Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-10-16
letter to Governor Orr.
September 81. 1867

[J ff:5 csr"GsGSiStY 'JOFSi'!O: JUHtS--b II. CII.
SlR: You hay. addressed an oidicia' letter
to Geu. Sickle, 10 which ecu thank him for
bis ad,uini-t,ati,a while ruler Of this State.
Tas You DO on behalf O. ttose you "repre
sent Ny a,.uuishment yoar course is
nuly exceeded by my mort:f cation in finding
mv Stale 20 nj r. presented by yoa in your
oRic.a! capacity.
would call your attention to the follow
Jug pubic acts oi General s'ickles, and ask
wls:tor yoa c,nsiGe, tn author OF them
WORTH vi commcuia,ion:
Before the Act OF July created General
Si.hles military Gespos 81 the Caroliass, ne
on his owp authority, enacted:
q |. Tha. .groes Should 81 on jnries.
,. Tia: negroes sAor!a ride III first class
cara, and Steamboat state-rooms.
>. Ina! negroes should vot= esall elections.
{. That negroes should b. eligible to all
. oSc in tue S'a,e, i.claiing that which you
i,ps bold.
j. Tia. no elections should be held except
with hi, imp rial permission.
lie als5 committed the following act:
/. lie dcgtadcd bolh the United States
~. and the Charleston iiromei, by forcing
be lstter, against their uniform practice be-
!u,e tie war, 10 display aud salate the lorncf
,; y llu.eiy civic procession.
2. lie refused 20 obey the habsas corpus
writ Of the Uui'cd States Court, process so
sacred to all Epgshmen and Americans.
-. He cause Capt. McNeliy to be tried BY
Military Comui,son, Though the United
States Supreme Court had sole'nnly declared
Military Comlpis siCns illegal in time %! pcacel
aud dued him heavily Cor not allowing a ne
gress TO crowd herself with the ladies on his
boat.
J. He tried two youths Of Columbia, for
assau!tius two mischief makers from the
Nur:h, by Military Conmissi n, and sentenced
,le,n t, confinement at hard labor in inrt
ia another State, wbere, undess.ind, TREY
are now dcias po!ic; duty ca,i cooking i3l
negro troops.
3. lie removed All homes; magistrate Ii 20
.umjis, for not orcr-doin3 his duty in the
Above Gaze sed replaced hin and degraded
tie Office by appointing an ignorant negro.
&. He inter!e-ad sith 1us laws generally
and concerning rent, Licenses, aud the admin
istra.ion of ius,ice-thcrcby almost destroy
;ny ill credit.
!. He disfrancbised naturalized citizens.
with out any authority from Acts of Congress.
S. He Hedisfranchsed military against
the literal provision Of the July Act, as inter
yrcted by ITSELF
.. lie slandcred one Of the purest Equity
Judges OF the States and several of our mos.
respectable and honorable lawyers.
Much eulogy has been lavishcd by you or
Gen. Sckles fu- Order No. 10. Whatever
HAY have been the Temporary relief afforded
10 debtors by this extraordinary order, all
loye7s OF constitutional liberty have it forc,'
rpon their reflection, that laws similar hav
uriiurmly been pronounced by the Suprem
Court of the United States to be unconstitu-
tionsl: end that lar passed By our Lcgisl'.
ture, which by no means interiered with the
obligation Of contracts to the extent Of Order
No. 10, was declared by the highest court IL
the State, by ten judges against one, to be
v;olatve Of the Constitution CT the United
States. Also, that the Attorney General OF
the United States in an argument that has
not been, and can not be, answered, has de-
.c!seed the issu:ng OF this order 10 be DIES
l,osie stretch Of unauthorized power. Finally,
while temporary relief has been afforded 70
debtors, We have the fact forced upon US, thai
ii large class Of creditors among whom are
numbered many now destitute widows snd
orphans, hayc been great sufferers thereby.
In this connection, | would ask ie you do
not know that the application Of Order n"
10, to the Federal Courts, was an anafter.thought
on the part of General Sickles and that he
lid allow tho process Of this court to be free.
" executed in this State, until it occurred to
him that this court might, on proper case
made, declare the july act unconstitutional,
aod tbus destroy his super C1Qric power7
4 La
as your second bid for radical favor. Your
soeecL in Charleston, when you ungratefully
aspersed the Democratic party, which gsye
you prominence, was Jour first bid. Your
letter has furnished the radical party with
pretext for the prosecution of its nefarious
designs for the oppression OF the South, tbal
has been seized upon with avidity by It's par
tizan journals. While thus opening the way
for your admission into the folds of the Black
Republican party, you might at least have
spared US the uuwarranted calumny Of stat
Ing, that but for the wisdom, moderation
aud forbcarlreo" of Gen. Sickles, o consid
cradle pumbar Of troops would have been
necessary to preserve public records, and in
sire the safety Of sheritfs, kc.a You well
know how law-abiding are the citizens Of the
State thus maligned by you, and that the only
rio.ous demonstrations made since the war
have been by negroes at places where United
states troops were in force.
In conclusion, / must say that your letter
represents the sentiments Of only small
class OF debtoss. Who prefer their individual
we'll being to the preservation of the liberty
of their country; and thst sll true South
,Carolinians feel that Gen. Sickles, while with
us, whatever may have been his personal re-
lations to you, not only crushed out the sub
stance Of liberty, but likewise destroyed It's
fn-rs Yonrs resnectfully