The Journal of Negro History Volume V Part 20

Secretary of the State Financial Board, consisting of the Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer and Comptroller, all white at that time.

Elected Clerk of the City Council of Columbia, S. C., by the unanimous vote of the members.

Resigned that position to accept the position of Private Secretary to Governor Chamberlain.

The best equipped and most brilliant young colored man I ever met.

J. E. Green--

Sergeant at Arms of the Senate during the whole Reconstruction Period.

A very efficient officer and a man of fine parts.

John Williams--

Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives during the whole period.

A very capable man and popular with the members.

There were many colored men who occupied positions of importance in the different countries--positions such as Sheriff, Treasurer, Auditor, Clerk of Court, Commissioner, Coroner and School Commissioner.

I never heard of any of them being removed for incompetency, dereliction of duty or malfeasance.

I regret very much that I cannot give you any information as to whether the men mentioned were free or slaves, as the persons from whom I could have gotten that information have all pa.s.sed away. Had I received such inquiry eight or ten years ago I could have furnished it as there were several persons then living who, I know, were well posted on that subject.

Of the names noted in this paper the following were from the North.

Some of them may have been from the South originally and returned after the war: R. B. Elliott, D. A. Straker, Maj. M. R. Delaney, W. H.

Jones, Dr. B. A. Bosemon, W. H. Thomas, H. W. Purvis, R. H. Gleaves, A. C. Jones, S. A. Swails, J. A. Bowley, J. E. Green.

The colored men of South Carolina played a more conspicuous part and held more offices of a high grade during the Reconstruction Period than the colored men of any other State.

South Carolina has the distinction of electing the first colored Congressman, (Joseph H. Rainey) and the last (George W. Murray.)[27]

South Carolina was represented in Congress by eight colored men--Rainey, Elliott, Ransier, Cain, Delarge, Smalls, Miller and Murray.

Mr. Miller and Mr. Murray served after the Reconstruction Period and most of Gen. Smalls' service was after that period.

When I compare the present political leaders in South Carolina with those of the Reconstruction Period I must confess that we have retrograted politically. They may be due to conditions. Not only in South Carolina, but where would you find in any State at the present time, political leaders who can measure up to the caliber of Elliott, Rainey, Straker, Cardozo, Swails, DeLarge, Bosemon, Wright, Ransier, Lee, McKinlay, Cain, Whipper and Wilder?

When the Negro race can again produce political leaders of the type named then we may look forward with some degree of hope for a solution of the Negro problem.

Your idea in collecting data relative to the Reconstruction Period is a laudable one, and the wonder is, and the pity of it is, that it had not been thought of long ere this. There are very few now left to tell the tale, and that in a very unsatisfactory way.

Some of the data relative to the Congressmen I got from Congressional Directories. To recall all names, dates and incidents pertaining to the Reconstruction Period after a period of fifty years would require the prodigious memory of a Macauley, even had I been an active partic.i.p.ant in political affairs at that time. There may be a few errors but they are of a minor character. I am glad that I am able to be of some a.s.sistance to you in this matter, however, little, and I can only say in the words of Macbeth,

"The service and the loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself."

Very respectfully, (Signed) H. A. WALLACE.[28]

All names referred to in this paper are of colored men unless otherwise stated.

CORRECTIONS OF DATA SUBMITTED BY MR. H. A. WALLACE, OF NEW YORK CITY

103 WEST 131 ST., NEW YORK, N. Y., February 18, 1918.

MR. MONROE N. WORK, Editor--Negro Year Book, Tuskegee Inst.i.tute, Ala,

_Dear Sir:_

In reply to your letter of the 11th inst., I beg leave to state that Hunter and d.i.c.kson were white. As to Brokenton I probably was thinking of a Brockenboro in Was.h.i.+ngton and got the names mixed.

Before leaving Was.h.i.+ngton in 1913 I let Whitfield McKinlay have my book, "Reconstruction in South Carolina" by John S. Reynolds, to read.

When I received your letters asking for a.s.sistance in getting the data relative to reconstruction in South Carolina I wrote to Mr. McKinley for the book. I wrote for it several times but not until about a month ago did he send it. I did not care to delay sending you the data, consequently I mailed it before the book came to hand. Had I received the book in time I could have made my paper a little more readable and avoided the errors referred to.

As you have, no doubt, taken data from the book by Reynolds I would like to correct a few errors I found therein.

_Reconstruction Convention_

Colleton--W. M. Vinery, should be Viney Darlington--Richard Humbird, should be Humbert Edgefield--John Wooley, colored, should be white Greenville--Wilson Cook, should be Cooke Kershaw--John A. Chestnut, should be Chesnut

_Chapter III--Scott's First Term_

Senate-- Chester--Lewis Wimbush, should be Lucius Wimbush Union--H. W. Duncan, colored, should be white This would make ten colored Senators

House of Representatives-- Abbeville--James Martin, white, should be colored Charleston--B. A. Bosemon, should be Dr. B. A. Bosemon, Jr.

William R. Jervay, should be Jar_vey_ Chesterfield--H. L. Shrewsberry, should be Shrews_bury_ Colleton--W. R. Hoyt is in the Senate column Wm. Driffle, should be Wm. _A._ Driffle H. James and T. Richardson, as members in addition to Thomas and Driffle.

Edgefield--John Wooley, colored should be white Georgetown--W. H. Jones, should be W. H. Jones _Jr._ Greenville--Wilson Cook, should be Cooke Kershaw--John A. Chestnut, should be _Chesnut_ Williamsburg--Jeff. Pendergra.s.s, should be _Jeffery Prendergra.s.s_.

Jas. Martin, Lee Nance and Wade Perrin, representatives and B. F.

Randolph, senator, were a.s.sa.s.sinated by the Ku-Klux Klan.

Page 111--"Among Mr Robertson's earliest official acts was the recommendation of an incompetent colored man to be postmaster at Columbia."

If you will look at the sketch I gave of Mr Wilder, the postmaster referred to, you will note that in 1880 when the Democrats had absolute control of South Carolina and Gens. Hampton and Butler represented the State in the U. S. Senate, Mr Wilder was confirmed for the fourth time, and as Columbia was the home post office of Senator Hampton it is not likely that he or Butler would have voted to confirm an imcompetent colored man when senatorial courtesy would have sustained them had they objected.

Page 229--W. R. Jervay, should be Jar_vey_.

Page 233--Relative to Henry E. Hayne going to the communion table I have to say that is all rot in so far as there were any objections.

The communicants with the exception of Mr Babbitt and family were nearly all colored. I know that the wardens and vestrymen were colored.