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m lish tlie essays that >n x^e A>;)i V essay ciedals in t' e mg;i sc.-col- oi mire. U'r. H. Aull i'or several years line: hpc- cv.-incr a rolfl medal to tiiil* member of the graduating- cl.ss of the L three high schools mentioned who should produce the best composition of an assigned subject. Tin? has jv been dene to encourage English C07i> WT position. bject for the last school year v,:-s "Reconstruction" anl of course all the essays are on the t same subject. \By permission of the teacher of th? Little Mountain school we are printing also the essay tlvt w came second in the opinion of the W f judges who passed on them. There V / was a different set of judges for each school. RECONSTRUCTION. | (Elizabeth McWaters, Prosperity.) "There comes a song that awakes my soul, 5" ^ It is the song of years that are gone, They roll before me "with their V deeds/' So sings every true child of the new south, through whose veins flows the K blood of those old heroes of that R wonderful epoch in history known as B "The Reconstruction." Bp *At the close of the w.sr the seceded States -were in a state of utter exhaus/ 1 tion. We protected our struggle against Federal authority until further resistance was impossible, and laid down our arms only ^because there was no longer any p<Ver to H J use them. The complete subversion ft of our financil political, and social - systems- was of a very grave nature. We were bankrupt in our public finances and without private properMM We were without governments, an-d not allowed^ the power to frame govB ernments except by the permission or Federal author ities. , W Socially we were in a state of anarchy. Ahrmt this time there came into the field to ply their nefarious arts, -the "carpet bagger'' the soulless oppressor from the north and the "?calawag" the soulless plunderer from the south and for nearly .ten years In South Carolina they robbed while kthey pretended to rule; they plundered while t'hev professed to protect, until the state became so reduced in ' 1 ?L? *v- Co rliern ritoH material STrtflig'lII CLX1'\J DU V**w?% p under the he?vy weight of such con* ditions that it was known as the "Prostrate State." f When our peop]e had tried toy every device ingenuity could discover .to get relief from this wretched con dition. came the movement of 1876. ?m,;o littio efcnrt of revolution. j JL UJLO Tt UO AJkWAv v _ _ ' Good men -of all parties united to resist to any extremity the contln nance of the Radical -Government. Lincoln's plan of reconstruction was that the civil government should he restored in the south as soon .3s <armBL ed resistance to the United States had heen suppressed, and that it was the duty of the President to reconstruct m the state governments. In 1863 he assoied a proclamation to the effect ~ ?OT>F W inat any govern men l uigouu>cu * state of the Confederacy 'by voters who wo\ild take .an oath to support L the constitution and laws of the United States would be recognized by him as the true government o? thfc f state. But the number of voters must be at least one tenth of -the total number of votes cast in the state at | the election of I860. All persons who had -borne leading part in aid of the I confederacy were excluded. m Willie this regulation prevented a f large number of white persons from voting, it did not reouire that negroes should be allowed to vote. President I Lincoln knew that a race jilst emerg" ine from bondage was not capable o! (Toting intelligently. A few of the southern states had organized Goverrun ents in accordance with the proclamation, and Lincoln had recognized them. If Lincoln "hid lived she would probably have succeeded in carrying out his policy of reconstruction. As it was the ignorant negroes iwere eanea iroiu uie ucmo v( wnuxi and -corn to stand at the polls and vote. They were :n the legislature as a law-making power, as judges lr our highest and lowest courts, presi\ dins over our senatorial bodies ant' . serving as Speakers of the House ol Representatives and as members o! f congress. Every section prospered except th< south. Here the negroes guided bj ^ their white readers, formed an asso oiation known as the Loyal Ler.gur for the purpose of keeping the whitf race under foot. They committee EL.:-'.. j i . - arson, and crimes o: ever* ... : c .1 of -chaos, veac-e reigned. i ^ ^ ^ ^" ?::( ?v:: as The K; Kiari. ; spreading terror among tlie negroes. . j ! hoied to hec:. enough 01 thjm . iua the polls on ol-. tion day : > en j able the whites to regain control of the state governments. This or;;anij za:ion did much h: reconstructing ' the south. As has been seen the path to re! construction was sown with mistake5. ; blunders and failures, but t iere were many import nt successes which may , be s .mmarized as follows: Reconstr.ction secured undi.