The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-04-16
"OUR BELeYED STATE. "
The Solemn Protest of an Indignant
Caro1infan.

i'm obscurity your Washington speech has but
lately reached me. The Estate" you have in that
speech and in other of your enaclnents so grossly
misrenresentcd, is 7nD injured mother. My first
nourshment was from he, bosom; and 'life''
must be extinct when tile "disposition" ceases to
resent her wrongs. You once profanely called her,
sour oelored! She turns from you with aver
sion, and she declines your allegiance. South
Carolina knows her own "legittntdte" offspring,
and she honors those brave children OF her adop-
tion, who, in good faith, and with an honest pur-
pose, share so noby her destiny, her troubles and
her trials You belong to none of these classes.
AS The least worthy OF her sons, come, with
wounded spirit. but with just Indignation, to
enter her feeble though solemn protest against
all that you have said touching her condition, her
character, and lIcr people.
You, General Scott, are neither the Duke OF
Grafton nor Sir William Draper, and l. most for.
tunately for yourself, am not Junius Yet, II Sir
Philip Francis, the reputcd Junius, were on
earth, and had the misfortune to be sufferer in
this AFFLICTED country he could not but be struck
with the extraordinary delusicn, or "intention,"
which seems to follow your Excellency's il-or-
ganized mind, through all the mazes of political
trickery, and Of "metaphorical confusion" When
an unsouud or Insane imagination permitted you
to believe that in your misguided administration,
you actually had q fright " so TO abuse the
spardoning po,ce1',n as to bewilder those over
whom you rule, and to render 1t doubtful wheth-
er wIckedncss or ignorance prevailed, the masses,
whom it was your dutyto protect, stood confound-
ed and amazed-hoping against "hope"-for
some CLEAN of light, II not from the throne ITSELF
from some secret influence greater than the
thronel" They remained in silence because
there are sometimes feelings In every human heart
SO revolving to virtue that the oppressed hesitate
to speak, and plead to themselves "the poverty
OF the language" as an excuse for keeping their
own dismal counsel What Is palpable and un-
deniable no,c will be fabulous to posterity for
the fame OF your Excellency is on the stream OF
.sTine,m and will at least reach another genera.
tion
Has your EXcellepey ever found leisure to read
the constitution When during those four years
10 which you 80 eloquently alluded In yoar Wash
!nton speech you labored 30 valantiy on the
picket line, did you ever remember that there Tas
such documents Or were your studies confined
to CULVER and Munchausen And when you
undertook to exhibit yourself at tile seat Of gov
ernmcnt, as 'slIve specimen" OF an accomplish
ell executioner, did it ever occur to your Excel
ency.s "brave thought that speech, so full Of
"hstory,n might find its way to these uncivillzed
regions; and that even, under the tyranny you
would inaugurate. men might venture to ask "if
there be no difference between the wildGess OF o
feroclous fiction" ana the sadness OF bitter
reality?
Some weeks since, writer In the Courier,
signed South Carolina" presented few sirik-
ing reflections as to the comparative doctrines Of
"Rightn aud "Power." These were suggested by
an obsolete "Paper," known as the Constitution
of the United States, In which the attributes OF
the hlghwayman, and the usurpations OF your
Excellency, were pacedin very Apostle relations
to each other; but at that period your Excellen-
cy's mania had not reached the fullness OF Its
..rury.n ln your researches as ''Jurlst," you
had not discovered the Winchester riae as tile
.oest h,o'' for q weak, unarmed and prostrate
people, and you had not yet concocted that fair,
and generous, and manly programme OF zone
hundred rounds Of ammunition" as specific
remedy for all the disorders incident I popular
election
asked before If you had ever read the constl-
watchfulness, when you did or did not serve on
the picket line 1t ever occurred TO you, as SOL
dier to contemplate the consequences Of course
so barbarous and vicious? Have you ever seri-
ously thought OF the consequences OF melting to
antagonism the peaceful majority race, and arm
ing them With this formidable weapon, SO that
minority, born free, might pay the penalty, IN
sackcloth and ashes, for uttering word deemed
to be offensive during the riotous debaucheries OF
a licentious mob. and that mob, resolving itself
into an "august" majority OF privileged voters? !?
Have '.pou," who have sworn to maintain, pro-
tcct and defend the constitution OF this State,
and OF the United States: sworn TO see that the
laws are faithfully executed; sworn to keep the
peace yourself aud to compel others TO do so like
wise: sworn to see that the commonwealth"
comes to no harm, ever thought OF the inevitable
results of your diabolical appeal in defence Of
those who were never IN danger? "Think OF
these things: General Scott, and then repeat,
with sanctimonious gravity, IL you have the
hardihood TO do so, words made so5scene" by your
exception OF them, .our beloved State - God of
our Fathers OF Rutedse, Marion, and OF Moul-
trie OF Lowndes, Of Chcves and Calhoun. South
Carolina 1.-The beloved State,' farenegade and
Radical One moment more and have done.
Above al aud before ali-if the down-troddeH,
conquered, insul;ed community, OF which am
one, as you have publicly, ignobly and uncharits-
bly denounced them Is made up OF unprncipled
murderers and professional assassins, have you
ever thought OF explaining how 1t Is that their
most bitter enemy, their most unsparing calum.
niator their heartless and per1dous magistrate,
should so miraculously escape9 How the mau
who deserves their vengeance more than any
other who desecrates the soil, should so at large,
..uuwhlpped OF justice :" That he should do SO In
perfect safety-with no arm lifted to strike
tyrant to the earth-and without hair OF bis
unho.y head being injured or disturbed? |? And
have Won ever counted the "cost" that yourself
as that very man weud surely pay, If the SIAN
dcrs uttered in your Washington speech were
any other than .faiSe,'' from Alpha 10 Omega?
trust that we are in the last 'act of the trdge-
d." OF which the ''eurtai1 rose'' with the COM
lncncement OF your government! But if there be
any new enormities yet 10 come, at least Change
the "Dramatis Persona" You never were in
tended to play Caesar" even the par: nf
"wIuchestcr Cesar would be too much for you;
and there is no community in America where
.past board; Drutus could be found for sncll
rersoi as yourself. The blows you have aimed
at nj dslranchseh and friendless felow-sufer
ers: ut my impoverished and monrnful "honie;"
at my afflicted country, struggling In the midst
az dcsolaton and Of sorrow, is an indignity OF.
rernd m myseIf. and although an in the ninth