The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-01-04

matttTb Of interest, VIII, elnfEeQ
fs.psetfully feleItsf. pRS gpS u ip.sftsS Sfsiis
Is&JverH6f CPlamherlalM' Tnaanb9 81
This despersfe man has been driven snb5sR; by
his iusolent .apd igboble ambition to med
itate pleasure which stappahi,n either
as a Cataline, or "a, maniac. The most
charitable treatment. bis, frieEds could De-
STOW on hims would ,5e 70 snpXe his head,
nut him 10 stfaitjpcket and commit him
10 some Kindly managed rstreat fol. the
insane, i, Il his power we're as, great as bis
temper Is, unGoyernsble and wicked he
would be dangerous man TO be Left at
large. What, be nov rtbreateps tlis TO
arrest Wade Hampton on q charge, of
treason. the atrccity Of this wild threat
does not consist in the, intended conse-
quepccs to the victim; The hanging Of
General Hampton would be small crime
in comparison with the incendiary eject
cf such an attempt. A maniac who
should larry torch into ,poYdar mag
azire, or. villain WHO should send 2 tool
ON that erl7 nd, would hardly excite more
horror than an ipcendiary politician un-
dertaking TO arrest for treason the most
ponulay and trusted citizen Of South Car
Dina ii 10 the present ,iphatn mable, condi,
ton of public, feeling in. that State, 4
man must be absolutely insane, not 10
know that suc,A an act would kipdle the
whole Stale into Q cqqnaagration. Il
would be absurd 70 say that the author
did not intead this consequence if:he.
sho, Id venture on; such an ). act when
pop4lar passions, are excited, to such D
pitch that the restraining moral influence
of Wade. Hampton, ,himaelf is the only
thing that has prevented. violent out
breaks. 1fGoyernor cHaWptaB could be
arrested. tried, sentenced and, banged
With as little tumplt 9s attends, the -ordir,
nary couBset of Justice, even then the con
due: Of Chapberlain wonld be iglghle
and detestabie. Bot feuch a thing were were
attempted there would, be general up
rising throughout, South Carolipay and
the neighborinG States, t9 prqtest and de-
fend him, laad When, violence, had once
begun in that way, all control oyer popu-
lar passions, would be lost, and, nobody.
could foresee, to what ,extre,nities they
would 60. 1t is;not the one life oil Wade
Hampton that would be put in peril, but
the lives of half the, people. of South Car.
olina, The worst enemy OF. the country.
in such, q crisis as this is, he who, flings
ffebrands into an excited and ;cpmbusti-.
BILE community aud sets its passions in q
blaze. No language Of Indignant denun-
citation can be stropg enough for so, afro
cious triffing With; the public peace.
This threat of Chamberlain is, of course,
mere impotent wickedness SO far as it
concerns Governor Hampton himself;
but its, ipsolenee will not be impotent in
its effect on public feeling If an attempt
is made to' put the threat in.execution.
Even if it be only an exhibition Of idle
bullying and .6ravGdo it is still wicked
and seditious, as tending to provoke dis
turbances of the peace. 1f'.fr~ .f.,.i.
.Treason against u State is San absolete
idea. To be sure, the States have laws
defining and Furnishing treason, but they
have 30 long been dead letter that not,
one citizen in thousand is aware of their
existence. They are likera sword that
has rusted so long in,its scabbard that it
cannot h9 drawn In the whole history
of our country there has been Int one
trial for treason against o. State govern
ment, and that solitary instance was an
egregious hlunder soon repented of. In
the State of Rhode Island Thomas w. :,
Dorr was convicted OF TREASON and. 5sn-
fenced to imprisonment for life. But
when the public excitement had subsidized
he was pardoned, and the Legislature of
the State passed an; act restoring his cisil
rights and ordering the record Of his SEN.
tence to be expunged. It was felt to be
disgrace to the State that its records
should be stained byia sentence for trea-
cnn That vS,r tho frat - -,
any State of this Union, and it will prob.
ably be thelaat. The States stand in no
need of trehson law, because their gov
ernments are guaranteed by the United
States. When public excitement ran 30
high in Louisiana and Arkansas over
contesting, claims to the government there
was no talk or thought Of arrests f0rtsea-
son, because that remedy is alien to our
institutions. Even the federal govern
ment places no dependence on treason
trials for its security Not q single trial
for treason followed our great. civil war
Jefferson Davis was arrested and indicted,
but the government released him on bail
and was too glad to avoid trial. The
abortive trial OF Aaron Burr is the only
one in our judicial. records. Mr.. Cham
beran must be as crazy as he is despa-.
rate and malignant to brandish tliethreat
Of a treason trial i'm the faces of the peo-
pie of South. Carolina hin ui Ti.."1i,.E
E1en if the courts of the State recog-
nlzrd mis- tiiie TO the Ifovernorsnipy even
II he had itfuIes On the bench as aar,Si;;iiE
and brutnla az .he infamous Jeffrics; he
could hui procure .h:es cc.yintinn Of yVaslA
Hampton. ihe iu0zi si,at a i5s;,.aiz I. :. -
lima jury would find a verdict Of gliilty,is
ridiculous, even ifshe, judges we're tools
Of Chamberlain. But, fortunately, the
courts Of South Carolina; ,haye, of late
acted in o very baeoming gindependence
OF party ties. Whenever the claim of
chamberlain to Office comes before them
Tor adjudication they are iik5Iy To decide
against him. It is prcpostefo1s, tSr him
70 think that he can' get rid Of his COM
petitor by prosecution for treason; hut
We threat and an attempt To- execute it
might provoke a1hlaody, resistance. dPer-
maps thislis what he wants. d He would
seek refuge iir tho .headouarters of Gem
srai kuger and expect the federal army
70 ttd the excuse which has not vet
oeer given iit for shooting down the peo.
PIE OF. tue State The great obstacle
which has titus far stood III the way' bf
tnls ambitious man is the noble seif-com-
Mand OF the citizens Of South. Carolina,
which has restrained them ,frpnl any, act
oly'olence. He, perhaps, thinlag that o
nltbulent uprising of,the people would
make his fortune. AS soon. rs, fighting
aaee-begun-ha.ssean~s an~she-tsoops..and
until s Pssss Ssd oppsaeass ste 90 @e4e ae
slaughtered or subdued. He feels that
Hl3 DIttvlF fnffeara ,.4l ..Ecx.a