The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-11-18

SOuHG Cdr0ttNt0n % Mestdent Grdns.
06LuMDli, 8. O., &dvember 10. 1871.
To HIS EeoeasnoyU. s.. Grant. President Of the
United States.
.H1R:.At this critis Id the public affairs oi
this State. I venture to address myself to your
Exoellency. As South Oarolinian, and also
an American citizen, 1t ia my right and my
privileges. Il SO chocso. to place the case OF
my State before the President Of the Repub.
lio. I shall do 90, with a'due regard for the
Thigh Office which You hold, and with . full ap-
|preeiation Of my comparative obscurity. At
the same time. I shall discharge my solf-im-
posed duty with that oandor. andI spirit bafit-
ting The occasion' snd the great interests in
volved. {4. :. ...il...e'--
Let me, in ths first place, remark thst there
ne to srpss.nh your Excellenoy. Your Al.
vi!Is, n this Htate, and, whilst there, am In
e white nah, and one Hammond, negro man,
did report distinguished Oeroliniah, and tho
writer, as the head.centres Of the Ku Klux Or
g gAni8ation of Bonth Carolina. ALLOW me.
before proceeding farther. to brand this state
ment as unquhlihedly false. challenge and
defy the meanest and most unscrupuloue
henohman that you may have In South Caro-
lima to CONNECT my name, or my private or my
the law. Apart from its philosophy and true
Interpretation, know as little OF this alleged
Hu ;Kiuxisn in portions Of South Carolina as
does your Exoellenoy. But Of that philosophy
and true Interpretation, have very distinct
views; which shall take occasion to submit
to your Excellenoy in the course OF this letter.
with these preliminary observations, I shall
now undertake to lay before your Excellency
end the country the case Of injured and mis.
represented South Carolina. You have put
the case In court. You are the high proseou-
tor: make myself the advocate Of the State
Eobsoure in name, but strong in the integrity
Of my pse-.tnrioe.armed, tt because my quar-
rel is just. Allow me, now, to carry your TX
cellenoy back to AppomAttoxs YeH will not
object. II sad day, to US Of the South, it
M TsS APR proud dayfor 99n: On that day South
federaoy, yielded to Heavens deorse and your
Htr9ng battalions; gave up the cause for
Which she had gallantly fought, and surren-
Bouthern nationslity. The state formally re-
heeled the ordinance Of secession, abolished
the institution Of African slavery within her
borders, and resnmediin general her obliga-
Lions to the Fed 90 Union. M
The future be- n' promising. The late
Confederates and our people generally want.
ed country to love, and OF which to be
proud: They were disposed to give to the
had been layished on tho Conquered Ban
ner," But the course oftgood feeling was
not suffered to run smooth, and to conduct us
70 q united people and restored Union.
The, m9nster since known as RADIoAIlsn
reared its angry crest. The scheme OF Kadi-
nel reco4struction was put in operation. Its
author, Thsddeur Stevens, boldly proclaimed
Oonstitntion. Thence began the ltroubles
which have culminated in the situEtion-mi-
itary, financial and general-whiohth this un-
happy State now presents. Before the pre-
raj influence, upon South 0sroiins. The white
people Of south Carolina made to Oougrcss
their REMoNsTRANoE and submitted thoir AP
PEAL: THESE are upon record. The writer
who bore that remonstranoe and that appeal
to Washington and laid it before the Recon-
struotion Committee OF Congress-. He had
the honor and the privilege OF addressing
tol. He spoke to the hesd and front.of re-
Observation-Disclosures Stevens himself
and protested against the monstrous wrong
that was about to be done to the ostraoiz ID
white people OF South Carolina. He ven-
tured further to say that the regime foisted
upon this state WAS iilogieal; that it contained
the seeds OF ruin and decay; that it contra.
vened the laws OF God, and that, therefore, it
would not aud could not endure. Will not
your Excellency admit that the writer's anti.
pipations have been swiftly realized2 Look
this day at our Executive, our .egislative his
cory, our ruined fnsnces, our disorderesI
state stricken in its liberties and It's indus
tries! Let your Excelenoy contemplate the
spectacle which you yourself present--to-day
Beeking to hold up with, your bayonets tht
rotten, falling pyramid Of reconstructed
South Cardinal tho pyramid which pigmy
statesmen have sought to make rest upon its
sharp apex instead OF Its broad base.
bucthe' schema 0i Radical reconstruction
was placed in operation. The demands OF
PARTY required the experiment to be made
Need we point your Excellency to the his
tory OF South Carolina for the last three
years2 It is the history Of piundered and
outraged people. It is the history OF misrule
Profiyaoy, fraud and corruption. No sooner
had the doors Of the State been opened, prior
to the beginning or the reconstruction era,
when horde Of hungry. thievlnY political
sdventurnrs came to our State. These fat
tered the hopes and fostersd the prejudlces
Of the enfranchisod freedmen, and struck
hands aud united fortunes with the native
renogades. Thus was formed q combins stion
whence proceeded ell the evils that have come
ppon this state. Loyal Lesgues-secret,
bath-bound societies. political. military, reli.
gious and industrial in character-were esta-
Plished all over the State. The antagonism
between the two races that inhabit south
Carolina was artfully kept up. Then followed
those events which have made the history Of
Radicalism disgrace to civilization. Gov.
Scott organizes his negro militia, snd arms
| thom with Winchester rifles and ball car.
| tridges. State officials steal and County
| Officials quickly follow their example. The
hands Of Legislators close upon open bribss.
Gov. Scott opens the doors Of the peniten-
L 3 ia k< ls