The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-10-22
CHI a r L ES T ON.
THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER %. 1868.
Fo- President. ;. .HuRATIO SEYMOUR,
For Yscs-P President. :. FRANCIS p. BLAIR.
Even-Handed Justice.

The white people of this State will sup
port the civil authorities in such measures
as may be necessary for preserving the
public peace, and will disoountenance and
condemn all violations Of the law. This
they will do,, because they assert and main
tain the principle of equal and even-handed
Justice for all men; not because they are in
sensible to the proEocations which they
have been called on to endure, or because
they are willing to allow the negro to ride
rough shod over them They look to the
law for their'protection, as wellas for their
vindication, when insulted or wronged; and
if they are ever convinced that the law, as
now administered, favors the one race at
the expense of the other, and that what is
crime in the white man is not punished as
o crime in the negro, they cannot be rea-
sonably blamed if they are tempted to
constitute themselves at once judges and
executioners.
We state these facts for the reason that
it is noticed that large rewards have been
offered for the apprehension of the murder
ers of the negro Randolph, and that two
white men have been arrested for completely
in the murder of the negro Nance; while we
have no knowledge that any attempt has been
made to arrest the negroes who attempted to
assassinate white man at Newberry on
Sunday, who seriously wounded q white
man at Clinton on Sunday afternoon, or
who assembled in Columbia on Monday
with the avowed purpose Of saking the life
of prominent colored Democrat. We do
not assume that Governor ScoTT will so far
prostitute the high functions Of his Office as
to hunt down the white man and allow the
negro to escape. We expect that he will be
impartial and just, and assure him that he
will be supported by the great mass of the
people of the Stats in keeping the peace and
repressing disorder, as long as he is upright
in his official conduct, and gives to the Re-
publican the same indulgence, and no more,
which is given to the Democrat
We also desire to call the attention Of
Governor Scorr to the obvious truth, that
violent and incen diary speeches have much
to do with ihe troubles which now distract
our usually quiet State. If the white peo-
pie, goaded on by a myriad wrongs, have
sometimes been at fault, the colored people
have been at fault infinitely more often. The
Republican speakers, whether they meant
much or little, have used language that
would have fred the heart of a stone, and
it was only day or two before his death
that Randolph told the citizens of Able
vile, that if they did not take heed the
torch would be applied to every house in
the village occupied by white roen. These
things must be repressed if we are to have
peace; and they can be repressed if Gov
ernor Sc5Tr and the Republican leaders
will use their influence for that purpose.
1t is not sufficient to punish the crime;
as much of the exciting cause as can
be reached should be removed. This
must be done upon the principle that
the .colored man and Republican are to be
judged by the laws which govern the white
man and Democrat; and that moderation
and quiet on the part Of the whites will be
utterly unavailing if the negroes are en-
couraged to deliver exciting harangues,
whose natural sequence is conspiracy and
assassination. This is the maxim which
will, we hope, guide Governor ScoTT in
dealing, officially and personally, with the
two races. No other line of conduct can
secure to us that peace and security which
We 80 earnestly desire.