Year: 1871

DespoiIment OF South Carolina.


We have already helped to bring to
light the misdeeds of some men in high
places in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina
and elsewhere, and on yesterday gave
the public sorry picture Of the results
OF carpet bag rule in South Carolina
What a shameful exhibit it is By
juggling with figures and manipulating
artfully contrived tables, ring Of ad'
venturers kept the people Of South Car
olina as completely in the dark abou,
the finances of the State as though their
false returns had been printed in Sancrlt.
They prophesied smooth things while
the sh p was drifting into bankruptcy.
They had lied about the condition of
the treasury regularly and at fixed in,
tervals with all the system Of pract'ced
mountebanks. Bonds were printed 10
New York by the ream and sold in Wall
street for what they would fetch. A so
called State agent a street broker,
handled millions Of these bonds with
out giving shadow of responsible Sc
curity for the integrity o. his dealings.
The Governor, Treasurer, and Con-
troller General Wed with each other in
fsbricatiug statements intended for the
public eve, while the real facts and fig
ures in the desperate case were kept in
the secrecy OF their own offices. There
seemed to be no such thing as sounding
bottom in the wild stream which rush.
ed out Of the State Treasury. An IN
vestigating committee, appointed by the
frightened Legislature, came up to New
York to look into the finances Of the
State, which bad no apparent existence
outside OF Wall street; and these gen.
tlemen turned their tour into a holiday
trip and relaxed the stern justice OF
their intent into wild junketing at an
uptown hotel.


But the end has come at last. The
fabric OF falsehood has collapsed; the
public credit is moribund The people
have been deceived as long as pos
sible, and after such statements as a
seven million debt in 1870, and nine
and half millions in September, 1871,
we grasp the astounding fact that on the
10Th Of November, 1871, South Caro-
lima owed the enormous sum OF SlO,-
8O6. .90S. Here is State made fnan-
cially bankrupt by mere specula ators in
politics. What punishment shall over
take the plunderers who, within a very
few DAYS, have been whitewashlng each
other7 Certain it is that their guilt is as
clearly determined as that Of our own
municipal banditti, whose audacity so
much resembles theirs. We are heartily
sick of the sentimental attempts Of "party
managers" to cover up the corruption DIS
honesty, and ertravagance Of the carpet
bao governments The plea that exposure
of these frauds wiN mjTe the Republican
party is as wickcd as il is silly. Better, a
thousand times, that the party be rent
asunder than that any crime for which
it can be justly held responsible be
covered up in its own house. No oparty
can long live Nth such a cancer con-
cealed in lis bosom. But the party
is not resposible for the crimi-
nal dishonesty OF a few officials
who bear its name; though it would
be justly held to strict account If it
should be accessory to any attempt at
concealment Of the ofenses 10 which
we have called attention. We are glad
that it is too late to screen the rascaIl-
ties which have been perpetrated in the
Carolinas. We have fully exposed and
denounced these cunning thefts, and
leave the issue with the courts and the
public, more than ever convinced that
this is specially time for letting in the
light in dark places, aud bringing
rogues everywhere to righteous punish
ment