The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-11-30
COLUMBIA, S. &C,
Saturday sornine November SO, 1872.
seditlon and Bxibvrv, y

After his defeat for Congress, our
readers will remember that ex.G Governor:
Perry wrote letter to the Conservative @
voters Of the Fourth Congressional Dis
trict. in which he advised, as, remedy
for our present ills. the people of the
State to refuse to give. employ yment to
those who -steadi'y. .a.ndf. systematically
vote against them, and in favor OF q cor,
rupt and oppressive government over
them. This letter was unfavorably com
mented on by the press of the State,
with few exceptions. Tue course recon
mended was deemed to be unadvisabe
ma policy and wrong in principle The
public mind was pre-oconpied with other
supposed remedies. md received Go
vernon Perry's suggestions with some
impatience, or it was raralyzed by the
hopelessness Of any serious efforts to re-
sort to the principle Of retaliation. or
felt itself impotent to apply brakes to
the reckless and down-tending course of
things. Possibly sense Of the mex
pediency and mpracticubility OF the
scheme, and the injury it might work to
the planting interest, had it's effect. We
rather incline to think that the remains
of our old chivalrous spirit spoke ont in
disapproval OF the measure recommend
ed by Governor Perry. It was gene
ronsly thought that the poor laborers,
who blindly obey their instincts, and
those bad influences to which they are so
constantly exposed, and who cannot be
made to appreciate the good of political
harmony botween thsaiaelves and their
employers. onght to be excused in their
fatuity. Capital and labor are every
where, more or less, ut variance. and it
requires intelligence and spiyit of
manly concession on each side to recon-
ollie their iarring.demands on each other.
It was silently concluded that, in this as
Yin other collisions of interest, into which
-'rral, social and intellectual dispnrities
enter, the superior should gallantly give
way to the inferior, or in other words
mob!esse oblige. We doubt not ourselves
that this il the true solution. The old
feeling stirred in the bosems of our peo-
ple They could not bear the idea nf
proceeding in any way which seemed
hostile to their old servants. Better
work with them gently, it was thought,
aud gradually the virus may be dis
charged from their minds and their pre-
judices be extirpated.
Whatever may be thought OF Gov.
eessJ's fanacea, cc whatever mag have
been the reasons entertained for declin-
ing to resort to it, no one, we believe,
but Judge T. J. Mackey, has yet pro-
nounced his letter seditious. This
learned Judge, who has set himself to
work to initiate oil necessary reforms,
and to give us pure government. has
instructed the grand jury of Chester that
citizens who carry out the view of Gov.
ferry viii pe liable 10 Indictment ior
sedition, and to indict them accordingly,
If they do it. Now, we would not ven
ture legal opinion, but if the essence
of Gov. Perry's recommendation is to ex-
ercise ones pleasure about hiring labor
or renting lands, to do it or not, as one
may like and find convenient, if this
conception Of it is correct. Judge Mackey
will run against o snag in interfering
with so clear right. The judicial pre-
rogative cannot be construed as en-
titling him to go 30 for, except upon the
most indefensible principles of interpre-
tation. Possibly they have been
stretched to suit the loose and discordant
times. But VIC should like, if the at
tempt to hold planter liable for uedi-
tion in such case is ever made, to have
the question fully ventilated and decided
by competent judicial authority.
Judge Mackey's alacrity in this matter
emboldons us to make suggestion and
impose duty on him. As the champion
Of the imperilled laws of his native
State. as Judge much given to charges.
us reformer OF the purest water, as q
man Of consistency, he cannot decline it.
Ho whose vigilance detected sedition in