, 1876-12-03
TN SOUTH CAROLINA.

There was one incident in the South Caro-
lima contest which TIE TRIBUNE carefully re-
Trained from commenting upon until it
should become clear just how it happened.
We refer to the alleged interference BY Gen.
RuarR. with the troops under his command,
in the seating of members Of the Legislature.
1t was stated that on the day when the
Legislature convened a file Of soldiers was
stationed at the door of the State-House, with
instructions to admit no persons except those
with pass from man named DENNIS.
From this it was assumed that the soldiers
were being employed, under express orders
from Washington, to discriminate between
the Supreme Court and Returning Board,
and to determine in effect which claimants
should take their seats aud which should not
Upon this assumption Gen. GORDON and
WADE HAMPTON addressed letter to Gen.
RuGEn, in which they accused him OF
having broken faith with them, and
ar1aigned the General Government on
charge of high-handed despotism. The
Democratic newspapers joined in this out
cry, and pointed to the occurrence as an H.
stance of President GRANTS determination
to bully the Legislature of South Carolina as
CHARLES l. Of England endeavored to bully
Parliament, with eventual disaster to him
self. Many Republican newspapers even
have been betrayed into an acceptance OF
the statement of the case for the facts, and
on that basis have criticised Gen. Ru0En and
the Administration, which they supposed to
be backing RUGER. It would have been
better to await the actual facts of the matter,
as TIE TRIBUNE has done.
Il now turns out that the use of the SOL
diers in the way described was simply q
| blunder, for which no enc Of any account
can be held responsible. They were not thus
employed by command of the President, nor
of the Cabinet, nor of the Secretary of War,
nor of the General Of the Army, nor even Of
Gen. RuGER, who is in command of the
troops at Columbia. Hare is Gen RudER's
plain and satisfactory statement Of the way
the thing came about:
It came about that for the time soldiers were
placed either side OF the door OF the entrance to
| the Hall OF Representatives under the following
| circumstances: Il person at the door OF the
| House, and who claimed the authority to examine
| the certificates Of those claiming to be members
prior to their admission to the hall, but who, I
think, had no legal authority for doing, applied
| to the Office. in command Of the troops plnced in
the corridor for the preservation Of the peace for
assistance, on the ground thu: he was being press
ed upon and couldn't perform his duty. The SOL
dlezs were placed rs stated. AS soon IS was fully
informed Of the circumstances ordered the sol.
diers withdrawn, as / had previously informed
Gov. CHAMBERLAIN should conGne my action tc
tue preservation Of the peace, and should do moth
ing with reference to keeping the doors Of the
rooms Of meeting OF the Houses, or the rooms
! themselves unless it became necessary becaude OF
the breach Of the peace which the civil officers o1
tue House should be unable to restore.
All. the rage that has grown ont Of thi!
blunder will have to be expended, then, OF
the Corporal or, as best, the Captain whe
made it. We are glad that this is the trutl
of the matter. The action was Of nature
that could not have been approved, no mat
ter how high an authority Ind ordered it
and TIE TRIBUNE was silent only because j
had faith that it had never been ordere,
from Washington. Gen. RuGER seems full.
to understand his duty in the premises. Hi
troops are there not to seat or unseat legis
1ators, nor in any way to intervene betweel
factions contending peacefully and accordin
, to the forms of law, but at the invitation Q
the Governor Of the State. as provided b
| the Constitution Of the United States, to a.