The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-11-30

the administration OF it's sfYaigys TAess
i'd no natural antagonism betkeen thNm
apd our present system OF tfss Uovegn-
ment, which, in it's paternal saaro for khe
of it's citizens, las, {{ok the dast
time in the history ot Snnth Garolila,
'enacted a homestead law, which, guards
the threshold Of the poor mans dwell
ing, 80 that remorseless creditors may
not enter and sell the roof that shelters
his wife and children, or seize the pro-
table With food. Whatever fesfing of
hostility -any-of these s-muy .eptertxir
/ against the government Of their country.
! is the resulti in a great measure, Of the
wilfui Misrepresentation OF their f0-msr
privileged rulers, to- advance their own
political ends. 'ii ~ 50 iirT 2" is, '''
The General Assembly promptly Sc.
bonded lthis effort to restore universal
| good will smopgio our people, by .devising
ain equitable system Of taxation, and by
the enactment e4 layys fos" the Develop
meut Of all the industrial interests OF the
Estate. 1!,a9A % aiQ,IhI cGi
As an evidence Of che beneficent polioys
i OF the new State Government. ]. cite the
facts that most OF ;. the Circuit Judges
elected by the General, Assembly were
known not TO be'iu political accord with
the mhiority o." its members, and none,
/ Of them were political partisans.. . More
than half OF all the officers appointed by
the Executive were 2of the opposition,
and the old Magistrates, who had held
their places for years, we're generally re-
appointed That this liberal course on
I the part Of the new administration. was
! not due to, a paucity Of uiaterinl in it's
| own party, !s shown BY the fact .that" this
policy was pursued even in Charleston,
where there weretnumerous Republicans
capable and willing 70 ELL oil tho offices
in that vicinity All the old Magistrates
IN that city were re-appointed, aud the
best position in the County OF Charles
4 ton, the County Trensurership, was be-
4 slowed by mo upon citizen known to
be politically hostile to the State edmi-
u nistrntion. ~ 'aAI4 80
I Irecur to these facts to show that the
\ armed violence which; has prevailed in
!, the, State, and has successfully bid de-
6ance tothe oivilauthorities, cannot find
q vindication'in the plea, which 30 justly
commends itself to the American mind,
that 1t was tho fespits ,of q reaction
against oppression-an appeal to foroe
to remedy wrongs for which there was
, Of organized mafder begal In 1855, i'm
/ mediataly after the cessation Of hostili-
} ties inq the open field, ,.inaugurating a
condition Of affairs that has continued
with varying intensity, mp to the period
r of its recent elimination, and which diff
fered in its destruotiveness from ACTUAL
war only in this. that The Killed ana
= aooahdea ,oere all on one side. In evidence
I of this, 7 refer ton the well-known fact,
, that my immediate predecessor, one OF
the most worthy and eminent citizens oi
the State. Gov. JAMES Il. Orr, was both
!, ,tpublioly and privately maligned for his
efforts to suppress it and enforce the
:, laws against the criminals. The GLASS oi
: men who assailed him for the faithful
. nnd fearless discharge of his duty, are
the same who openly defend the Ku Klus
: and secretly moved the springs that.pn
and kept them jn motion. "A better tenn
per seemed to prevail among this class ir
the early part of 1853. This, however
: was rapidly changed under the writer
J teachings and public speeches of the
:. opposition press and leaders. By the
; notorious Brondhead letter of Genera
Frank p. Blair, and kindred utterances
y announcing the speedy advent OF Ma
b tional Administration that would .ttram
}, pie under foot" the whole System O
" reoonstruotiony the dormant disioyalty o
the opposition leaders in this state wa.
. galvanized into action, ms is d palsiet
i limb OF the human body by the thrill O
l' the electric spark. These leaders at ono,
evinbed recaloitrant spirit. They as
snmed' the air and speech of defian
o conqueror, and where they did not vim
;. dicsively assail the principles of thu
o National Government, of whose rar
/ magnahimity they were living proofs
= they would declare, as the farthest limi
= OF their loyalty. that they 'accept th
y Esituation"--an expression which has nov
- become stereotyped, and which, on tn
70 lips OF such mon, conveys both false
l. hood and an insult, in the sense in which
II they use it, as it implies reserved righ
to refuse obedience to the laws Of thei
- country. whose authority they ceased t.
10 assail only when they were deprived o
, i the power to resist it. They mistook tn
l. magnanimity Of the Government TO
weakness, and presuming upon its for
:, bearance, bore themselves as il they ha,
- been the viotors in the late struggle
flames the expiring passions of their fol
B. lowers in the rebellion, doubtless fearin
y that the new political system might,
Z Z unchecked, induce the white masses t.
! break the thraldom that had so lon
81 bound them under the ancient rulers O
!, l. the State. They denounced the Stat
- Government, elected by q majority O
= 43, 600 OF the voters of the people, as q
= tyrannical usurpation." and ''a negr
u oligarchy," designed to crush out whit
,s ,s men; and they stigmatized it's loyal sup
u porters as "thieyes and robbers" !" an,
- passed q general sentence OF outlawr
70 upon every Republican, without regar,
y to character. The seed thus scattere,
y broadcast from the rostrum, the pulp
and the press, soon produced terribl
u harvest. That Republicans were tn
~ victims OF frequent murders, both opel
- and secret, could not be accounted fo
= on any known theory of more ooinci