-ruled rights OT *i"!e : 11 save JA'^ u aa independent church an:! a right to education, und ii -ave to both races the public school system; it showed that free labor was better than s'ave labor; it destroyed the former le.idi ers of the whites, and secured peace ! and order. On the other hand j it placed the soutn in the hands of j an inferior race, whose members were 'led to 'believe that political j supremacy was their right by reason of their long servitude; that citizen- < ship was not necessarily the reward of industrial efficiency and political j 'honesty. j | So we see fulfilled the prophecy of j South Carolina's sweet singer, Timrod. 1 Thus he &ang concerning the south| land: j "But let our fear?if fears we have,1 be still, And turn us to the future, | Could we climb some mighty .1 Alp, I And view the coming: years, I The rapturous sight would fill. Our eypc with happv tears." ; I Once upon a time men were heard to say, "-Go West young man-" But ; now America is saying, "-Go South, jyoung man!" i " God makes it great and rich." i ; I * ' - i' RECOKSTRITCTI0N I> SOUTH j, CAROLINA. j 1 | (Evelyn Wise, Little 'Mountain.) |. In 1671 Sir John Yoeman, an Eng- . I : lisfrman, came # to ;3outli Carolina with some negroes from the island'. > ? of Earbadoe. These negroes were: I sold as slaves to the settlers along the,. Ashley River. When a negro is sold :, as ra slave it becomes his duty to pei - j form the -work given him to do by i ibis owner. In return the negro .:s j fed, -clothed and protected by ibis j master. . j J In 180-0 it became a hobby %of the j Northern 'historians' to picture to the ! world the slave treated as a beast. > I I They never pictured for one time the 1 1-devotion of the black mammy, to the ; children of their master. They only j j pictured slavery as & crime. # j 7n 18^0 we -find the north very un- i : just in their dealings with the south, jit was in 18-50 that John C. Calhoun, j the greatest statesman of his or any j other time, made such an earnest appeal on the floor of the senate, for the j | north to he fair and just with, the j south. / i I | But the north heeded not the appeal. j j In I860 tne nortn nao Decome su uu| Just in their treatment to the south, ithat the people of South Carolina se; ceded. One of the bloodiest wars as yet recorded in history was the result. t After four long years of bloody war j the south was overpowered, but not j defeated. Then the men who had fol- ; j lowed Lee and Jackson from Fort j Sumter to Appomattox Court house. ; returned to the once progressive state I of South Carolina, to find their homes i ' l? ? ? ^ A f, TTTrtVA mrmsnes. 111c onctj itimc uciu? nuc | stalled with, the blood of many of her I and heroic sons. i President Lincoln's proclamation [ !had set the negroes free, and they] were in power. The state was under j military rule. Murders were frequent; i and the murderer went unpunished. i Burnings were frequent. The homes ' ! [ of the whites were fired upon in the darkness of the night. White ladies v ere openJv insulted upon the public ' highways. _ I Tiien came the carpetbaggers from the north to plunder upon the help less whites. They were even worse than the negroes. They incited the > ignorant negro to commit many i crimes. Among the carpetbaggers we L have R. K. Scott of Ohio, who w <s ' ^elected the first governor under the1 i negro rule. It was during his admin i-tration that the plans were mad* ! a:::T excited to rob the state. Even worse than the negroes were r the few white men of South Carolina,* that turned their hoicks upon their } own people, th, t they might become ; 7 wealthy. Among them we have Franklin '.Vioses. " ana I nomas i Robinson, who vser> oth graduates i I of the University oi South Carolina.: I ^ Later they became so corrupt that vrt :a.