Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-10-20

rae LATEST F2sONz SOUETS CAR
DINA We G. NTEM POHANs-
Gus FACTS.
Two very important items reach
US on the same breath of the tele-
graphic wires the day before we go to
press. One of these is from Washing
ton City and tells us shat President
Grant will SUP port Chamberlain in his
effort 30 force reelection in South
Carolina through the fundamentally
of Federal bayonets and the other is
that at a political meeting held near
Charleston on Monday last, full &C
count of which is published in this
issue, large number OF unarmed
whites were fred upon by Chamber
lain's militia, and two of them killed
and thirteen wounded. there is
nothing singular either in the fact that
Grant has resolved to help Chamber
lain in his war on the whites in South
Carolina or that mob Of negro mill
tia had fired upon a body of quiet and
.
peculiar III the fact that these two
events should occur so nearly at the
seme time. just az though Chsmber-
lain and GTaut had privately instiga.ed
the negroes to murder. The ball has
opened in earnest and there Is no back
down now. Wade Hampton Is
soldier as wsll as one of the wisest
and trusst leaders men have ever had
in times of perilous troubles aud the
suffering people of our unfortunate
sister State know this and will abide
by his connsels, no matter what they
must continue to suffer. The effort on
tho part of the administration is TO
goad the people on to the extent OF al.
armed resistance to the Federal troops,
thus justifying the use of their bayo-
nets in the State. The situation is
interesting and may grow yet more SO
between this and the day of election.
The salient point of the conflict thus
and the President of the Republican
party and this lies in the fact that not
one lawyer Of any prominence in any
State of the Union has dared TO de-
fend the con.titutionality of the recent
order promulgated 10y Attorney Gen :
eral Taft, and on the strength OF which
| South Carolina has been invaded by
| the Federal troops. And in addition to
this fact we find nearly every member of
the South Carolina judiciary, Repub-
lican ana Democrat, as well as one of
the two Republican Senators from
that State (Robertson) bearing une-
| quivocal testimony to the quiet and
peace which has reigned In that State.
As illustrative of this fact Judge
Mackey, Republican who has taken
the stump for Hayes and Whe lei, but
a man of nerve and of determination,
in charge recently issued by him to
the Grand Jury at York Court has
taken a noble, manly and positive at
titude in defence of the people
Judge Maokey may be said to speak
for others as we'll as himself and to
give a clear idea of the exact condition
of affairs, we publish his charge here:
In charging the Grand Jury His
Honor stated that no had heard, but
had 10 facts warranting the imputa.
ton, that armed organizations exist in
this county, having for their object
the intimidation of voters for the pur-
If
election. While nothing of this kind
had occurred in York county for She
East five years, and while the citizens
were never more peaceabIy inclined,
it is the duty of the Court to instruct
the Grand Jury to inquire if such or.
CARNATIONS do exist and If they fluid
they do, to report the same TO the
Court: while if they find that they dc
not exist, likewise to report the fact.
The Court announced it's readiness &c
move at all times to secure an invioia-
BILE ballot, and to maintain the law
supreme, without the guidance of an
executive officer at Washington. His
Honor then stated that his attention
had been called to the recent order OF
Attorney General Taft, which he char
aoterlZed as the most formidable and
aUdaclOus act of political intimidation
at present within the knowledge of the
Court and said that the Judge of q
Court who would permit the prOyis-
ions of that order to be enfoT ced in his,
circuit would be false to his duty. He
said it is the duty of the courts and of
every citizen Of the State to aid the
United States civil and military au-
thorltles when such aid is required
but the law fixes a limit to the autht ri
ty of an executive officer, and when he
transcends that limit he himself be-
comes amenable. The circular of At
torney General Taft, continued His
Honor, in effect expuDges the law and
it's duly constituted tribunals and sub
stltutes the will of a subordinate Uni
ted States officer therefor. The law is
I ample to check intimidation of voters
and to punish those guilty of intimi-
dation and the rights of no voter
shall be trampled upon, no matter what
his political sentiments or race or color
may be. United States marshaIs and
deputy m arshals will not be permitted,
on this judicial circuit, to carry out
the provisions of the order of the At
torney General to the extent of disre-
garding the duly issued process of the
State courts and should they offer
resistance to judicial authority ade.-
quate force would be invoked to main
tain, that authority, and the Court
would assume the responsibility. He
who acts upon the provisions of that
circular will do SO at his peril if he
| violates the constitutional or legal
| rights of the humbiest citizen. The
circular of the Attorney General in
| directing United States marshals to
disregard the State officers in the exc
cutiOn of Lneir instructions virtually
proposes that every marshal and depu-
ty marshal shall be constituted a su.
preme tribunal, whose acts, however