Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-10-20
a.czA GAZETTE VIRGINIA ADoERTIsER
sne f'resi..eni's Proclamation.

the utmost sell restraint, II aI50ute peace aGu
nan resistance, no matter under what provoca'
,i1r. The real situation in South Carolina be
rms 10 lie understood in the North, and the
language OF the Presidents proclamation will
not change opinion here. It is very we'll un.
ler<,ood by people who care TO know that there
IS II, insurrection in the State, mo domestic
Yoicnce," no combinations against law" nc
I;.orlcr whatever which the Governor, if be
ag,. to 10 70, could not easily and summary
rut down. What ci;olt has Governor Cham
i,,lau made to put doHn "lnSurrectlon or
domestic violence p None at all. 1t such a
state al things has existed as Geo. Grant Is
uYjc IN his proclamation 10 pretend the Gov
,.yuny has had abundant t!uit to call the i4agls-
lsture together; but he has not done SO. lie
should have called out tic State militia: but
he has rot doGc So In short there are no
pr,ols OF the existence of .an ''insurrectlon' in
Souh Carolina, or rt "dcmcstc violence, or
II aay effort OF the Governor to find or suppress
,tthrr
There is good deal OF vague talk OF riff.
,,a:.s." Suppose Gov Iildeu should enroll
.uthc roughs aud ali the illitcraie and ignorant
ua,ui,ion OF the State, and none others, iD The
l:it,ti.., should arm them with State arms; aud
SUPPOSE then, 10 the midst OF an exciting polhl
e,l campaign, he should suddenly order al! the
rmaiu.icr OF the clt.Z 2nS the whole OF the
substantial ami Intelligent class-t0 dlsarm, and
Il they hesltatCa order wholesale arrests Dy
federal narsllals and call oc the President Tor
rroops-what would be said OF such pro-
,rc,ing2 Yet that is precisely what Governor
Chambcrlaiu has done and what the President
.ucts him iu. Fortunately 50 far the members
ii the "r.he clubs have quietly submitted to
arrest. la fact, the whole plan Of the demo.
cratic canvass rccessllates peace and order On
their Idle; and this is SO certain and evident
that the cali OF Chamberlain Tor troops has
cieally DO other object than the hope to stir up
riot and violence. We trust that the demo
cras will be on their guard and give not the
least occasion by their own conduct for the sue
cess 0! this base scheme. And We again ad-
wise the coored men Of South Carolina to vote
ior General Hampton. lie has promised them
equal Justice, absolute security and lar play,
uld they may depend on his wold.
The Presidents proclamation, made iur ~
tluc cause, m:sstatug the clear aud we'll un-
derstooi facts iu almost every paragraph, or
,larur the dispersion Of an insu,rectlon which
does hot exist, on pleas which arc notorlouoly
without foundation, ard threatening to send 70
.tit ,NtaIt uUt WY lbt iSss,Ni.ta h'ao) b"I Wv
militia of the States is surely too grave aud
dangerous an abuse OF power to pass uunuticed
Ly Northern voters. The clause OF the cousl-
tuition, under which the President shelters him
self and Governor Cham berla!n, evidently sup
poses the Governor OF State to have attempt
ed to put down disorders before he is entitled
10 r4il inr federal help. 1t Supposes The cm-
rrgency 10 he 70 serious that he would call the
Legislature together for consultation before he
appeals to Washington, II possible; anu Tor this
Mr. Chamberlain has had abundance OF time.
Il surpCacs 1t least actual and notorious illegal
combinations too powerful ior him 70 put down;
but there IS not the least proof OF any comblna-
ton whatever, except one OF the respectable
people ct the State to defeat Governor Cham
h2rlaln at the polls. There csn be no plea even
OF resistance on the part >oi the rifla cfuts,
which are ior the most part, ii not entirely,
legal aud chartered organizations. Theft mem
hers have submitted quietly to arrest, wherever
they have been called on. The psain and disa
sreeablc truth seem to 10 that the President
OF the United States has bren lcl to ahrt Gov
ernor ChanbeIlan IN al attempt 10 create
not in South Carolina for the purpose ct co
ercIng the leope to re elect him.
1t is impossible to believe that - serious aud
dangerous misuse of power for partisan pur-
poses will go unuotic6a by the voters OF the
Northern States Such sets. unless they are
Promptly condemned by the people, become
preeedents; and if the people Of the United
States should by their neglect allow such pre-
ctdcut Is this to become established 1t would
hang As menace over every election and Wouid
surely soon be mlsused in \ manner to create
general civil discord. No one pretends to doubt
that the people Of South Carolina have TOR
many years suffered from public robbery and
grave ma!admlnlstration at the hands OF men
who used the ignorant negro vote to MAINTAIN
themselves in power. At last, there, as 10
Arkansas and in Alabama. even the negroes,
Srat least the more intelligent part OF them,
Nave become weary Of misrule; at the same
ume, as in those other States, the republican
party has become divided, and Que faction ar
rays ITSELF against the party candidate. BY this
spnt the democrats reasonably hope to proht
anu 10 carry the State. They arc using their
UTMOST efforts to do so, an1 they deserve the
Sympa1hy OF every opponent OF bad government
ID 'ne North. But in this emergency, when na-
'Ital CAUSES give the friends Of honesty chance,
'ue FEDERAL power is invoked and successfully,
"s'ep IN to save Governor Chamberlain IRON
ueieat which lie deserves and which the pub
nc good demands. Surely that is not Tree OF
constitutional government. What would the
people Of New York have said il, when Tweed
.I sua his King were about to be overturned'
slss; had been able to summon federal troops
"ao federal marshals to help them, and had
procured Presidential proclamation ordering
'NS opponents Of the Ring to disperse?
he Ireslcnsof the United States is not 10
'e'a'!'n with very good sources Of information
As 10 10 The events Of the day and the condition
:" We country, and, in consequence, there are
several statements in bis proclamation In re
gard to South Carolina which are erroneous
!, 1t Is stated by the President that lnsur
II tss''9a exists 10 several counties OF South Caro-
"1s' bu, this is not true.
1t is stated that these insurrections can
"'l Dc controlled or suppressed By the ordlnar.
%oaF'e "i Justice" AS the sordnary course 0
justice hes rot been tried, how can this b
known?
. 1t i said that the Legislature cannot b
v}'a'S"S' in limc 20 meet the emergency;
""'A !s lLco:rcct, l1r tha Legislature can b
L.