Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1861-11-27
A State Police.


Among the duties that lie before our Lcgsla
ture at its present Session, there is scarcely ont
moro imperious and urgent than that Of providing
State Police. Our militia regulations, it is true
already comprise an arrang cement to that end; but il
is not sufficient for the times. Those regulations
are themselves nearly defunct; and, in the virtua
disbanding of the militia beats, the patrol system
goes by the board. Yet at the best it never was
effective, in peace,-much less is it so in the
midst Of war, incendiarysm and threatened inva-
sion.
twill not do to say that our whole care and
attention must be concentrated upon Charleston
and the coast this were unjust to all the rest Of
the State. We grant that it is of main importance
that the enemy be driven baek from our soil But
j $ also important that network Of police and
espionage should cover our whole interior. The
most carefully devised precautionary measures in
this direction should at once be perfected by the
Legislature; and in any remodeling of our mill
tary organization that may take place, this mat
tor should receive the most scrupuluus, attention.
The safety of our homes, and the sccurity-ay,
eaS
daughters demand it.
Let our Legislators reflect, and surely they will,
that our peculiar domestic establishment is under
going the trial of fire. 1t is now before the world
in judgment, and.the turning point of its destiny
is at hand. While we believe and feel that it is
the best social system known to man, nearly all
the rest of the World believe it to be the worst
1t is ours now, if possible, to illustrate the true
WOW of this system. In doing SO, we shall coui-
NIT fatal folly if We expose it in the least to the
tampering of vicious influences. We ehall be
worse than deluded, if we suffer our in-wrought
confidence in its stability to make US careless Of
it's preservation. The enemy may have chosen
South Carolina, wherein not only to vent their
Spleen but also to test the institution fully and if
its weakness cGn be made available for their wick
cd purposes, to use it ruthlessly against u.s. Our
true course is, to prepare at once and completely
for the very worst that can possibly be anticipated
from the character Of the institution itself; there
fore it is that besides the defence Of soil, the
enforcement of a rigorous domestic surveillance
becomes also point of the greatest moment. The
part of our population to which reference is had,
while in tho main well-disposed and cheerfuly
subserrient, are also weak and susceptible and
We hesitate not to say that it will be criminal
negligence in our authorities to fail in using
every means to check and dissipate the absurd
visions they may now be led to harbor.-yisions
as baleful to their own real good as they might
provo to be (if allowed to generate their natural
4 8 4
being of the South. We trust then that our Leg
islature will set an example Of energy and deci
sion in the premises.
1t is not for US to indicate the mode and manner
of this State Police. We can only urge, in the
na,uc Of common prudence, that it bo made an
active and efficient one, embracing every precinct
in the State. Our preference would be for Il per-
r,ancnt, paid, mounted and uniformed police, the
corps for each District to be directed (undcr spe-
eiGc instructions) by the Sheriff of the said Dis
trict, to whom sufficient pcrquisitcs might be al
lowed, and in whose Office the entire business Of
the police might be conducted.
We arc aware that there are somo who think
lightly Of this mater, and say that the people at
home can attend to i! withou: troubling the State
authorities So perhaps they could if tley would.
But experience already shows that they will not
dois. And even did they set about j, in good
earnest, there would be no such general concert
of action as would elect tho desired purpose.
Unless something be done by the Legislature, our
affairs at home may blunder along uatil the evil
day comes when it will be too late to prevent mis-
chief. 1t is well to stimulate the citizen to the
duties Of a soldier in defence Of our country On
the battlefeld it is we'll too, to to i! that the
torch be not applied to the domicl Of that SOL
der's comparatively leferceless family.