The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-12

The golden gates Of o new Eel Dorado seemed
suddenly opened to their eyes. Down they
dropped 'the shovel and the hoe," and came
trooPing up to the village, as ''doves to their
windows" The fields were neglected-the
plough stood idly, in the furrow. This one
servant and another his best field-hand. In q
few days the lists are filled-a company of
sixty-five blacks are enrolled, and "the cry is
still they come" Cokesbury alone sends up q
detachment of twenty men on q single day.
Keep the door of admission open, and every
effective black laborer would don the uniform
OF O soldier-and reversing the picture Of the
ancient prophet, instead of ploughshares we
would have swords and spears for pruning
hooks. And what is tho avowed rnotive-the
ostensible pretext for this military display
this exhibition Of ''the pride, pomp and Dir
regulate the county"-not merely to preserve
the peace in the future, but to punish delin.
quencies in the past. Law is to be enforced by
the bayonet and the purity Of the franchise
officer desist {; controlled by the representa-
tions OF influential gentlemen who appealed to
his good sense as man, and his se!finteTsst
as citizen. To have done otherwise, and to
us 'not peace, but sword" 1t would have
disorganized labor, and prostrated industry !;
produced characterization on one side, and irri-
tation on the other infamed the passions Of
race, and brought on internecine strife, rapine
and violence-all and singular the evils which
it was osteDsby designed to prevent. Can
these conclusions be gainsayedP Can any one
doubt F? Has Governor Scott denied, or can he
doubt, that such would be the natural and ne
cessary results Of attempting to rule the white
iitia?
If THs News then be justified in the con-
ciusions which 1t draws from it's premises, in
what respect has it erred in the statement of
the facts Which make ND the basis of it's argu-
ment? What is the point of controversy be-
tween the Governor and the editor? The facts
n q W. how ohnv octo tod %hn,,, 10
extent they justify the allegations Of The
NEWS. But the Governor denies that he gave
any authority for the organization Of o negro
company, and intimates that the act Of the
officer IN Abbevllle contem plated nothing moro
than legitimate enrolment of all our citizens
under the recent law Of the Legislature for
the organization Of the militia: Upon the
Abbevlle had any authority at ali, or whether
he abused tive are willing to accept the
statement Of Governor Scott, SO far as he him
self is concerned. Whether he had commits
sion from the Adjutant-General we have no
means Of ver:fcation, as no written authority
was exhibited 1t is sufficient for our purpo SO
that the officer claimed TO have authority from
the Governor. ,Authorityl Authority to do
under the late act of the Legislature. Nothing
OF al! this l-but to organize black company
Tor immediate service, with proffer OF high
wages, rations. olothiog and eduoation~to
small scale to drag the refractory into obedi-
ence-to preserve, in due equilibrium, the
scales Of even-handed Justice. and to guard
the purity of the ballot box. It is sufficient for
our purpose that the officer not only claimed
to have the authority Of the Governor, but pro-
ceeded to it's exercise-wielding the wand al
most as effective as ''the potent rod of Amram's
son." The company was raised as if by en-
"hantment- like Jonahs gourd or Aladin's pal
ace-and the strong appeals Of some Of our IN
huential citizens could only extort from the
officer a promise to suspend action until he
could hear from tn, Governor. Governor
Scott has disavowed the aot of one who pro-
tessed to act under his authority. Here we are
willing to let the matter rest. We have stated
the facts, so far as we know them. and we are
willing to allow others to draw their own con-
olusiona.