The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-29


iIcsns capable and willing to I'LL all the ofhces IN
that vicinity. All the old magistrates In that
nity were reappointed, and the best position
| in the County of Charleston, the county
treasurershp, was bestowed By me upon a
citizen known to be politically hostile TO the
State administration.
recnr to these facts to show that the armed
violence which has prevailed in this State;
and has successfully bid defiance 20 tne e!vil
authorities. cannot find vindicallon 10 Tue
plea, which so Justly commends user 10 ine
American mind, that it was the result OF a re-
against sas bnb pPeas 70
other remedy.
Indeed. this system of organized murder be:
gan in 1865, Immediately after the cessation OF
| Rostillties in the open field, inaugurating O
condition Of affairs that has continued Win
varying Intensity up to the period OF lts recent
culmination, and which differed in Its destruc-
tiveness from actual war only in this. that the
killed and acot1lded loeTe all on one side.
In evidence OF this, l refer to the well known
| fact. that nv immediate predecessor, one OF
the most worthy and eminent citizens OF the
State, Governor James l.. Orr, was both pup
| licly and privately maligned for his efforts to
suppress IL and enforce the laws against ine
| criminals. The class of men who assa1led
| him for the faithful aud fearless discharge OF
! his duty are the same who openly defend tne
Ku-Klux and secretly moved the springs ina!
! put and kept them In motion.
better temper seemed to prevail among
this class in the early part OF 1858. Inls, now.
ever, was rapidly changed under tne wIltten
teachings and public speecnes OF tGe IoS. opPos,,
Broadhead letter of General Frank ?. Blair,
and kindred utterances, announcing the
speedy advent of national administrator
| mat would "trample under fool" the whole
system OF reconstruction, the dormant dis
| LOYALTY of the opposition leaders IN this State
was galvanized into action, as is palsled
| limb of the human body by the thrill OIL the
| electric spark.
These leaders at once evlnced recalcltrant
spirit. They assumed the air and speech OF q
| defiant conaueror, and where they old not
yindIctively assal the principles Of the
national government OF whose rare magnani-
nifty they were living proofs they would tSe, Se,
they aaccept the situation;" an expression
which has now become stereotyned, and
which, on the lips of such men, conveys both
falsehood and an insult, In the sense In whicn
they use 1t, as it implies reserved right 10
refuse obedience to the laws Of their country,
whose authority they ceased 10 assam only
when they were deprived of the power TO re-
slst It.
They ml5teok the magnanlmity of the gov
erument for weakness, and presumlng upon
its forbearance, bore themselves as II they had
been the victors In the late struggle. inese
old party leaders soon famed into flames the
expiring passions Of their followers 10 tae ,,, re-
beilIon. doubtless fearing that The new politl-
cal system might, If unchecked, induce the
white masses to break the thraldom that had SO
long bouLi them under the ancient rulers o.
the State.
elected by majority of offorty-three thousand
of the voters of the people, as "a tyrannical
0liQQrchV.'
signed to crush out white men; and they
stgmatized its loyal supporters as thieves
and robbers" and passed general sentence
Of outlawry upon every Republican, without
regard to character. The seed thus scattered
broadcast from the rostrum, the pulpit and the
press, soon produced terrible harvest. Tnat
Republicans we're the victims Of frequent muir
ders both open and secret, could not be &c
counted for on any known theory OF mere CO.
| incidences. It soon became evident that there
was stmethodn in this "madness,p and that a
large mass of the whites, obeytng the "0loody
| Instructions" OF their political leaders, were
engaged in concerted effort to suppress Re-
publicansm In the State, by numbering Repuo.
| cans, white and colored, solely because OF
their political opinions. l endeavored to check
| this system OF violence and terrorism by an
energetic use of the State cOnstabuary, and
other civil agencies at my disposal. In this
measurably succeeded for time, although
the alleged criminals were invariably bailed,
or escaped punishment through jurors In ac-
cord with them In political sentiment:
Just previous to the general State election of
October last, there was q comparative lull In
these outrages The opposition party, In that
election. was again defeated by an immense
msiorIty. That defeat aroused the fercest hate
in the breasts of their leading men against
every loyal man In the state, and, through their
efforts, the most perfect cohesion was given
to the disloyal elements In the upper counties,
where there was an approach to numerical
equality between the two parties.
In November following the election, promi-
nent citizen of the State, an active and recog-
nized leader of the opposition party, used the
following language, In an address delivered IN
this city to the Confederate Survivors Associ-
alton:
"Defeated on the battlefield, deftauded at the
ballot box, we have but one remedy The dag.
ger, that was made illustrlous In the hands OF
Brutus, must, in the daylight and In tae darS, arr
cut It's way to the hearts OF the miscreants VINO
now misrule our native State +"
That this language was used on that occa-
sion by the person referred to have the tes-
timony OF gentlemen Of the highest respecta-
billty who heard 1t: Scarcely less lncenolary
throughout the State, as the following ex-
tracts from their editorials 0fthat period clear
IL demonstrate, and fasten upon them much
Of the responsibility for the baleful consequen.
ces that ensued:
"Remember that we are the white people,
and that they are the negro; that they have
chosen their ground and arrayed themselves
against us with determination and hate Whlcn
are unmIstagable, and that our policy Is to let
them alone and take care OF ourselves. But We
must have organization, mol ponucaly, oe re-
membered, an 4 the Views below are worth con-
sideration. Let us have thorough understand
Ing and q union OF the whole white people OF the
State, not forgetting, either, the worthy. excen:
tlons among the negroes who have identified
themselves with US. or any others who may see
ft to cast their lines IN with us."-Nenoer7D
Herald, NorerIlber 3, 1870.
"The time for temporizing argument and con.
clatIon, Is passed; we shall have no more OF IL.
straight and severe liue must be drawn be.
tween the races The coored people nave chosen
their ground with the advi OF The ringleaders,
and they must follow 1t out without aid or sym.
pathy from their former VIII te friends. The white
people have the power and the br ins aud the de-
termination to hold their own and protect them.
selves, and they wall do 30. The negroes have fol-
lowed their devices one me too many, and now
let them look to others for helh ASSISTANCE and
sympathy. .n-DdrlingtOn Democrat NoU, 8, 1870.
"&e understand, Therefore, and accept tne SOLD
BLACK yote cast against the nominees OF the Re.
1urm party as declaration OF war by the negro
race against the White race, by ignorance against
Intelligence BY poverty against actual or poten-
al wealth. This issue we have strlyen TO aVo q,
but the negroes will have nothing else. They will
not allow US to work with them; we must, II nee.
essary, work against them. Cancellation, argu-
ment, persuasion-a have been worse than use.
less. The white people stand alone. And they
| must organize themselves and arm themselves,
not as a while mans party but because the past
and present prove that decency, purity and poit-
| cal freedom, as vel as the preservation OF so.
ciety identical with the interests OF the white
ria NJ ha tuf