The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-04-01
Friday, April /, 1e7o.
Aovernor Scott in Washington.


LIS best friends must admit to bo in
very bad taste, and which all well
Informed and judicious persons i'll or
out Of the State will be disposed TO
,churaeterizc as boastful and arrogant,
AS unfounded ia its statements, as
It is unwise and il-timcd in Its me-
naces.
.Conceae for q moment that there
was fraud and intimidation, at the
lust general elections the matter has
been undergoing Judicial investiga,
tior for months before Congrcssion,
al Committee, aud its nl7becomes the
Govern0r of South Carolina, TO inter.
pose ut all much less to- express such
nm opinion ns he has done in a public
meeting in THO Capital of the nation
Who made him a judge ~ this matter
or what "vision and faculty divine
has been vouchsafed to him, that he
should anticipate conclusions, which
even partisan Congress has failed to
reach. But not only is he tho self
constituted judge of his own people,
but he assumes to arraign the past
policy of his own party to the South,
md even stalks treason" against the
Government it fiuls TO innugurate
the bloody policy which he recon-
mends and to lay down the law Of the
Winchester rifle, which he thinks is
'the best law" at the South. What
arrogance4 The "pcnt-up Utica" of
South Carolina is too snail province
for this modern lawgiyer, who would
legislate for q nation, and who vested
only with pro-ccnsular power aspires
to DO Caesar himself .,.
We shall not enter into serious
refutatiop Of the charges of assassi-
nation, fraud and intimidation,-ssthe
bill of Indictment against n whclc
people'-which he prefers against the
whites Of South Garolina. The
charge itself is ccntraGictcd by his
own action in the premises. If this
lawlcssness prcvailed-if murder and
violence were rife-if legal process
could not be enforced TO prevent crime
or to punish its comnission-then
why did not the Governor Of South
Carolina invoke the aid Of the FEEDER
nj Government to sustain him in the
exercise of his. legitimate authority.
Why was tho Ha6sas Corpus not sus-
pended, martial law not proclaimed,
and justice, nay protection Of person
and property not enforced by tho
bayonet. Vet there was nothing Of
all this; but at,this late day, Cover
nor Scott t'draws upon his imagina-
tion for his facts" aud seeks 10 add
now eaaplst 4o:his brow, by exagera-
ting the dangers he has passcd-the
rebellious spirits he has ..oyereone-
though by so doing he calumniates
the character of q whole pcople-a
people, (bei remsmbered) with whom
his lot is cast, and whom he seeks to
rule, peri ct nefas. , ..:.
We shall not pretend to answer his
charge against tho white jurors of
the country. that Grey could not be
induced to convict. one of their own
race, but would convict colored man
upon "n,ers.' sdppbsition". '1fas Gov:
ernor Scott, eVef'' reflected upon the
character and extent of, that sww c,eping
eharge7 What docs it involve Ia
charge Of perjury against the best
nof the state-his peers Eve shalt
not say his superiors,) in every prince
ly attribute or noble instinct which
"may become a man., We shall not
do him the injustice, to believe that
he was serious in making the charge,
WHICH reflects equally upon his head
and his heart his good feeling and
his good judgment. No, Governor
Scott bimself does not believe it, and
none Of his partisans, tho most bitter,
would endorse the, slandcrous impu.
tation. - '"'.'' - -
But what shall we soy Of tho, wis
dom of the policy recommended.or
of tho benign Influence of its an
nouneemept2 Are WINCHESTER rifles
indeed the best means of secpsipgjus-,
tice at the South. and pseservang ths
purity Of elections So thinks Cover
nor Scott, IL they gre welded by, a
Republican Gevernor, to secure q Re-
publican VietQEy.j Perhaps he thinks
these aseessariss Beqessary: 10 Isecnre
purity. # the ttfles. were need+d by
DemocFetsi TO. bring abont a differ
entrssult "a change would come over
the spirit bis dEsaps..e In this con-
peotion hear hear Ehat the eharlgston eau-
,ier says 1--we updlsrete9d aema time.
since thst Ms: Scot. itad ithads deeissea, at
columlbBiaa, mlbBiaa, that atrlhess he intended to. o.RsGoy,
ernor again, even if fi.lh9eetha hi bad to statiap
the bayonet ct eyeFy, polling preeipss
in the State. sbWs csnl4d gt4ds!. seareeelY cred,
it. His recent speech at ql.. w ashipgton
piyes color and, sppE:or,l to the decla,