The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-07
CHI EST.ON.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL =, 1869.
The Letter of Governor SCOTT.

1t beseems not public Journal to daily
with impurity, or to speak, without grave
cause, of the man whose life is notoriously
corrupt; and we have felt no pleasure, as
We expected no profit, in barring to the
broad light Of day the wanton and persist
ent slsnders Of the person who is now
| styled-Goyernor Of South Carolina. Had
the shaft been aimed at an individual, how
ever high in character or position, we
might have hesitated to arraign r. K.
Scott, Governor, at the bar Of public opin-
ion. But the white people Of the State in
which we live, and whose every interest is
ours, had been outragsously misrepresent-
ed and abused aud, without hesitation as
without personal malice, we fastened to
expose. the calumny, and to vindicate as
best we might the good namc Of this State
and of her people. =
And in declaring that the white people
of South Carolina will not submit to be
hectered and bullied by negro soldiery, and
that they will never so far dishonor their
ancestors and shame their wives and child
rem as to bow to the rule of negro militia,
we but gave expression to the feeling which
ouickens the pulse, nerves the arm and
Aushes the face of every respectable white
man from the sesboard to the mountains.
It was not to have been expected that this
feeling would have met the sympathy OF
indeed entered the comprehension Of man
like Governor Scott.
The information which is now sought to
be branded as false, and upon which was
founded the article which is characterized
So Ga blood and thunder fulmination," was
given to this paper by a South Carolinian,
of high position and unimpeachable integ-
rity-one who has worn, with dignity and
distinction, the official robe which Governor
Scott now sullies. That information may
have been misunderstood in some unimpor-
tant particular, but the whole substance is
corroborated by the very words in which
its correctness is denied. Governor Scott ad
mits that it had ga slight foundation in fact
and that it was necessary sto disabuse the
negroes of Abbeville Of the notion that they
wore to be Immediately enrolled" and also
sto direct them to return to their labor and
their homes" And yet Governor Scott if
weak enough to ask the people to believe
that there was no cause for excitement NJ
cause for the negro leaving his plough, ane
deserting his home; and that the Governor
of the State knew nothing Of all this be
yond what he read in the columns O
TIE CHARLESTON News.
But, as we have said before, experience
teaches Governor Scott absolutely nothing
and he appeals to his past course for hil
justification. To past made up Of fou
wrong and wanton aspersion, he appeal
for his justification, and repeats the men
dacious tale that I" for many months outra
ges and murders were rife in several coun
ties of the State" This he accompanies
with many mocking sneer and the declar
alton that 'no silly afectation or assump
tion of superiority by the privileged classes
will be tolerated" by him.
The greater portion, however, of Cover
nor Scott's letter is devoted to abusing th'
paper which has performed, and will con
tinue to perform, the disagreeable task Of
making him known as he is to the people O.
South Carolina To his abuse we are in
different. In the record Of THE CHARLES
TON NEWS must be found the only reply il
would become US to make. 1t is not Gov
ernor Scott who shall judge us and oul
motives. The people of the State, the white
people of the State, must be our judges; and
we shall meet their verdict with confidence
We have felt that their reputation and their
honor were in measure in our keeping
We have done our best to prove ourselves
worthy of the trust. And if we desired en-
couragement and support, and the assur,
ance that we have chosen the right path, we
should find all these in the circumstance
that Governor Scott has thought US deserv
ing of his vituperation. The praise or the
thanks of this person might stain our rep.
utation and cast shadow on our name, but
his condemnation is coveted honor and
| raward