The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-03-20

OCuly CCSuiiS w tuG iiO tuG idCc Vi
Charlotte Corday, but the impersonation
of the genius OF my own Palmetto State,
prosecuted, insultcd and incarceratcd by
the mercenary and heartless stranger and
the false and traitorous renegade; thus
bars, during all those dark days of which
without the "crime" which "makes the
shame" waiting with calm endurance
her hour Of crucifixion, while still hop
her deliverencc. With grateful and
joyful heart turned away, Remembering
that the prison bars had already been
broken and the sceptre Of pure and hon
est government. already restored to her
hands.
Abiding to Chamberlain's proclama-
ton declaring the State to be in condi-
ton Of lawlessness, Mr.. Evins cites testi-
mony at length to show the peaceful
condition of the State and the unblush-
ing ialschoods contained in the procla-
nation, and to show that the conduct of
Grant was
BOLD VIOLATION OF THE LAW.
He said The evidence is abundant and
overwhelming to convince any unpreju-
diced mind that in these threo counties
none but the boldest and most fearless
negroes, or those who had the immediate
and strong protection of tho whites,
dared TO vote Il Democratic ticket.
Hundreds in each of these counties were
forced . vote the Republican ticket or
to refrain from voting through fear of
bodily harm or injury to the snail prop
erty they possessed. And in ne County
of Georgetown, where the colorcd popu-
lation SO largely eponderates, the negro
leaders had during the campaign, by the
denial of free speech to Democrats of
both colors, by their own inccndiary and
infammatory harangues, by threats and
violence of the most savage character in
flicted upon those Of their own race who
even dared to advocate Republican
ticket with single Democratic name
upon it, SO maddened and infuriated their
followers that they acted more like fero-
cious wild beasts in their fierce opposi-
tiOn to the whites >than like free voters
in free country. BY such means was
the voice of the people stifled and large
majorities rolled, up for the contcstee.
And yet the report of the minority de-
clares that "there is nothing in the re-
cord to show social ostracism or that fear
was preventing the colored voters from
supporting Hampton"
After all the flourish of trumpets in
the prociamations or tine Governor and
the PresideiR about innumerable "rifle
clubs" in hostile array against Chamber
lain and his government, and with the
fullest oppo tunity in seven hundred and
fifty pages Of printed testimony to show
their existence, only four are show.1 to
have been formed, two only were armed,
and all were disbanded upon the publca-
ton Of the Governors proclamation.
Democratic clubs were organized in every
neighborhood III the State, and many of
them were uniformed with red shirts !;
but they were unarmed, and in no sense
of the word were they military organiza-
tions. In n very few instances, in local
tiles where the colored militia with arms
and fixed ammunition furnir neo Them by
the State, were 80 violent in = cir demon
strations rs to menace the IVES and prop
erty Of the whites, the members of these
clubs did drill without guns in order that
they might be the better prepared for an
emergency in which they would be forced
to contend with an armed mob, embitter-
ed and infuriated by the vile teachings of
their leaders, who publicly declared to
them that they would be justified in using
the incendiary torch against their former
masters. And in NO instance did these
clubs ever parade as an armed military
organization.
But not so with the negro militia :;
they appeared time and again at their
political meetings, with loaded guns and
cartridge boxes, and sometimes with
fixed bayonets. At number of the pre-
cincts on the day of the election they
marched to the polla with guns in their
hands, and stacked them or deposited
them close by before depositing their
ballots. l have not time now to cite the
evidence on this point, but the record
shows abundsntly the illegal and i'm
proper use they made Of the arms and
ammunition with which the State had
supplied them, both before and at the
election.
Can any one, therefore, longer doubt
that the orders disbanding their political
clubs while the ncgro.militia WAS allowed
to retain its arms and organization, and
the sending of armed soldiers to the vot-
ing precincts, constituted bold viola
tioD of the Constitution and the rights of
the citizen, with definite purpose Of
carrying the elections, both Federal and
State, at the point of the bayonet7 This
purpose is further made manifest in the
order of the secretary of war to Gen.
Sherman. dated the 18th day Of October,
the very day the proclamation of the
President was issued, and before it was
even known in South Carolina, COM
manding him to send forward "immedi-
ately all the available force in the mill
20 i - A
Gen. Ruger, commanding at Columbia,
officer to station his troops in such local
tiles that they may be most speedily and
effectnnlly used in case of any resistance
to the authority of the United States"
These instructions were given, too, not
withstanding the fact that Gen. Ruger
had telegraphed the President only the
day before from Columbia, saying all was
quiet eff need more troops will send
You dispatch telling you that need
them" The evident design was to get,
;:;:s= .hc i:-c.cZ. &C .i:c ct,s-5cs made =:
the proclamation, as many troops as pos
sible into the State, in order that they
might be used at the polls to bolster up
the falling fortunes of party which, in
South Caroline mt least, was fast falling
to pieces under the weight of its own rot
tenness and corruption.
REHABILITATION OF FEDERAL OUT.
RACES.
Thus We have seen the unlawful and
partisan agencies employed by the Re-
pnblicans to avert political defeat
which seemed inevitable. a Republican
Governor. himself n candidate for re-elec-
tion, without the slightest degree oil
truth in the allegations made to warrant