The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-21
TIE HHISKEY VAR.
PERSONAL DISLIKE PRoyoKEs THE CON
FLICT.
What the spartanburg Papers Say.

The Spartanburg papers give full report oi
the g Whiskey War" in Spartanburg, detailed
account of which has already appeared in THE
NEWS. Their comments and explanation make
the origin of the trouble pretty clear. The
Spartan says:
Whilst the conduct of the persons engaged in
armed resistance to the law meets the unquali'
fled disapprobation of every good citizen,
there are are others who, though technically
justified by the law, have exposed themselves
stance that anything of the sort has occurred
in this district We passed through the de.
moraization and lawlessness which pervaded
the country Immediately after the war, without
single stain upon the reputation of our dis.
trict as peaceable, law-abiding community.
There must be some reason, therefore, Tor THIS
singular manifestation, after law and order
have been fully restored 10 tnelr Wonted
supremacy. We feel that 1t is due the
character of our district to explain what
we believe is the true cause OF all this
trouble. A large number of the people where
this difficulty occurred have for years been
engaged in the business OF 'distilling spirits.
They regard it as an honest and legitimate
way Of making living. The taxes and re-
revenue laws are naturally enough regarded
with much dsfayor by these people, who
thereby had what they considered an honest
occupation, taken way from them: Many Of
them doubtless evaded the law, but not one
has eyer before openly defed 1t, that we have
heard Of Scores, perhaps hundreds OF their
stills, with horses, wagons, &c, appurtenant,
number of them have been Indicted, con-
victcd and punished for unlawfully distill-
inc. vet no violent resistance was offered to
the rigid enforcement of what they
considered an odiOus and oppressive
law, until the aforesaid A. P. Turner
is clothed with authority from the sapient re-
venue collector of this division, to execute the
law. His first attempt to execute his authori-
ty Is followed by violence, and why? He has
been raised In the very heart of that neighbor-
hood. and the people knoto him; and knowing,
hold him In after contempt. They have no
respcct for him as q man, and they cannot dis
sociate the officer from the man. whether
these prejndices are well founded or not, 1t is
not our purpose to inquire. They were known
that should have been sufficient reason for
conferring the Office upon more amiable cam
didatc. it may be said that the prejudices
against Turner are of political character, and
that all this trouble has grown out OF the fact,
that Radical attempts TO execute the law. II
this be so, it is little singular that no citizen
of Spartanburg has ever resisted Radical
officer before We are satisfied that there Is no
disposition on the part Of any portion OF the
people of this district to resist the due enforce
ment of the laws of the land, and that this re-
cent outbreak is attributable solely to the eX-
ASPIRATION, theoretically uniustiiablc as 1t may
be, produced by the circumstance we have
mentioned. We hope for the sake of peace
that a similar cause of irritation may be here
after avoided, by more judicious selection of
officers. The circumstances in this case look
very much like this particular appointment
was made for the purpose of irritating the peo-
pie and exciting q collision. 1t is said that
Turner has been an interested sympathlZer
with the persons he now proposes to arrest
1t is sometimes bad policy to ''set rogue to
catch rogue" We do not desire or expect
a Democrat to be appointed to this Or any
other office, but we &c hope the preferments
at the disposal of the appointing powers VIII
hereafter be conferred upon sober, respectable
persons of the dominant party.
The Gazette takes different view of the
matter. It says:
Too much credit cannot be given to Captain
SummerhayeS, the revenue officers ana the
soldiers, for the prudence and forbearance
with which they acted. 1t was only by TINS
course that bloodshed was avoided, and with
If the serious calamities which would probably
have fallen upon every citizen OF our county
We are happy to state that oil these recent
outrages are sincerely deprecated by our bet
ter class OF citizens. They have been commit
ted by set of lawless men living on the Dor
der of North Carolina, who have always here
tofore detied all law.
During the existence of the Confederacy the
same difficulties occurred and In the same same
Say. 1t is high time that these men Should
learn that they are amenabe to law, and that
they must respect the authority OF those whose
dnty II is to enforce it.