The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-08-21
General SickIcs and the ChnrIestou
Boa rd OF Trnde-Univcrsal Amnesty.

General Sicklcs and the Charleston
Board Of Trnde-Cnivcrsn1 Am nesty.
General Sickles has addressed to
the Board of Trade, in Charleston,
communication in answer to the
protest of that Board against the en-
forcement of certain of his orders.
A double interest attaches to this
communication, as an able paper
itself. and as the subjects of which
it treats have just been considered
in Cabinet, and decided, as we are
somewhat vaguely told, in sense
adverse to the Generals views. The
document recites distinctly the course
of events that resulted in making
military law paramount in South
Carolina-information very necessary
to the Board of Trade-and then
points out that the orders in question
were issued by the proper military
authority, purely in the interests of
the people, to secure their comfort
and prosperity, and to stay legal
proceedings, that would be annoying
and mischievous without securing
any good result-that would, in the
name of justice, infict the greatest
miseries upon the people. The pro-
test of the Board of Trade is, first,
against the Generals modification of
the whiskey trade; second, against
his abolition of distress for rent;
third, against his order staying the
enforced collection of certain classes
of debts. It needs, indeed, only to
designate the character of these seve-
raj orders to see that their purpose
could only be that of Tightening the
present burdens of the people, and the
communication referred to, abundant
ly shows the wisdom of the two lat
ter in pointing out that, while re-
ieving poor creditors, they are no
actual injury to debtors, since suits
enforced at the present time, could
not secure the creditor q satisfactory
remedy, and would only render it
impossible that the debtor could ever
pay. They have the effect of modi-
fed and limited bankruptcy acts.
This leaves the Board of Ira lie to
stand as the especial representatives
and champions of the whiskey inte-
rest, which they doubtless are; and
in the peculiar prominence that the
great frauds on the revenue are
giving to that interest, it will receive
but little sympathy. It is to be
hoped that the President has not
modified the effect of any one of
these wise orders
The progress of events is giving
also peculiar weight to another COM
munication from Gen. Sickles-viz:
his letter to Senator Trumbull, writ
ten some time during the summer,
and made public just before the close
of the last session of Congress-. In
that letter, the Commander of the
Second District exposed, forcibly,
certain notable Inconsistencies in the
state of our laws regarding the South.
Radical reconstruction, for instance,
gives votes to all the niggers, and it
tells the country that this is necessa-
ry, In order that the votes of those
loyal negroes may act as fair politi-
cal balance to the votes of the only
half loyal Southern whites. The
country sees this argument clearly,
admits that it is cogent, and the Mig
gers get the votes. Then the radical
plan, having thus provided for the
niger, takes up the Southern white
man, whom we ought to consider no
longer dangerous, since his political
power is nullified or balanced by the
vote just given to the freedman.
Having thus balanced the white
mans vote. however, the radical
plan next takes it away. Southern
white men are disfranchised, and the
country is told that this is necessary
in order to punish them for rebellion.
At this stage, the people get puzzled
little. Rebellion is wrong-is traa-
son-and to punish it is right, no
doubt. But, then, all the radical
political leaders up at the head of the
line have managed to let off such