The daily gazette., 1876-12-01
The Crisis in Carolina.
THE DEMOCRATS TAKE POSSES
SION OF THE HALL OF
REPRESENATI


DEMOCRATIC SPEAKER IN THE CHAIR
BoTn PARTIES OCCUPY EHE
HOUSE ALI. NIGHT.
CoLuMmIA,S. c., November 30.-The
Democratic House took peaccable posses
sion of the State Legislative hall at their
regular hour of convening, II o'clock this
morning and proceeded to WORK under
their organization. The Republican
House entered the hall at 12 O'Clock their
regular hour Of meeting. Both Speakers
were on the stand, Wallace, Democrat
was in the chair. Mackey, Republican.
was at the Clerks desk. The Republi
can members Hamilton and Meyers de-
nounced the action of the Republican
House as illegal and unconstitutional.
Good humOr was manifested on both
sides. Some efforts were made to conf
prise. About 3 O'Clock p. III. to-day Gen.
Ruger sent his staff officer to the Speak
er's stand and and notified Democratic
Speaker Wallace that at II o'clock to-
morrow the Democratic members from
Edgefield would not be permitted on the
floor of the House. Upon the receipt of
that order, the following letter was i'm
mediately sent to General RugG:
COLUMBIA, S. G. Nov. 80 1876.
General I. III. Ruger, commanding Uni
ted States troops in South Carolina:
DEAR SIR: We have Just head through
Major McGinnis, of your staff, your or
der communicated to William Wallace,
Speaker of the House of Representatives
thatIat IL o'clock tomorrow the members
elect from Edgefeld would not be allow
ed upon the floor of the House. To say
that we are surprised at such an order,
after the explanations and pledges made
by you to each one of ms, is to use very
mild language. When the outrage OF
Tuesday last was committediby the plac-
ing of armed sentinelS at the door of the
House of Representatives, who decided
upon the admission of members 10 their
seats, and when the provisions of the
Constitution and the decision OF the Su-
preme Court We're brought to your at
tention you distinctly and warmly asser-
ted again and again that your orders
were misunderstood; that you did not in
hall, and that you had not assumed, and
did not intend 10 assume, to decide upon
the legality of any mans seat, or upon
his right to enter the hall. Hou were
then reminded by us that your guard re-
ceived instructions from one Dennis, q
citizen and partisan of Governor Cham
berlain to admit parties upon his own
pass or that of Jones, and had through
armed force excluded all Democrats
from fha ha1 rnfi1 fha Dav liaa
ization was completed. You assured lis
again that such were not your orders, and
were told by us that, notwithstanding
the perpetratioD of this inexpressible
shame upon our free institutions and the
rights of the people, the evils could still
be remedied without violence or blood
shed by simple withdrawal of your
guard from the doors of the hall; and
that a majority of voices decides all ques-
tions in accordance with law and the
usage of legislative bodies. You stated
that no troops should be at the door, and
that under no circumstances would you
interfere except there should occur a
serious disturbance of the peace. You
affirmed your determination to exercise
no supervisory control whatever over the
body or bodies claiming to be the House
of Representatives. All this occurred on
yesterday. Last night, in a later inter
same assurance, and this morning, after
both bodies were assembled in the hall
you assured General Hamptonthat under
no circumstances would you interfere
except to keep the peace.
What now can justly measure our as
tonishment AZ the issuance of such an
order as the one just sent byyou? There
is no breach of thepeace and no prospect
of its disturbance. You had it OFFICIALLY
hFnIIuhf fn lnnur1a.,,. hot al,
good humor prevails in that hall. We
cannot refrain from expressing the ap-
prehension that the fact that number on
leading Republicans are taking issue
with the legality of the proceedings by
the Republican House has changed your
views as TO your line of duty. 1t is pro
per that We should say in conclusion that
we relied upon your honor as a man and
your character rs a soldier to maintain
your pledged position Of non-interyen-
ton.
The Democratic members from Edge
held and Laurens are entitled to their
seats by the judgment of the Supreme
Court of this State, and we have advised
them 70 remain in that hall until removed
by your troops, that the issue may be
made IN this centennial year Of Aneri-
can Independence whether we have a
government Of law, as construed by
courts, or centralized despotis1n, whose
only law il force. Let the American
people behold the spectacle Of a brigadier-
general Of the army, seated by the side OF
| G0Vernor Chamberlain in room in the
STATE House, and issuing his orders to a
legislative body, peacefully Assem- bled in
one " the original thirteen common
Tea.ih- u mis- Union.
-pectfullyyours,
| S!%nci j. Il. G0HDoS.
WADE HAMPTON,
| a. T.. HAeKYLL.