< J fro::: the co% h.-e records. A: this tiniv three o: the srat?.->< 01;-rc-.-nu-.i vera :'o- >. i.iui] half of the legislature were negroes: i'.ley spent all of Their stealing from the state. *fiious..i:?i- an.i ihou>amis oi dollars were taken by ' the bi.:ck thieved. Neither lives nor j'l'Oj erty v. e: e safe. us at a le^ facts. Iii two years from 1S6< to 1S70 the state debt was increased from five million dollars to eighteen million dollars, rome few year- before the war. the average t x |Jevy was five hundred a::d fifty thousand dollars, in IS.")D it was increased to t'.vo rnilII. 12. :n ls7<? the legislature paid a Radical newspaper two dollars and fifty cents an inch in ordinary columns to publish the proceedings of that boc5y. which amounted to several large volumes. It was during that session that the legislature appropriated seven hundred thousand dollars, to buy land for the homeless. The land commissioners stole ninety thousand dollars in one deal alone. The state was charged to one hundred and fifty seven thousand, eight hun area aonars ior wines, wuiskiqs, cigars, drygoods and groceries purchased by the legislature for their personal use. The cost of one session which lasted only one hundred and six days was, .seven hundred thousand dollars. In Ulster county there were about five thousand farms, twenty-nine hundred of which were to be sold for taxes. This is not only true in Ulster county, but in many others. To add to these outrages, the government placed rifles into the hands of the negroes, in order to keep the whites from the polls on #election day. At fhie timp t/hprp wss an nreaniz.! tion effected by the whites, known as the Ku Klux-Kian. They visited tlie unruly negro at night and afflicted such punishment, as fitted the crime the negro had committed. In some cases the punishment was death. The Klan did much to protect the lives and property of the staie. They were a clan of determined men, many of whose members were th.e most prominent men of the state. They were so well organized thai although many were brought to trial, it never amounted to much. So well was their work dene, thai they terrified the negro, and thus Iheir work in reconstruction was great. The real reconstruction began under Governor D. H. Chamberlain, i white man of Massachusetts. In his first message to the legislature he urged that the taxes be reduced. He pointed out the unnecessary extravagance of the former session. and asked that it be cut down. He also ordered the negro troops to lay down their riSeS/ and disband. It was dur ii<g bis administration that many ot the robberies were brought to light and(manvof the robbers fled the stite. The campaign of .1876 was one of the bitterest in the history of South I Carolina or any other state. Chamberlain was the Radical nominee. General Wade Hampton, a man who always led his men to victory against the Federals, w,:is the Democratic ?-> 4-n nn 'J onrl Vl i C /" nllod P~! 1 ?> CJ liaiu^ivil UiiU liic made speeches all over the state. They were accompanied by men wearing the red shirts known as The lied Shirt Boys of '76. They rode to all the campaigns all over the state, urging Hampton with, their cheers. The election passed off quietly. Hampton was declared to be the nominee. Chamberlain also declared to be the nominee and refused t'j ie.tvo office. Then the call "was sent out all over the state for the Red Shirt 3oys to come help seur Hampton dtionio] f**oiric n-oro rnn intr flftlinnfofa y^v, icii wa ui.io v i Lt.-ring th-? Red Shirt Bo: s with theii guns and rifles. Hampton was made ruverijor. But another ufficulty --o^ fronted tuem The Democrats did not have a majority in the legislature. At this time S. S. Bridges, a negro was a member of the legislature from Newberry county. Some white mer from Newberry county took Bridges into a hotel and bought i?is vote foi fifteen hundred dollars. This was thf decided vote 2nd thus Hampton was seated. Then came the complete t changc in the affairs of South Carolina. Her people were again in power. Goe< government was again established unlive? and property were again mad* safe. The people went bark to worlt'.j rebuild their country with nev. f 'itli and courage. The great leader; in this work were the former Confederate soldiers, aided by their wives and children. We do not find enougl: space m msiory ue^oiea ic> me iiuo:' wc.nnn of > Hit ^'arolinx. v.