New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-25
THE HAMBURG OUTRAGE PALLIATED.

THE HAMBURG OUTRAGE PALLIATED.
The New Orleans Times says:
There is no extenua.ion or pallation TO
be offered.
Yet with true Democratic jesuitry it
commends itself to the White Leaguers
By proceeding to prove that the deed is
justifable:
In the Edgetied district of South Caro-
lima the leading Republican politician is an
ignorant but cunning negro named Prince
Rivers. He had organized the negroes of
his district into so called militia com
pany.
The Times assumes
1t appears that in this capacity they had
become an uEmitigated nuisance, for they
had robbed and stolen from the white and
colored people on the neighbOrlng places
for miles around.
That is, this ignorant and cunning
negro had organized a militia company,
who in their military capacity had robbed
and stolen from black and white for
miles around. They deliberately OBJ
structed highway SO that neither vehicle
nor horseman could pass from 10 A. NJ. till
2:3O P. NJ. on one day. The NEGRO
Rivers having at the head of his drilled
negroes made this wanton obstruction,
proceeds in his capacity of trial judge to
order white company out as posse:
He ordered white company out as a
posse, commanding them by virtue OF his
legal authority to capture and disarm the
htapks and hiring them before him.
The testimony of Mr.. NJ C. Butler is
that the trial justice, proceeded on the
applications of Mr.. r. J. Butler, his son
and son-in-law. The correspondent OF
Mr.. Smalls, for whom he vouches, says:
The next day colored trial justice issued
processes against the officers of the com
pany, based on the complaint of the two
white men, citing the officers to appear and
answer to charge of obstructing the pub
lie highway.
In what respect does the charge that
the JUST ce ''ordered out white company
as posse etc, correspond with this
testimony? In what does it justify the
assertion
OF course he [the Justice knew this would
raise the race question and end in fight.
So far that this charge rests upon the
only testimony published, it is wholly
unsupported. It is then asserted
That the negro was acting under instruc-
tions from the Governor would seem evil
dent from the fact that as soon as he had
ordered the white company to capture and
disarm the blacks, without waiting to see
what the result would be, he started to
Columbia, reported to Cham berlain, who ls
TRYING to be reelected, and gave him
charce-whch he instantly took-to call
upon the President for troops.
The testimony of NJ. c. Butler is that
the justice would no. hold the trial and
that he did not hold any trial at all That
armed men came across the river from
Georgia and attacked the negroes, shut
up as at Colfax in place Of supposed de-
tense. How was it reasonable to suppose
that the negroes put up this invasion and
violence for the purpose of making an
issue? Is it possible that the negro cap
tain and justice should have caused the
death, as the Times says, of seventeen
persons, for the purpose Of doing what
the President has promised to do,
and is bound to do-repel in
vasion and suppress domestic vio-
lence. We repeat the President
can not refuse to perform these acts when
required by the State authorities to exc
cute the constitution. The Times knows
that in Louisiana it has been admitted by
the White League press that General
Grant will comply with the constitu-
ton. The point was made during the
session Of the Republican convention
that he would do SO in event of Mr..
Packard's nomination, but that he would
not do so in the event Of a nomination
unacceptable to the President. The
President could not refuse any Governor
or any Legislature. This was known
throughout the South. Why, then,
should the negro Rivers have seventeen
people killed, at the risk of his own life,
to effect that which would be done any
way? 1t is said, then, as the summary
that =
This Hamburg case was deliberately
gotten up for the purpose of giving the
government pretext to interfere in behalf
of Republican candidates for office.
Yet the Times sets out with the pro-
position that "there is no extenuation or
palliation to be offered for the Hamburg
outrage. The assumption, without cita-
tion of proof, of a deliberate purpose to
exasperate the whites is an extenuation.
The charge that the ''negro Rivers, y IN
der the orders Of the Governor of Caro-
lima, caused these murders to compel
Federal interposition is more than pal
liation-both amount to a justification of
the terrible deed. The Times has mis-
taken the character of the Southern peo-
pie. They do not approve violence. They
will give fair play even to those with whom
they differ. Mr.. Lamar understands the