The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-13

cillation here now is most unfortunate.
Please answer. All / ask is that State
House be protected against violence.
D. 81. CHAMBERLAIN,
Governor of South Carolina.
WAR DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON CITY, Dec. 5, 1876.
To Governor D. Il. Chamberlain, Co.
lumbia, S. c.:
General Ruger's instructions are to
protect the Legislature from all outside
interference, and those instructions will
be repeated.
]. D. CAMERON,
Secretary of War.
hold in my hand the official testimo-
ny taken in relation to use of troops at
the Presidential election before special
committee of the last Congress, of which
the honorable gentleman from New York
(Mr. Wood) was chairman and ]. was a
member. The publication Of this testi-
mony could not be obtained at the time,
but have it as it was written. In it I
find the testimony of Gen. Ruger in plain
and unmistakable terms that he construed
these kilograms to him to mean that the
Laurens and Edgefield members and the
other conservative members of the South
Carolina Legislature were the "unauthor-
lied persons" And he interpreted these
kilograms Alright, for they could have no
other significance; and accordingly he
took steps to enforce these orders. The
kilograms and the testimony of General
Ruger I will insert in my remarks.
Gen. Ruger sent word by his orderly
to the Legislature of South Carolina,
after the two houses convened in the hall
of the State House, telling the Conser-
vative members that they must not be
there at 12 o'clock on the next day. In
obedience to that order they withdrew,
and having withdrawn, committee
waited upon Gen. Ruger, and asked him
if these members would be permitted to
return the next day, and he told them
that they must not 60 back. Here Is the
testimony of Gen. Ruger:
Question. Did you give Gov. Cham
berlain any assurance that you would aid
his force in excluding anybody at that
time from the hall Of the House? /
mean while the two Houses were in ses-
sion together.
Answer. had some orders in refer.
ence TO that subject, bnt I gave Governor
Chamberlain no such assurance, prior to
receipt of such orders, that I would aid
in excluding any members.
@. What orders did you have?
A. I think you have the kilograms.
@. 1t still later period than that did
you make some order in reference to the
exclusion of certain persons from the
house9
| A. a committee of the Conservative
Legislature called upon me and submit
ted certain propositions in writing do
not recollect now exactly the words, or
perhaps the substance, but they asked
that they should be permitted to occupy
the hall as the legally constituted Legis-
lature. I told them that if their body
went to the hall for the purpose of enter
| ing there as the lower House of the Leg
islature they would not be permitted to
enter, that is, that if they were refused
admission by the civil officers or the
civil guards at the door, and if the door
keeper should call upon the military
officers there to prevent their forcible en-
trance or assist in doing 30, the officers
would prevent it. That was after they
had gone out in the first place and when
they proposed to go back, but they did
not 60 back.
@. What authority did you have or
for what reason did you make that order?
A. My reason for it was the instruc-
tions which I had and my understanding
of my duty under the circumstances.
Governor Chamberlain called upon me
before that for assistance in enforcing
the authority of the Speaker, think.
He made verbal application, and after
ward made an application in writing the
same day. That was, l think, on the
SOth of November. had declined, and
had reported the state of the case to
Gen. Sherman, and the dispatch which l
received in reply to that was that he
1.-THE Governor) should exercise his own
resources to purge the Legislature he
had recognized of unauthorized persons,
and in case be was resisted that should
assist him. I think those were the words
or substance.
O. That was in reference to the men,
bers from Laurens and Edgefeld Coun-
ties?
A. presume so. had also, before
that application by the committee OF the
Conservative House, received q dispatch
to prevent unlawful interference with the
Legislature by outsiders.
@. You left it to him to decide which
was the lawful Legislature?
| A. I considered that the ether, that is
the one called the Conservative House,
should be classed as outsiders. Ibid not
assume anything as to the legal status,
but 7 considered it within the intent Of
my orders that I should support the au.
thority of the Governor.
@. I think you did not quite finish
your statement as to your answer to the
committee that waited upon you.
A. The substance of it was; that il
they appeared there, as proposed, for the
purpose of occupying the hall of the
House of Representatives, and if they
we're refused admission by the persons al
the door-the State constables or persons
having charge as doorkeepers-and such
persons should call on the officers in
command of the troops at the State
House for assistance to prevent their en-
trance, it would be his duty under hi:
orders to give it. If they were granted
admission, of course I should not have
prevented their entry.
In response to question whether Gen
Ruger had not sent his orderly to ex
clude the Conservative members wher
both parties were in the hall, he said:
A. / did at one time send word tt
Speaker Wallace by Maj. Maginnis thai
at twelve o'clock the next day the mem
bers from Laurens and Edgefeld should
COR must not be there. My impression
was that the Legislature would adjourn
that evening, and that when they came
back at twelve the next day these mem
bers should not come. But that hao
nothing to do with the application BY the
Governor. Several gentlemen had beer