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

4
i private,ends whatever there 10, or hiss been,
i OF Ku Muxihm In portions OF South Cerolfna,
grew out 0f the weakness and corruption OF
our our State a.: regime. aud had tor its ob)eo. the
che summary inHiotton OF death upon evil
doers. This was bold resolve. This was .
desperate remedy. But lst 1s not forget that
the disease was also desperate, and the pro.
vocation great. cannot defend the acts of
summary vengeance committed, either by
white mon or nrSfU m6n. :o=!e .se .ctn-:
Res7sn hss' al. sSs sms e hs .,
Before those tribunals each man, who has
assumed the rssponsibilit, Of exeoutioner
must answer for himself. The onus Of the
I4rstions shall not prevent me from rsieing my
voice against the efforts to mis-represent our
jipeople and TO mako political capital out OF
l'tnose acts Of Violence which have been the
trstion OF. the laws : 1s II to be wondered that
where there 10 no Ian. that the people should
make law unto themselves7 Is it to be
wondered that the Loyal Union Leagues
should have led to the formation of opposina
defensive and protective societieHp
| 1 have thus, Mr.. President, brought the
history Of events in South Carolina to = COM
was Of Ku Klu1ism or Lynch law organiz.-
lions In South Carolina, produced q profound
impression upon the thievipg officials, state
and county, In this State, upon the malicious
sword OF Damocles was suspended above the
heads OF these people, and the State grew
quiet. Good men felt no fear. Bad mcr
trembled. They knew not how, soon the
avenger would come. But this stste Of things
was, of course, not agreeable to the carpet
Dagger, the renegade and the malicious
negro: This sword Of Damocles must be re-
moved. Governor SCOTT could not remove it.
He saw and trembled. Then was formed the
great conspiracy, in which you, Mr President,
have been drawn as an instrument to carry
ont the programme Of unscrupnlous and
e1aggeration Of tho aots Of outrages in this
State II is followed up with mis-rspresenta-
sions OF me spirit and purposes alleged to be
Sherewitl, connected. The plot thiokens.
posed. Governor Scott enters the conspiracy.
You are waited upon, and you are urged to
suspend the writ OF hd6eas corpus in South
Caroline: You are falsely told that the civil
emergency. The oonspirators, well repre-
sented in the persons OF Messrs. Worthing-
ton, A. T. Wallace and Elliott, tnegro,) pre-
vail. and your war upon South Carolina be-
gina. Yes, although 1t Is nearly seven years
since Appomattox. you resume war upon
South Carolina. You publish your deolara-
tion; you send your troops; you make war
upon upon peaceful ;s IL communities; ;:snd, beneath the
robbers and incendiaries to find eafety and
shelter. Is it, Mr.. resident-Generai, that
Tho lsurels asS ySu won in war fighting for what
these laurels must at Oowpens and near Kings
Mountain withor and die?
And now, Mr. President, let me protest, not
only against the loss and damage inflicted
causelessly upon our industrial interests, but
also, let me protest, as soemnly do, against
the violation OF the great writ OF personal
liberty, involved In your proceedings in this
State, under the Ku Klux Act OF Congress-
Has 1t ever occurred to your Exoellency, that
you are but carrying out the decrees OF an
unconstitutional Act Of portyised Congress2
1t is well-known and accepted legal maxim,
The Constitution OF the United States, which
you are sworn to observe, protect ahd defend,
rays that Congress may suspend tho privilege
pf the writ Of hobeos corpus when rebellion or
although this power is delegated to Congress
only by the Constitution Of the Republic, yet,
the ACT OF Congress. approved April 20, 1871,
seeks to delegate this powor to the President,
deciding when the rebellion or invasion, IRE
ferred to in the Constitution, shall be CON
sidered ~ exieting. This, Mr.. President, in
vested yen with imperial power, and you
tre,Hhieh the Mark Antonys Of Congress ten.
dered to you. But your Exoellency-your
majeety, might add-seizcd the rendered
power. You,iid more In your proclamation
Ibis delegation of q delegated pnwer. You
delegate yonr power to the United States
Marshal, and he IL authorized 20 delega to
liis deputy, and he 10 3 soldier, and he to u
titiZen, and thus IL comes to this, in the last
analysis OF the matter, that the suspension
of the writ OF habeds corpus rests, finally, in
the hands OF any UnIted states soldier or
negro in the once sovereign State of South
Csfolina.
Against this as Oaroiinian, as q citizen OF
the United States, al an hereditary fresm all,
raise my protest. however ineffsctual it may
be-. Further: raise my protest, and the pro-
test OF all in sympathy with me, against all
Jour military proceedings in this state
These proceedings, instigated by personal
malice and for partisan purposes. ave inflict-
ed heavy blow nDon the industries as well xs
| the liberties Of our people. They wore un-
called for. I affirm that the civil arm wan
strong enough to execute the law in South
Carolina, and that 2rievous wrong hAs been
done to this State by the very hand that
| should have been raised in sympathy and de-
fenos.
And now. Mr.. President, let me cay to you
| that il your purpose be to break the spirit Of
our people. and make them bend to the yoke
that has been laid upon them, even your
giant strength. as the head OF powerful 60
ysrnment viii not be equal to the task. Our
people will emerge from the waves that now
| threaten to bury their all. Out Of chaos will
come order-out OF deoay will como life
With our climate, our soil. our resources, our
mon, our women, with all the buunties OF a
| good Goehspresd before us, We shall not do.
spair.i Nor shall We abandon our mother
6tate in the hour Of her greatest need
Claiming only what is just and fair, stan ding