The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, August 04, 1916, Page FIVE, Image 5
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