The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-09-16
7 dent of the United States, on behalf OF
the citizens of Spartanburg District.
J. TEWART HANCKEL,
WINK. BLAKE, Commlttce. llt'e
IS C..sMEANS; -
GOV. SCOTS REPLY.
coLuMp1A, Sept. 1st, 1868.

- sa.;-,s GOV. SCOTS REPLY
-. COLUMBIA, Sept: 1st, 1868.
Messrs. j. Stevart Hanckel, Wm. X.
Blake and IS. G. Means, Committee, de-:
.GENTLEMEN: Your communication OF
the 9th -ult., enclosing "petition and
remonstrance," from citizensiof Spartan
burg, has been received. ..11-.-..i
1t gives me pleasure that you and other
citizens Of that County are earnestly de-
sirous of maintaining tho public peace,
and cnsuring the prevalence.of law ana
order; and L sincerely ythope that not only
your, County, but the rest OF our state,
may enjoy that immunity from disturb
sanIce. which has prevailed in Spartanburg
since the war Candor compcls me to
express, however the regret feel, that
fellow.citizelis have deemed it prop
er to announce their petition that an
aattempt"! at s'yiolence"' on the part OF
siany cyil-disposed blacks would be met
Iby Shorthand sharp retribution." -
l.ssThis, expression has. to the popular
tmind d signifcation quite atvariance with
the regular execution Of the due process
of. law,and, it may, be feared, would be
Elegardcd by. citizens ofrthomore ignorant,
leeiasses, and perhaps by many; compara-
Itively we'll Informed, asa, threat to com
nit a. violence, which ]. have no doubtit
is your. .chief.desire to avoid. ,.;.
=. .Ins times like: these, when two great
political parties are arrayed against each
other in a canvass ofnnnsuai excitement,
words and acts, harmless under other cir
eumstances, may become incentives to
lawless acts "A heavy moral rcsponsi
bility rests upon all classes, and especially
upon those who are possessed of position
and intelligence, to avoid the use of in
temperate orseven imprudent language )
and everything which looks like advice
to the people to prepare themselves to
l.resisG violence that does not exist, has
E,tendencYsto create the very evils against
which such preparation is supposed to be
stnadc. While l acquit: the citizens OF.
Spartanburg of any intention TO bring on
disturbances, and give them, on the other
hand. tie fullest credit for o desire to
maintain the peace, / have iclt at liberty
to say so much, by way OF comment, on
the language of the petition, and of sug-
gestion of the moderation T tain wonld
see characterize the utterances OF all well
disposed citizens.
Tile petition and remohstranco contains
the following statement: When, upon
-reccrt OCCASION, tile Executive of the
State was appraised by Il respectable com
mluee of citizens from Union District o!
the existence of armed organizations OF
negroes, who werc openly parading and
threatening the public peace; when he
was informed of their avowcd purpose,
with concert Oh the part Of similar or
ganizltions from adjoining districts, to
assault the Jail and release prisoners
therein confined under due process of law,
their information was treated almost with
icvity, but assuredIy without the grave
consideration and promptitnde OF action
betting the emergency. Without lnves.
tigation had, their fears were pronounced
.groundlcss; no steps. were taken to on
force the law prohibiting such organiza
tons. and the negro inccndiary, beading
that in Union District, not only escaped
without any public censure, but (unless
we are greatly misinformcdO was even.
treated with favor"
I must repel with carncstness the
charge herein made, that the communi-
cation made to me by the Committee
from Union was treated "almost with
|-leyity.." On the contrary, everything
that WAS reasonable and proper was done,
and done promptly. 1t is certainly true
that i did not fully share in the fears OF
civil disturbance which wore felt by the
Committee. 1hadheard ] too often erpdrte
statements of the faults and sins OF polti-
cal opponents, to give entire crcdence to
one side of a; story Till the other had been
shown, and / say this with no desire OF
purpose Of questioning the integrity of
til. gentlemen Of the Committee. But |
!. took immediate measures to ascertain,
i by investigation, what the real facts were.
issued an order 10 the person above al
luded to, as q "negro incendiary," TO ab-
1 stain from all violations Of the law, and /
ccnsured him for his imprudent and in
fammltory language. The investigation
made it evident that while he had said
and done that which was preiudical to the
preservation Of harmonious relations be.
tween the races, he had committed, cor-
talnly at the time When this investigation
i took place, no overt act OF an illegal char
acter.
Italso showed that threats had been
made that the political gatherings and
associations of one political party should
be broken up, andit is believed that those
threats brou gilt from that political party
counter-threats, and an expression OF q
purpose tomake an armed defence against
any such unlawful attempt to Interfere
with the rights of tho people to assemble
and discuss political questions. 1t. did
not appear that any armed organization
existed among the blacks. The blacks
and whiles indiscrimnately, have, 1t
seems, acquired the bad habit of carrying