The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-12-01
irrro,n n. r.v PORT rrIbuuc d, yesterday.

lFsorn the New York Tribune Of. YESTERDAY
Trae Prssidehts and South Carolina.
Wedspiore and condemn tbs use made
of the United States troops the other aay
at Columbia. But it Is important that the
real blunder IL the matter snould De re-
cognized, and the popular censure given
lust where Il Is deserved. This Is not q
time for sensational protests against legal
md needfuf action. The events OF the
day show clearly enotgh what would
have happened; II the troops had not
been there. The excited populace were
ready to run over their own officers, but they
have learned what It Is to attack the Unlteo
States, and they do not propose TO 40 tnat
again. II the troops had not been III Co
lumbia it Is now evident that those men,
bers OF the Legislature whose elections were
not contested, and about the. legality OF
whose certificates there Was no question
whatever, would have been overridden, the
usual forms Of organization would nave
been violated, the men whose seats
were contested and whose certificates
were irregular would have partlcl-
pated in if, and their votes would have
controlled the result. Now, we do not say
that these men were not legally elected, that
they are not entitled to the seats which they
claim In the Legislature, or that General
Wade Hampton has not been elected in
place OF Governor Chamberlain. All that
IS matter for investigation by the competent
constitutional tribunal. We only insist that
it shall be investigated before 1t is decided,
and that the parties in interest shall not
themselves make the decision.
The real mistake LII South Carblifia on
Tuesday was in setting United States troops
to do the work OF policemen. 1t was not
their business to guard the State-House-
not their business to grant admission to
the legislative chambers, to examine
certificates OF election, to receive orders
from doorkeepers or clerks OF the last
House. They were in Columbia under the
orders Of the President of the United States,
! on the requisition OF the Governor OF the
State, to prevent or suppress domestic vlo-
lepce, Governor Chamberlain should nave
guarded his own State-House. The
Clerk of the last Assembly should have coll"
ed on the civil authorities for whatever pro-
tectiot1 he needed In organizing the new
one. He should have refused, in calling the
roll, to recognize members whose certlf-
Gates he regarded as invalid. and if be con-
sidercd needful he should have excluded
such members from the hall until the organ
ization was completed. All this we nave
witnessed again and again at the North.
But all this he should have done without
the presence OF Federal bayonets. LIZ the po-
lice were unable to preserve order or prevent
revolutionary acts it would have been time
then 10 call for the soldiers-not before
Governor Chamberlain is the undisputed
II. % Co,,th (Nnrolino Whether a
GOOD or bad Governor, he has unquestioned
LEGAL authority. In accordance with the
Constitution, he made due requisition for
United States forces to protect the State
government against domestic violence; and
the scenes at Columbia on Tuesday prove
that serious disturbance, which the State
authority was powerlesS to prevent, would
have occurred but for the presence OF those
forces The Governor unprecedented that
the hall OF the House would be occupied
by armed men, SO that members OF that
body whose election was undisputed would
be unable to perform the duty OF deciding
in cases Of contest. That power, it ID I'M
portant to remember, rests with the Legls-
lature. and those only whose election is
duly certified according TO law have any
authority to act upon the admission OF re-
lection Of claimants not duly certified. The
Governor knew that certain claimants, not
having the legal certificates, would
attempt to enter the hall, claim to be
dulv elected members, and decide their
own cases, and that they would Unsupported
by thousands of armed men. To preserve
the peace and permit those only who had
legal certificates to enter the hall and partl-
cipate in the decision, the Governor asked
protection for the regularly appointed
doorkeepers. If the President had been
present 10 person, will any fair man say that
| be could properly have refused?
| AS to the President, there is the whole
case. The proper authority asked protcc'
ton in organizing Legislature without
violence and in accordance with law. Iha'
protection it was the duty of the President
to give. Ii the State authority has erred in
refusing admission to men who have not the
usual certificate, but have only other evil
dence of right to seat, there are lega
remedies. But it was not the duty mol
was it in the power OF the President
to determine who We're entitled to seats
That question was determined wholly by
State authorities-frst by the action OF the
constitutional Board OF Canvassers; second
by the Secretary Of State, who gave certitl
Gates; third, by the clerk OF the former
House, whose duty 1t was to prepare lis
of members and to see that only those who
had proper credentials participated in the
organization; and, finally, by the State Elk
ecutiye, who directed thut the list prepared
by that clerk, in accordance with the cert!'
fcates issued, should govern admissions tt
the chamber Will any Just man pretend
that it was the duty OF the President or Of
any army officer to reverse the decision Of
these officers?
But it is of the utmost importance tha
the line of Federal interference should 81
rigidly drawn. We have nothing to do will
the internal concerns of South Carolina
Our troops are there only to protect TIT
constituted authorities and prevent domes
tic violence. II Wade Hampton and the
Edgefeld members legally become TIT
constituted authorities, it is our bust
ness to protect them. But it is frs
the business OF South. Carolina, under hel
own laws and through her own established
forms, to decide who her authoritiea are
| And we may as well 60 one step further
The North believes that government rests
on the consent of the governed. II, ever
under the forms of law, u State government
is set up which the people will not sustain
and which cannot stand alone, the Nortl
will not be willing long to prop it up Will
bayonets.
rFrom the New York Herald Of yesterday.
The South Carolina Interference.
II ought to be remembered that the inter