The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-03-18
by a negro named Kinder near Georges

The period covered by this summary
is rather more than two months. 1t il
an appalling exhibit: 81 homicides, 1f
assaults with intent to kill, rapes. The
homicides and assaults with intent te
kill were almost without exception, per-
petrated by white men upon whites, OF
by negroes upon colored people. We
mention this to show that the co.ored
people are not the subjects of attack by
the whites. The whites main and kill
each other, and do not molest the CO. ored
people. The rapes were committed by
negroes exclusively.
A simple statement of the number and
character of crimes committed in this
State, such as we have given, is more ele.
quent than words, and forces the most
careless to admit that something must be
done at once, to arrest the spread of law.
lessness. The Courts will do their whole
duty, we are confident. No illjudged
commiseration for those who have shed
blood will actuatejudges, juries or prose
cutting officers. But the object of the
punishment of criminals is the preven-
ton of crime. And crime can be pre-
vented in other ways than by hanging
and Imprisonment in the State Penitenti-
ary. The Courts need the co-opera-
ton of the public. This cooperation
will give strength to their judgments
and emphasis to their sentences.
Unfortunately the cause of the crimes
committed by whites in this State is not
hard to find. There is 10 mystery in it.
The root of the evil is apparent. Nay
no attempt is made to hide it. Whiskey
and the practice of carrying deadly wea-
pons are at the bottom of nine out of ten
bloody offences perpetrated by the white
people. The carrying of concealed wea-
pons is bad enough in itself. A passionate
impulse, crook of the finger, and
death It is killing in haste, aud re-
penting at leisure. When he who has q
weapon in his pocket is excited by whis-
key, arousing the savage instincts which
are found in every breast, his control over
himself is gone. A brother man is hur-
ried into eternity with rs little concern
as a fly is crushed on the wall. What
we have to address ourselves to, there.
fore, is (1) the abolition of the practice
of carrying concealed weapons, and ~
the discouragement Of intemperance.
The Legislature, at the extra Session re-
fused to pass a bill making it misde-
meanor to carry concealed weapons, and
until the Legislature shall meet again
the main deterrents to be relied on are
the conviction that such practice is
unmanly and an encouragement to strife
and the belief that it is unnecessary for
.elf-protection. The second cause of our
troubles, Whiskey-drinking, can be dealt
with promptly, and, we believe, effectu-
ally.
Every influence save one has been ex-
erted to check intemperance and induce
abstinence from the use of alcoholic stim-
nlants. Clergymen preach Sunday after
Sunday. The conductors of religious
and secular newspapers expound and ex-
hort until brain and fingers are weary.
Societies and Associations of one sort and
another work on the same line., They
have accomplished much, but not
enough. And the reason is, that they
have not secured the effective assistance
of the one class of persons in South Caro-
lima who have as much power IS Pulpit
and Press combined, and who now too
frequently, instead of treating intemper-
ance as sin against him who is made in
Gods own image and as a sin against so.
ciety, wink at it, laugh at it, and condone
it. We mean the Women of South Caro-
Tina, especially the younger women, the
sweethearts who will be wives and moth
ers.
Dothe women of South Carolina, know
ing, as they do, the ruin of body and soul
which is caused by whiskey drinking,
exclude the tipplers and drunkards from
their society, as unfit companions for
the gentle and the chaste7 They do
not. 1t is common to hear girls in their
teens laughing at Mr.. A., who was
Slightly affected" or Mr.. B., whose
merit is that however much he "indulges"
he always "behaves Like gentleman" ;"
This is an encouragement to wrong.do-
ing. It teaches the inebriate that he can
have the companionship of our sweet
maidens and choose his wife from the
rosebud garden, whether he be sober or the
reverse. Thoughtlessness and habit &C
count for it, no doubt, and it is in no
fault.6uding spirit that we point out the
faults of women who are crowned with
noble qualities and pride. Our hope is,
to arouse them to sense of their danger
and to an appreciation of their opportu-
nityl
The women of South Carolina did not
falter during the war. They never hesi-
tated, never doubted and never surren.
dered. They made the State what it was,
and were the handspring of the public
endurance, courage and devotion. In
1876 they saved the State, by their en-
couragement, their appeals, their labors
and their prayers. The State is more in
need of saving than it was in 1876
Whiskey is worse foe than Radicalism,
and brings worse ills in its train. To the
women of South Carolina then we appeal
for the State and in the name of the
State. We entreat them to organize in
their own way, their own associations.
We entreat them to set the seal of their
scorn upon the forehead of the habitual
drinker. We entreat them to Danish
from their society every man, however
near or dear, who dares to approach
them with the flush of liquor on his
cheek and its stain upon his heart. We
entreat them to strike from the list of their
acquaintance every one who is known
to be tippler, and in everything that
they do, and wherever they 60, to draw
the line sharply between the man who is
his own master and the man who is whis-
keys slave. If they will do this, they
will con6ne drunkenness to those who
are past curing, and who, excluded from
woman's society, will lose their opportu-
mites of degrading, and putting to the
blush, our sisters and our daughters,
And these will rapidly surround them
selves with friends who are always Datu-
raj, moderate and pure, men 6t to be
their companions aud worthy to be the
partners Of their lives. How much sor-
row, reproach and shame they will save
themselves and the State, no human
tongue can tell !-Ctarleston Neaus ana