The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-01-26

ssbsis psssasr iesS. 4tf3.St ssssis
bic - shers q In sEdue0s1dJ A I'D
last election every Oo1Sft olAsse slees-
ed wss . noolorsd. IDaa, ,soi iAeie sAd.
ninis(Iation Of th4 nnancss ~ uutirs-
n with 4heis fav6red raoa. 81 ynd6e
Mseksy, Who 10 .insestigating the coa-
dttiou OF a4Airs, pfououuces tho eusise
systen ''aihuge grand larceny" The
Board OF County Commissioners IL
composed entirely of uegross-vho
are just able to write their own names.
ETennant. the ontlaw, is & member OF
the board. On Friday. Judge Mackey
told me that he attempted to obtain
access to the records Of the Office, but
wac unable to do SO because the key of
the Office was in Columbia. in posses.
sion OF the clerk of the board, who is
also q member the State Senate. The
Probate Judge is u mnlatto. named
Bowie, from Georgia, an utterly in.
competent man, and one who, it is
said, is not unknown to the poliou au.
thorities in Augusta. The School
Commissioner is an illiterate negro
boy. 80 IS the Clerk OF the Court. The
chief deputy OF the clerk is mulatto
from Ohio, who has been in the County
only few months. The Coroner is
an incompetent negro. OF whom Judge
Mackey says: "The only service he
could render the County wonld be to
make himself the subject of coroner's
inquest" The Sheriff, a white man,
is described by Judge Mackey iI the
following terms: "He is an honest and
Trustworthy man, but has dissgreea.
BILE habit Of appropriating. the funds of
judgment creditors to his own use, on
the ground that the County has not
paid him for dieting the prisoners
under his charge" The opinion OF
Judge Mackey upon the administra-
tion OF the jury law in emiuently sug
gestive. Said lie: "Any citizen who
has had wrong done to person or pro-
perty, even the most violent and ultra
Democrat. can obtain just,os. provided
be fret makes satisfactory financial ar.
rangemeDts with the Jury Commis-
sioner." ''Iu Short" added the Judge,
as 1 arose to depart. lyon may say
that assert that the government in
EdSeasla County is II vast system Of
larceny"
In the face OF these facts, in the face
OK G" :h;s o@c:s! rascs.::y. @:s.a!o
and public plundering. any unbiased
person who o.me here and lived " hills
would be astonished to fiud the white
citizens peaceful and Law abiding.
Tney are extremely sensitive, and 90.
casionslly quarrel and fight among
themselves; but the records prove that
for the past four years they have exhi.
bIted q degToo OF fOF5eHFancs that enti-
kIaR than Nfs Tho nak
The lawlessness of Tennant and his
rascally militia has occasionally led to
disturbances between the blacks and
whites, bot in every instance. these
were due to the threatening attitude
of the negroes themselves. On the
10Th Of last September, when the
whites were alarmed by the action OF
the c:ilitia at Ridge Springs. and the
entire County was under arms, q single
act OF violence would have led to
struggle, the result of which it il not
difficult to foresee. And yet the whites
refrained from attacking the negroes.
1t you add to the rottenuess OF the
County government the injudicious
and indiscriminate arming of the me-
groes by Governor Moses, you will
have the direct oanse OF these troubles.
That the notorious Tenuant should
have been allowed to remain unmo-
Tested in the County jail for three
nights, prntected by the very white
men who have heen SO bitteIly de
nounced for their proscr ption of the
negroes. and in the face of the proof
against him OF being an inoendiary
and an outlaw, is as strange as it Is
true.
In any Northern or Western com.
munity In the United States he would
huve been at once taken from the Jail
and promptly hung. confess myself
unable to understand the forbearanoe
OF tho white people of Edgefield
County. It has been published abroad
that there are hundreds of negroes
hiding IN the swamps Of the County
to save their lives, AMI that negro is
not safe here who exhibits tendency
to Republica in politics. This is
an nnmitigated falsehood. The records
prove that there has not been a single
case of negro being killed for his
political opinions in this County since
the war A good deal of stress has
been laid upon the fact that, at the
last election. q negro man was killed
with Republican ballot in his hand.
l learn from creditable witnesses, who
were present at the occurrence, that
i a Al.-