The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-01-14
GENERAL NEWS.
TILE PoLITIGALMURpER BILL.


THE POLITICAL MURDER BILL.
We are surprised and sorry to see
that bill has been introduced into the
house of the General Assembly "to pro-
vide for the widows and orphans of men
murdered for their political opinions"
by giving them pension OF s2oo, to
be collected by assessment upon~the
county where the murder was commit
ted.
We have always condemned violence
and intemperauce, and have dcnt unced
every ac. of violence, whatever its pro-
vocation. The feeling OF the people Is
opposed to mob law upon any preteSt,
and as it is our doctrine that every man
has. the right to his own opinion, we
have steadily discountenanced persecu-
tion and prescription for political or par
ty reasons. But it is useless for the
people in general to be peaceable and
law abiding, ifthe whole of.one county
in the State is held responsible for the
lawless deeds of any one: man in it, In
every large body Of people, there must
be Individual cases Of disorder and
wrong ;but we say thatit is shamefully
unjust to impose tax upon whole
community because some one man'ln 1t
is not gentle as sucking dove. r,
OF course, if the General Assembly
of the State is nothing more than an
organization for the dissemination of
Radical opinions, for the encouragement
of party HAZE, and for rewardins party
disciples, the bill will pass, whether we
like or not. But this We are loath to
believe. We know that there arc men
in the Legislature who feel that it is to
their interest to work for the good of
the whole State, and that we can have
neither prosperity nor peace while any
question is decided in the affirmative or
negative, according 10 the manner in
which it affects "the party" And we
would ask these members whether they
can expect to be thought of as represen.
tatives as the State, or of any part Of
it; whether they can expect to be treat
cd as representative of the people at
large, when they tax the State and the
people to osupport the heirs ofa man who
has been Killed, not for the State, not
in the execution of the laws, not in the
service of the Commonwealth, but, to
,so tho words of the bill, 'ou aceuont OF
his political opinions"
Ifan7 man be murdered, and should
be deemed a martyr to the cause, his
widow and children might properly be
supported by the party to which he be:
longed. The Union League should
take care of his family, and if there is
no money in the treasury of the League,
it can be contributed by the surviving
members Of the party.
On the floor Of the General Assembly
there should be no manifestation of po-
li,ical hatred, and no raking of the
smoulde,ing party fires. The Legisla:
ture is on trial, and VIC who must bear
the brant wait to learn whether it means
war upon all that is not Radical, or
peace and good will to all real and hon
est men. We desire to do nothing that
shall cause anger or i'll feeling. We
desire that the General Assembly may
have fair and full opportunity Of vim
dicating itself from aspersion, or of
damning itself in public esteem; but We
cannot be silent when it is.proposed to
make the Legislature a huge Radical
caucus, means of rewarding the fallen
faithful, and of taxing the State be-
cause this man or that man has been
wantonly and bratally killed, =.
We speak somewhat warmly, because
we feel that this political martyrdonl
bill is q scandal and shame. Even
Congressional partisanship never went
as far as this bilt comes up for action it
will be promptly and :decisively reject
ed.-Marles'on Daily Neos.