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

roblts p,uudsr4n. .assv Ecslrcs.ous.,1s
bis - there IL in Edoeasldy A. tbs
last election every County o@ese elsct-
| ed Wss Q colored man, en6 No nd.
minis(ratiou Of the anancss rsst eatirs-
II with theiE favored rase. i lodge
Maoksy, who is investigating the con-
ditiou, OF Attire, prououooes tho entire
system ''s huge grand larceny" The
Board of County Commissioner is
composed entirely Of negroes-who
are just able to write their own names.
Tenant. the outlaw, is & member OF
the board. On Friday. Judge Muckey
told me that he attempted to obtain
access to the records of the Office, but
was unable to do 80 because the key of
the Office was in Columbia, in POSSES
sion of the clerk of the hoard, who is
also q member the State Senate. The
Probate Judge is II mnlatto. named
Bowie, from Georgia, an utterly in.
said, is not unknown to the polioo su-
thoritios in Augusta. The School
Dom missioner is an illiterate negro
boy. so IS the Clerk of the Cou,t. The
chief deputy OF the clerk is mulstto
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 be
could render the County wonld be to
make himself the eubject of ooroner's
inquest" The Sheriff. white man,
is described by Judge Mackey iI the
following terms: "He is an honest and
Trustworthy man. but has dissgreea.
ble 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 ADMINISTERS.
tion Of the jury Law in eminently sug
gestive. Said he: 'Any Citizen who
has had wrong doue to person or pro.
perty, even the most violent and ultra
Democrat. can obtain justice. provided
he fret makes satisfactory fiusnciai ur.
rangements with the Jury Oommis-
sioner." ''Iu short" added the Judge,
as 1 arose to depart. lyon may say
that assert that the government in
Edgefield County is ~ vast system of
larceny"
In the face Of these facts, in the face
| VA osA WHO OAClut EaoCdittH, "tofOid
and public plundering. any unbiased
person who o.me here and lived a " bills
would be astonished to find the white
citizens peaceful and law abiding.
Tney are extremely sensitive, and 90.
casionally quarrel and fight among
themselves; but the records prove that
for the past four years they have exhi.
bited degree of forbesrance that enti-
ties them to the respect of the country
The lswlessness of Tenuant and his
rsscally militia has occasionally led to
disturbances between the blacks and
whites, but in every instance. these
were due to the threatening attitude
of the negroes themselves. On the
18th OF last September, when the
| whites we're alarmed by the action OF
the militia 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 is not
difficult to foresee. And yet the whites
reirained from attacking the negroes.
II you add to the rottenuess of the
County government the injudicious
and indiscriminate arming of the ne-
groes by Governor Moses, you will
A"sS VIZ otAoCS ooueC VI taCoo LfUuOte6.
That the notorious Tenuant should
have been allowed to remain unmo-
Tested i'll the County jail for three
nights, protected by the very white
men who have been 30 bitteIly de
nounced for their proacr ption Of the
| negroes. and in the face OF the proof
against him OF being an incendiary
and an outlaw, ID as strange as it is
true.
IL any Northern o- 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 forbearauce
OF tho white people of Edgefeld
County. 1t has been pub Iished 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 a tendency
to Republicanism in politics. This is
al nnmitigated falsehood. The records
prove that there has not been a singls
case of a negro being killed for bis
political opinloDs in this County since
the war. A good deal of stress has
been laid upon the fact that, at the
last election. negro man was killed
with u Republican ballot in his hand.
learn fron creditable witnesses, who
! Weru Drcaent az tina Ocourrarca ty,ot