The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1878-04-02
Political Amnesty.

We mentioned in our issue Of few
weeks back that the Legislature had
authorized the Governor to order in
dictments in certain cases to be dis
continued This action Of the Legisla-
turc is being severely criticised, be-
cause Of its unconstitutionality, and of
its manifest injustice. The leaders of
the Radical party, whether in State or
County politics, who prodted by South
Carolina's woes, should be brought to
trial, convicted, aud punished to the
fullest extent of the law. Such is the
only just course that can be pursued,
and it is the best way in the world to
prevent such conduct in the future.
Otherwise, any fellow can assist the
thieves as much as he pleases, and then,
by showing that he was one of the
"lesser lights" claim the right to have
any Indictment against him discontin-
ucd. 1t is right that all should be
punished. The following extract OH
the subject, which We take from
Speights' DHIy Newspaper, Of Green
vile. is particularly savage, but it hits
the mark:
! "Weil, we like magnanimity and mer-
cy. but we presume this is master
stroke of policy, and as such, we rise in
our place as nan and citizen, no less
than as member Of the independent
press, to reject and denounca it. Reject
| it first as worthless, and next as wrong
utterly, shamefully wrong. All these
men arc representative men, and pock-
cted these spoils, not as instruments of
masters, but as their own vile self-ser-
ycrs; as thieves aud robbers some Of
them did steal thousands upon thou
sands. The soft accusation of Col.
Simonton is untrue, and We all know it
to be So, and the honorable member has
been betrayed by the sleek policy of
| his measure, one that we have no pa
tience with. We know ourselves too
we'll to suspect ourselves for moment
of mean vinlictivencss in this matter.
We owned too many Of such men as
+! these not to feel all the magnamity and
generous mercy belonging to the race.
| We insist on it, these men are guilty OF
an enormous crime they, and such as
they, have spoiled our people to beg
gary, and reduced our mothers and
wives and sisters to want and to the
wash.tub. BY the tears and sorrows Of
J those gentle women We dcnouncc this
condonement Of the crime Of the spoilers
and thieves as being untrue to society,
and solemn farce in the face of the
brutal and infamous orgies which have
been ground out by the yard by oar
Fraud Commission. Ist these crim-
nails, one and ali come to trial, and il
the State fails to make case against
them, let it fail If there can be any OF
them acquitted, fairly acquitted, let him
be. 1t is his right, and no man should
be willing to deprive the humblest clti,
zen of full, free, honorable acquittal
If they cannot be so acquitted, let them
wear the stripes and handle the pick or
shovel and 20 through pcnitcntial
probation in the peniientiary or at hard
labor. Why should Beverly Nash and
others of his ilk walk the streets and
ride our thoroughlarcs with their even.
ty thousand steals, more or less, and
some poor little colorcd boy who steals
r pair OF shoes, or ham or brace of
5 chickens, be brought to Judgment and
imprisoned Why should our noun
tain boys be hunted down for violating
the revenue laws in making few gal
Ions of whiskey and tried, convicted and
sent to Northern prisons for years, and
these villains 90 unwhippcd of justice
because the Charleston representative
tells us they were not accountable be-
iugs? Unaccountablc forsooth We
e did not think so when they gave US
$ Moses and Whipper for Judges, and
!, stole us down to our last shirt. We
deny the right of the Legislature t'
! authorize and request the Governor t:
y mol. pros these cases We deny it. a.
IplainIy viola,ive Of tho Constitution"