way. Shrimp then
grandiloquently announces to the
assembled blacks that they are
the equals of white men. Old
Nelse, the faithful servant of the
Camerons, walks up to Shrimp
and says: 'Is l your equal?'
f, He is assured that he is. Where
upon he promptly knocks down
the governor, saying, "Take dat
,, from your equal, den.'
The first scene of the third act
is again in the yard of the Came
ron house. 1t is the thirteenth
birthday of little Flora Cameron,
a beautiful little girl with blue
eyes and the breath of roses in
her face. She is happy with her
gifts, playing in the garden
Behind the hedge is seen the
Sinking figure of Gus, the cap