Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-01-09
sourA cARolinA 40 4 coNcll.
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soUrA cARoLiMA 40 4 coMclL-
lated STATE.
The collection of internal revenue
in South Carolina is a dangerous
business. q. p. kirkland, Deputy
Collector, writes to the Commissions
er of internal Revenue at Washing
ton, December %, AZ follows:
"On yesterday Messsrs. Moore,
Keane and Cummings, special deputy
collectors, and VIM. Durham, special
deputy marshal, went on tour of in
spection through Union county, from
this place, and to-day at the residence
Of Jasper Gibbs, trial Justice, they
arrested peddler and his driver for
selling tobacco improperly stamped,
and confiscated the wagon, team, to-
bacco and stamps. The officers sue
ceeded in Handwriting the prisoners,
and returned toward Spartanbnrg.-
When they had proceeded about four
miles, and were at Vests store, they
came suddenly upon rifle company,
who were armed with Winchesters
and pistols and were partly mounted.
There were about 200 men in this
company and about rs of them were
uniformed. They shouted: "Release
him, release him." and surrounded
the United States officers and long
wrangle ensued, in which the officers
endeavored to retain their prisoners
and capturedrproperty, but were COM
PEELED by threats and various demon
strations to remove the handouts and
release the prisoners, property and
stampe. Jasper Gibbs, the trial JUS
tice, and B. A. Gregory, his consta.
BILE, and the Captain of the company
seemed to be the principal persons in
authority, and they demanded the re.
lease and restoration of the property
and prisoners. Gregory, by direc.
ton Of Gibbs, searched the wagon OF
the revenue officers for whisky, and
threatened to send them to jail. II
was only by the total surrender OF
the revenue officers that bloodshed
was averted. There is not . force
here sufficient to effect the arrest Of
persons concerned in this outrage
and respectfully suggest that meas.
ures be taken to muster q force for
the purpose. The offenders are per-
sons of means and influence, and, ]
have no doubt, will make determ-
ined resistance to arrest, backed az
they are by a community hostile to
the revenue laws of the United
States"
Here is q case where an armed
body of men, in the state over which
Wade Hampton presides 40 Cover.
nor, obstruct the execution of the law
by force, not the execution of state
law, but of United States laws, and
under penalty of death for refusal,
oblige Federal officers to surrender q
prisoner and his confiscated property,
and more, this armed body of 2OC
men are led by an officer of the state.
Do we hear of any move on the part
of Wade Hampton to punish this
mob? Has he issued any proclama-
ton? No. The United States Off
cers appeal to the General Govern.
ment for aid, since no other is afford.
ed them. Yet this state is presided
over by the man whom, in his south
ern tour, President Hayes exhibited
% worthy of commentator. And
the President asserts that his concil.
iation policy Of unseating Chamber.
lain and seating of Hampton has
worked wonders, and succeeded ad.
mirably in establishing law and or.
der.
Suppose that in Iowa such a body
Of armed men had assembled any.
where in the state within its borders
and committed such an outrage
very violent superstition we admit
how long would it be before Cover
nor Newbold would have called out
q military force, if needed, to sup
press such proceedings, and aid the
officers of the law in the arrest of thu
ring-leaders, to the end that they
should be properly punished. And
more, suppose that Iowa state author
tiles failed SO to do, how long would
it be before the Federal authorities
would respond to the call Of the Off
GERS in suppressing such high-handed
outrages. We notice by our tele
graphic reports from Washington, O.
yesterday, that the Washington au
thorities do not intend to call on thu
troops "6ut 1t ,ras thought" that {
large enough force of revenue Off
Gers could be mustered, who, whel
, armed, the mob would not resist.
} appears, therefore, that the revenu
officers down about General Hamp
ton, are also soldiers; that they enlis
during the war. or SO long as they re
main in the civil service. That is I
sort of mixing up Of the civil ane
military service which most of oul
democratic friends could not stand
for how could they fight their errint
brethren.
| We are getting completely disgust
ed with this policy of saying agail
and again, after each damning out
rage, and defiance of the government
we'll we won't use force, we won
punish the guilty, but sce think tina
they won't do so any more. In sucl
districts there is needed, for a yer,
brief period, martial law and drum
head court martial.