The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-02-15

whispered IN your willing ear that the
hour OF your greatness was at hand.
You forsook the path Of manliness
aud decency, you luxuriatcd i'll the
disgusting applause OF rioters, and in
turn cajoled them with honeyed words
Of thanks and sycophancy. Thus was
the spectacle presented, Of Trustee
of the State College, and member of
the Legislature becoming tho friend
and patron Of mobs and lawbreakers!
Hitherto you had been adjuscd an
insidious, keen.sighted demsgogue, yet
eager for the Pproval Of the sober and
honorable. But nobody expected to
sec your nature so triumph over your
cleyerness, as to betray you into an
act as suicidal rs it was disgraceful.
For my own part, can hardly blame
you for your conduct. So much of
pity do ] feel for your nature, that my
strongest reprobution cannot rise a.
bove contempt.
In the meantime the poison you
had scattered, was working in other
places. At the dead hour of night, a.
mother mob encouraged by the scenes
enacted in Columbia, repeat that pro-
gramme, surround my house in Char
lesion, and shock the ears of my fam
lily. with blasphemy and obsccnity,
mingled with shouts for b. +. Perry.
Here again were you the hero. In
GreenviIle too, similar proceedings
are taken, and B. F. Perry's name is
the watch-word. All over the State,
your malignity passes for zeal for
popular rights, and your ISLANDERS for
just visitations upon one whom you
had falsely represented as opposed to
them. You were triumphant, and /
was crushed, rs you supposed. Gail
umny, and the voice Of denunciation
sllcnced for while all appeals to for
bearance or justice. All this owe to
your kindness" and ''inir criticism" ="
| hope that you enjoyed your vic
tory, that you gloated over the pros
pcct Of success in hopes long nursed,
yet often disappointed, when South
Carolina should become bull ring for
demagogues, and her people the dupcs
of lying sclEscekcrs.
From this hasty judgment of the
public, | appealed to its calmcr and
better sense and laid before it the Ad-
dress in its naked truth. You have
seen the result; and sincerely pity
your chagrin as day by day, and mail
after mail brought you sickeuing It'd
ings Of your detection and exposure
None but YOU have questioned the
identity Of the Address as delivered.
while the united press Of the State,
with scarcely a dissenting voice, has
proclaimed ny complete vindicatio,l
from your aspcrsiois. And here in
Charleston q public meeting has been
offered ME for the expression of similar
sentiments, participated in too by those
who had joined in the outcry against
me, but who now mayuani.nuusiv has
tened to repair the wrong. You have
Witnessed all this. and bitterly felt the
recoi!. Your next step is i'll just keep
ing with your former ones. Finding
that the Judgment Of tie public is
against you, you seek to force its re.
versal--and by what means? You do
not even publish the Address. You
did not dare 10 submit it simply and
as whole 10 the public, whose udg
m"nt YOU affect so much To value
But you serve up aalbled and di>joint.
cI extracts, from which TO tor,ur. ius
tilicaton Tor your libels. Why, the
Bible itself has been quoted to sustain
iniidelity, and i, isno wonder if my
Address is capable of ik> perversion
in your hands. You do not stop here.
You not only repeat your former libels
but true to your character, you again
become the calunniator, by attempt.
ing to cast suspicion upon the identity
oithe Address. Verify, it has hap
pcncd unto you, according to the true
proverb, the dog is turned to his own
vomit again, and The SOW that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire.'
But for this further outrage and calum
ny, should have passed you by, witt
all The glory YOU had previously won
Permit me now to attempt ii'possiblc
to add to it.
certainly do not intend to dispute
with you now, as 10 whether the Ad
dscSs, taken as q whole. or us it is
| butchcrcd by you, sus!ains you in your
aspcrsions. 1t was submitted TO the
public four weeks ago, to meet this
very issue; and they have read it care
fully and diligently, and have decided
| care not how nsuch, or how adroitly
you may delye and worm into it, tc
discover q spirit and doctrines where
with again to raise the storm. fee
conscious Of the fact that the publ,
have really had more of this matter
than they bargained for, and | doub
not that they will cAeerfully permit
both of us to hold whatever opinion.
we please, provided we spare ,hei
further attention.
There are but two points in your or
ticlc which care to notice. You sa,
that you expected my "displeasure,
and "indignant vengeance" when yo,
published your criticism of the Ad
dress; but that "such consideration
have never yet caused us to swerv
from the line Of duty, however mpcl
we may regret their consequences."-