The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-17
se1f.Preservation, the First Law.

The Radical Organ has come to the con-
/ clusion that some ofsthe people OF Charles
ton, who call themselves "Citizensl" have
discharged their employees for voting for
Mayor Pillsbary. This sin is laid at the
door of the Old-school-R Bourbon -Locofoco-
Democrats, whoever they may be, and their
"petty tyranny is taken as the text upon
which to preach against ''cast-iron poll
stics," and the sold Infamous ruts" in which
Charlestonians are said 10 be overload OF
travelling. = -. 80.
That any persons who desired to vote the
Radical ticket were prevented from so odoing,
by either moral suasion or physical force, We
empbatically deny. The Organ admitted,
even before the smoke had cleared away
from the field, that thetelection was as fair
as any election could be in the excited con-
dition Of party politics. And this is the
plain truth, 30 far asethe Citizens Party
were concerned Upon the Radical side,
! however, intimidation OF the worst kind
was openly practiced. Gangs OF negro
! bnllies surrounded the polls, hootiHg at
J every man of their color who had the pluck
to vote for General Wagner. Where they
could ie SO with impunity, the Radical
rowdies beas, and cut, their deienceless op-
ponenss. Only the presence Of the United
States troops, backed + three or four thou.
sand determined white citizens, guaranteed
\ to the whole people the. free exercise Of the
suffrage. And this protection was extended
to every voter, whether white or colored,
Radical or Conservative. The Radicals in.
tended to win the election, as they had done
before, 10y broW-beating the timid or infirm
\ voter They failed, as they deserved to do
Their threats and blows, their clubs and
| knives, gave hundreds Of votesto the Citi-
zens' Party. e, n ~ - -. 4;
:, But the main charge, the burden eof the
| song, is that certain persons were dis
charged from their employment because
they voted for Mayor Pillsbury. Whether
this is true, we do not know. We do hear,
however, that it was intended last week to
discharge from the City Police several MEM
bers. Of the force who we're suspected Of
voting for General Wagner. Let this
pass! We desire to meet the question
sauarely, and without reference to individual
cases on either side,
Just as a Radical President or Radical
Governor gives the preference to member
Of his own party when the public loaves aud
fishes are ready for distribution, so may a
Conservative citizen give the preference,
other things being equal to the person who
votes with him on election day. Where
there is a purely political question at
issue we do not wish to see any man pun
\ ished, directly or indirectly, because he de-
:posits his ballot for. the candidates OF his
choice. At any election which involves the
rights. or the privileges, OF any class OF
| citizens we desire that every voter have
absolute immunity from blame in endeavor-
| ingt to elect the candidates whom he is most
disposed to trust. But no such question
came up, on the Conservative side, in the
Charleston Mnnicipaly Election. "A band OF
tried and substantial citizens were pltted
against q plundering clique, who had
wasted our. substance and had striven, for
years, to make the blacks the bitter and
unrelenting enemies Of the white people OF
the State. The choice was between Hon.
! esty and Dishonesty, between Probity and
Vice. And the man who, with all the facts
before him, voted for the Plllsbury Party
deserves no more indulgence at the hands OF
his employers than il he had opened their
warehouse doors as band Of burglars ap-
preached tits business necessity that
Charleston should have decent govern
ment Without 1t, trade languishes, and
the burden OF taxation becomes intolerable.
| The election Of Pillsbury and his ticket
would have cost the merchants and tie
. storekeepers of Charleston hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars, which woald have
been extracted from their pockets in one
shape or anotheri by profigate mal-admin
istration. Every employee who voted for
the Pillsbury Party voted, therefore, TO
strip his employer Of his hard-earned in
come---to filch money from the till OF the
very men upon whom, and by whom, he
lived And il any employer in Charleston
desires to retain in his service those who
deliberately consort with public plunderers,
that employer deserves the worst evil that
may befall him. We want no bribe5-no
threats Every citizen is at liberty to vote
as he may please. But the sensible en-
ployer should have no further use for any
person in his employment who, by voting
with them, becomes the accomplice Of the
Mackeys, the Gains, and all the smaller fry
who are bent on comprising the ruin Of tht
city.
, II this be either bribery or intimidation
/ the Organ is welcome to make the mos
Of it.
> The Democratic Victory In Kentucky
t Official returns from ninety:siX countie