The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-09-21
q, Tho Negro Army Of tho state.

The Santuc negro rioters fred upon the
white citizens; the Combshee rioters fired
upon the United States troops; but the band
Of armed freedmen whose arrest of q colored
man on Johns Islard was noticed on Satur
day, do not appear to have conducted them
selves with any extraordinary violence.
A negro man deserts his mistress twice,
and afterwards breaks her head, cuts her
finger and stabs her in the body with bay
onet- The woman is member of the
church and wants 'to get husband" so
makes complaint to the Johns Island Union
League of the conduct of her paramour.
Capers, negro, the local president, author
ICES the arrest Of the offending negro. This
is accomplished by two dozen Loyal Leaguers
armed with muskets, and their prisoner is
brought to this city and lodged in jail upon
the affidavit of the woman who has been
maltreated. In this instance the negroes
do not attempt to try and punish the sup
posed culprit as was endeavored to be done
on the Combahee. They make the arrest,
desiring only, it seems, to take the prisoner
before the "Supreme Court and let them
judge of the CASE"
It is likely enough that the negroes were
frat induced to arm and drill by the belief,
carefully instilled into their minds by the
white demsgogues, that they could not OBJ
tain justice or protection from Southern
magistrate. They were persuaded that it
was necessary to take the law into their
own hands, and, where this feeling was in
sufficient, they were driven by some demon
stration Of authority to form their compa-
nies Immediately. Capers, the President
of the Johns Island Union League, says
that Governor SCOTT last year ''issued an
ssorder, and according to that order they
"had committees in every place. Seven
"companies were organized, and they were
stold that they would be paid by the gov
:sernment when on duty, and that arms
would be given them" The exhortations
and threats of their white leaders, the be-
lief that no Southern man would treat them
fairly, and the natural love Of the negro for
any semblance of show and authority, were
sufficient to cause the freedmen to work
diligently and secretly in perfecting their
illegal organization; so that at this time, as
is we'll known, there are bands of armed
negroes drilling and marching in every dis
trict of the State.
The motives of the white Radicals in
forming this negro army are obvious enough.
They wanted a means of binding the negroes
together, of giving the political league pow
er for attack and aggression, and of pro-
tectiug themselves, if necessary, against
the people whom they had outraged and
wronged. But it yet remains to be seen
whether they will be able to so direct the
huge machine that it will always move or
be still at their bidding. There is danger
that the white Radicals may be hoist with
their own petard. Their tools will sooner
or later learn that the justice of the South
erner is safer than the Partially Of the
needy adventurer. They already know that
they have neither land, nor money, nor
Office to expect from their white leaders.
They are aware that their armed organiza-
tions are in appearance gigantic power.
And they may ere long be tempted to take
up arms to secure their share Of the spoils
of war, their share of pomp and state, their
share of profitable plunder. Every day
lessons the danger of q serious collision be-
tween the negro and the Southern whites ];
each day increases the hazard that the poor
negro worm may turn upon and wound the
miserable kuaves who now tread him in the
dust.
But, setting all speculation aside, we once
more declare that the negro army of which
we have spoken, whose skirmishers we see
maneuvring around US, is standing
menace to the peace of the State. If Gov
ernor ScoTr has the power to remove the
danger from US, let him at once announce,
without any appearance Of eqrivocation,