The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-13
ANDERSON. s. G. THURSDAY. JUNE VOL

ofdeYito avert riot and hloodshed. . Va.
cilletion here now is most unfortunate.
Please ansver. All / ask is that Stste
House be protected against violence.
d. H. CHAMBERLAIN,
Governor OF South Carolina.
WAR DEPARTMENT,
WAsHINGgoN CTTY, Dec. o, 1876.
TO Governor d. III. Chamberlain. Co.
lumbia, 6. O.: s
General HugeT'n instructions are to
protect tho Legislature from ali outside
Interference, and those instructions will
be repeated. sals .4.sss.aSs 10. II
J. D. CAMERoH,
Secretary of War.
I hold in my hand the official testimo.
ny taken in relation to use Of troops at
the Presidential election before o special
committee Of the last Congress, Of which
the honorable gentleman from Now York
(Mr. Wood was chairman and / was o
member. The publication Of this testi-
mony could not be obtsinea at the time,
out | have 10 rs it was written. In it
lind the Testimony Of Gen. Ruger In plain
End unmistakable terms that be construed
ehese felegrams 70 him TO mean that the
Laurens and Edgeaeld members aud the
nther conseryetive Inan,heEa of the Santh
Carolina Legislature were the "nnauthor-
lied persons" And be interpreted thesa
kilograms aright, for they could have no
other Significance; and accordingly he
took steps TO enforce these orders. The
telegranlc and the testimony Of General
kllgsi E;i !! Fill ln4 inssrA IN my reaae.ks
Gen. Ruger, sent word by his orderly
to the Legislature of South Carolina,
after the Gtvo houses conveEed la the half
of the State House, telling the Cohser-.
yative members shat they must not be
there at II o'clock on the next day. In
obedierce TO that order. they withdrew,
and having withdrawn, q eommietea'
waited upon Gen. Ruger, and asked him
IL these members would DO permitted TO
return the next day, and he told them
that they must not 30 back. Here is the
Testimony of Gen. Rugef:Y
Question. Did you give Gov, Cham.
pertain any assurance that, you would aid
MS force In excluding. anybody, at that
time from the hall Of the House
mean while the two Houses were In ses.'
sion together. l u9 ;..s "a :.
Apswer. had eolne erders in refer
ence 70 that subject, but ! gave Governor
Chamberlain no Hnch aosurance. n-;cE 70
receipt Of such orders, that would aid
in excluding any members. si M
@. What orders did you havs2
A. ! think yon hare the kilograms.
i q. at still later period than that did
you make some order in reference to the
exclusion of certain persons from the
house2 ai, -.
u A .1..-.:.t>. - A..
Legislature called upon me and submit
TED certain propositions in writing do
not 7ecoilect iiota exactly the words, or
perhnpsh the ssbstance, but they asked
That they shnnld 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 "a the lower House of the Leg.
lslature they would not be permitted 70
enter, that 10, that If they were refused
civil guards at the door, and If the door.
keeper sahould call upon the military
officers there TO prevent their forcihle en-
trance or assist in doing so, the officers
would prevent It. That was after they
had gone out in the frat place and when
they pfdEEaasd 20 go beck, bat thsy did
@. What authority did you have or
for what reason did you make that order?
A. My reason for it was the instruc.
tions which ] had and my understanding
Of my 6sty under the ciTcumstan-e ca.
Governor Chamberlain called upon me
before that for assistance in enforcing
the authority Of the Speaker. I think.
BE made verbal application, and after
ward made an application in writing the
same day. That was, I think, on the
Both of November. had decltneu, and
had reported the state OF the case to
Gen. Sherman, and the dispatch which
received seesse: veii ia reply to that was that he
(the Goyernor) shonld exercise ,his own
resources to purge the Legislature he
had recognized Of unauthorized persons,
and Ia case he was resisted that should
assist him. I think those sere the words
or substance. @
@. That was in reference to the mem.
hers. from Laurehs and Edgefeld Coun-
ties?a - 4si9 Isl
s A. 1 presume so. L had also, before
that application by the committee of the
Conservative House, received o diDpstch
to prevent unlawful interference with the
Legislature by outuiders. ~
@. You left It 90 him to decide which
was the lawful Legislature2
"A considered that tho ether, that is
the one called tbs Conservative House,
ahonld he nlna&ad az nntaidefh did not
assume anything as TO the legal status,
but / considered IL within the Intent OF
my orders that I shonld support the au-
thority Of the Governor.
Q.I think yon did not quite finiah
your statement as 20 your answer to the
committee that waited upon you.
"A. The substance of it was, that Il
they appeared there, ss proposed, for the
purpose Of occupying the hall Of the
Houss OF Representatives, and If they
we're refused admission by the persons at
the doDr--the State eonEtables or persons
having charge as doorkesper5-and such
persons should call ON the officers in
command OF the troops at the Stats
House for assistance TO prevent their en-.
trance. it would be his duty under his
orders 60 give it. If they we're granted
admission. of course should not have
prevented their entry.
In response to . question whether Gen.
Ringer had not sent his orderly to ex-
clude the Conservative members when
both parties were IN tho hall, he said:
a. / did ut one time send word 70
Speaker Wallace by Maj. Maginnis that
at twelve o'clock the next day the mem
bers from Laurens and Edgefield should
eDr must not be there. Ny Impression
was that the Legislature would adjourn
that evening, aud that when they came
back at twelve the next day these momp
bers should not come. But that had
nothing TO do with the application by the
n 4 4