*ho plavec such a noble part in the reconstruction. Progress is rapid. School* have been built and filled, the most efficient teachers. Cotton mills havf been built, and tocLjy South Carolina MHKJI r t.:.ir<I the cotton rroriiiv JLei us look at South Carolina ot to.ia... AM over tae sLate it;-'.' j:!-.. train!: . . : . ami x:ri;. become useful men a::i ; v : ;a. one can h? ar tlu- hum 01 millions 01 .spindles, spinning S ; :t!; arolina cotton into cloth. Every where is progress. The entire state is covered with \ net work of rail--, reads. Good roads are found everywhere. Today we lift our hearts in ; thankfulness, that we live in a state with a history, a state which is th? grandest in the l.'nion, namely, South Carolina. KK( ONS'VKl { ? ;.: . i ii-,.;doi e Hay, 'i.tniire.) Xo correct idea of what r^on^irucs.r-f\ U A >i)VJ ' 'Alt I *U1I V. *-l.> V^CLII Ut V7UvU Hi-.x " iv..vv*. some knowledge of T.:.o ch.ir?_-e:j brought <?: cut by '-n- w..;\ The>e. changes nought up m 11; very Jin- j j'Oiiaiit ?'?t siioDs 3.'iit? lii si 11 greatest question to be determined. w as wh ,t was to be done w:t 'i the j South This perplexing question in-; volved three different subjects; the status of the individual whites, the future of the negroes, and the relations to the union of the states which> had seceded. The north had conquered the south in the great strug-' gle therefore it was for her to ani swer this question. The south had j no part at all, she was conquered and * * A J * 1 ... V> A Vi o/1 : naa to a:uiuy uy nuai mc uuiui uau j to say. ' I j' There were many theories "held with j regard to the commonwealths which ' had seceded. Some persons held that ythey were conquered provinces; others that they had lost their statehood and become territories. Others held i that the south had committed suicide j i i as it were, and that the Federal constitution and laws did not apply to tv>o.m Abraham T.incoln said that the question of whether the seceded 'states i so called were in or out of the union j was "a mere pernicious abstraction.' I He held that the southern states were J never out of the union, but that they j were out of their practical relations j with the union. Unfortunately for j the south the congression il plan of, reconstruction was the one put forth ; by Thaddeus Stevens, who held mat; the states had committed suicide, j : They therefore stationed fine military j He;?~rments in the south, whosespecial duty it was to see that the re-i x- ^ i : QUireinetllS -OI I'UUgi csa in out icv,u^- | i struct ion of the state governments i i . was carried out. This plan of govern- j jment was naturally very offensive to j the south, for it made the negro prac- j tic-ally ruler over his former owner. I : The southern white men had no voice ! : in political matters and it was left to 1 , the negro to carry on the government. These former slaves were ignorant of , political affairs and had always been j in the habit of doing as they were ! directed. Some of the northern men j I taking advantage of the ignorance of! i naorAQP /-.amo ?rvnth to make tlieir i I C11C UtQi UV/O ^ w ? fortunes out of the government. These men were known as Carpet Baggers j and the lower class of southers men : : who joined them were known a3 | . Scalawags. These people influenced the ignorant negroes to vote as they directed and they put ignorant men in office who mismanaged affairs and got the south greatly in debt. The carpet baggers and scalawags would take whiskey to the polls and get the' I negroes drunk and then make them levy heavy taxes on their former j owners' land. The negroes took , charge of our state university and made ,a negro school of it. i / Xow to guard against such mis1; management and negro rule the southern5 gentlemen, who had return ! ed from the war, formed secret socie: ties known as the Ku-Klux-Klan and the Red Shirts. Their main object i was to counteract the influence of the -l oarner bakers and make it impos sible for that class of northern men : to get control of local affairs. Then if they could succeed in doing this : they could easily overrun the negro 1! rule. They would "break up the 1 drunken political meetings of the ; negroes and punish fhem when they committed crimes. These men did ^ ': great deal for the south and had it no' > been for them we may have been for i years longer under the negro rule. 5 The Red Shirts and Ku Klux carried the election one year for Governor 1 Hampton by secretly slipping the ne[ gro votes from the ballot boxes. These ) men are often criticised as whole for : doing outrageous things among the ' nesroes while when we look up the ; matter v/e find that only a few of their numbers did such things. ; Within a vear. however, affairs had 1 . ouieted down and a seen err! amnesty i cot onr' r.?iipr milder legislation help ' j eel to placate the southern ts. Soo?i "jthe supreme court, by imp riant deci5 sions, made it plain that tiie individ: ua! ."^.tes. in spite of the new consti5 tutional amendments. could contro? I L] their own citizens in manv important j rners inegroes would secure . . aii'i:' ' : oi ;;ui:v wer^ alY\ .j ?i .? ine :r<-f Cr-i :;.'i st.. tOS vv ere reo:-~a:::ziii2: thev were s i I u:. ii-r he rule o:' military governors, and ;r.:in ;ed to be to until President Mayes wa.s elected. After his election he removed these governors and i-'t the southern states have a voice in their government. Soon after till-,' was done there was a marked sign ol 1 recovery in the south. A new re. .. i p lOiicamsm. as we;: ;s a new nation, .'rose out < f The controversies be w?en 1 <? :"- and 1STT. President Hayes understood his mission in American history he said: "My chance to rvt1 my "ountry is to give it peace.: *o ::.-t sectional animosities die. to ear "he way for new ; lases of national politics. 1 am the end of an j era.'' I MEETIXJ OF COrXTY DEMOCRATIC EXECUTIVE C03nviITT?E. 'Notice is hereby given that the i County Democratic Executive Com- j mittee of Newberry County will hold ! i a meeting at the Courthouse at Newberry, S. C., on Monday, the 7th day of; August. 1916, at 11 o'clock a. m. A!J i 4 members are urged to be present, ai EXCUl T( Little M AJND KUTI C N. & FRIDAY, Al FC Newberry Col SCHEDULE AND R Special Trains with ample < Gervais Street, A. C. L. Stat Lv Columbia, Gervais St., A. C. L. Station " Leaphart " Irmo " Ballentine " White Rock " Hilton 'TVianin / Ar Lltt'e Mountain Special Train will leave Newl ;Lv Newbeiry 9:1 " Prosperity _X. 9:' | " Sliges 10:( Ar Little Mountain 10: l j (ftlidren at Half r ! Returning special train to ] tain 4:15 p. m. Arrives Nev Returning to Columbia lea1 Arrives Columbia 7:30 p. m. 1 II ? j Several prominent Orators and a good time is assured a and fine din-.ers. j For further information pb E. A. TA iAnnual Mountaii excu; AUGUST ! ? v] Charleston and We: r. j way to To Spring and M North Carolina, S< Tennessee. ir fore*q pfp r?all on Tic! i X -LV4i.V^^^ - ERN Gf y _ ' A - J -'- ???M1 : "i ry import:.: i. '.i.:; oZ Committee. At this meeting of the Committer rolls of the Democratic ClaDs ot Co iiKy will be examined. Anj person desiring to complain ot errors therein will be present for that pur pose. Any person denied or remsea l':.e right to enroll will ce Heard by tlie Committee. The members of the Committee will be prepared to submit their recommendations for managers, and to designate the polling places. Frank K. Hunter, County Chairman. B. B. Leitzsey, Secretary. 7-2o-2t. t WANTED?Teacher wante-d for Central school. Term begins the 15 of October. Salary $40 per month. Apply to any one of the undersigned. L. A. Shealy, Pomaria. J. D. Koon. Pomaria. G. W. Seybt, Pomaria. Trustees. 'jtmammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmrn S I 0 N ) r . Lountam \ JRN VIA L. R. R. % *i' JGUST 4TH |R . liege Reunion OUND TRIP FARES ' 3oaches will leave Columbia, ion at 7:00 A. M. Round Trip _ 7.00 a. m $1.25 ...7:17 " $1.00 . 7:27 " 75c 7:39 " 50c 7:47 " 40c 7:51 ? 30c 8:05 " 25c 8:30 " oerry on following schedule: 50 a. m 60c 50 " 30c 35 " 10c 5 " \\ * >fthe Above Fare dewberry leaves Little Mounrberry 4:55. ? - - - ? r A A ves Little Mountain o:w p.m. vhave been invited to speak, 11 #who enjoy a day's outing f \ one RRER, C. A., Phone 1040. i and Seashore RSION 16, 1916 lA >tern Carolina Raila mnisnv iiipuzij ountain Resorts in Duth Carolina and ; vet Agent or address EST WILLIAMS, ;neral Passenger Agent. ii J