The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-08-19
Radicalism in Columbia 1915
By W. H. WALLACE,
Editor of the Newberry Observer.

might have been to qualify himself
for the presidency, as no one had
ever been elected to that office who
parted his name in the middle 1t
may be the young man was off at
school from 1873 to 1876. Certain
it is that no young man named Tom
Wilson ever gave the college authori-
ties any trouble by trying to f1irt
with the college girls, which proves
either that he was not at home or
that he was a model young man.
The Legislature i'm Radical Days.
1t was the hey-day of radicalism in
Columbia, 1878 to 1876, the three
years of my stay at the college,; to
which I had gone not much more
than IL months out Of college my
SELF I saw a good deal of the states
rulers, as my work was only from
nine to two and nothing to do on
Saturdays. I went often to the Leg
islature, having a number of friends
there who would find me a seat on
the floor of the senate or the house.
During portions of those years Rob-
ert B. Elliott, a negro carpet-bagger
from the state of Henry Cabot Lodge,
presided over the house as speaker,
and Richard H. Gleaves, also a ne
gro and also carpet-bagger, presided
over the senate as lieutenant COVER
nor A large proportion of the
house and senate was made up of
negroes, including Beverly Nash, of
Richland county, a former hotel
porter at Janney's hotel, gifted with
large share of negro wit, who, be-
ing asked how much the senators
got, replied, Five dollars and pick
ings.'
The finest residences in Columbia
were On Richland street, west of
Main, that portion known as "Arsen-
al Hill," so-called presumably be-
cause the governors mansion, form
erly arsenal, was in that immediate
vicinity. Among the owners and oc-
cupants of those handsome residences
were Daniel H. Chamberlain, some
time attorney general, then governor;
the negro senator from Marlboro
county, who was known as "The
Duke of Marlboro and L. Cass Car
penter, the l.. standing for Lewis, I
suppose; who deserves more than a
passing notice. How such miser-
able specimen of radical carpet-bag-
gerry could ever have been named
after Lewis Cass, one of the most
distinguished and most honored
Democrats the country has ever
known, friend and protege of the
two presidents of the United States
with whom democracy" is most
often associated, Jefferson and
Jackson, is a mystery. Perhaps his
father was an admirer of Cass, and
the son went back on the name.
Edited the Union Herald.
But, give the devil his due; L.
Cass Carpenter is not to be confused
with Judge R. B. Carpenter, whom
the Democratic party of South Caro-
lima ran for governor in 1870, with
Gen. NJ. G. Butler for lieutenant
governor. And don't be too hard
on the Democrats either, for they
were in sore straits and were grasp
ing at every straw that gave the
slightest hope of saving themselves
from Radical" rule. R. B. Carpe-
ter was a radical judge of some
ability, from Kentucky and a con-
vention of white and negro took him
up in effort to beat Robert K. Scott.
1t was of Carpenter that DR.. Robert
Cleveland said, after hearing him at
Spartanburg, eff he isn't radical, he
ought to sue his countenance for
libel"
l.. Cass Carpenter was owner and
editor of the United Herald, a right
lively and readable morning daily in
Columbia. He was not prepossess-
ing individual so far as his look went.
He was redheaded and had frey
red whiskers. Those were the days
the ambitious youth would have de-
lighted in who wrote:
81 wish | was an editor;
Wouldn't I have a time?
| wouldn't write cussed word
For less than a dollar line
All the facts of the radical legisla-
ture we're, by law, published word
for word in friendly newspapers at so
much per line, the price being ex-
tremely liberal. So Carpenter Waxed