Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-04-27
An Antidote to Indopondontism.

Everything connected with the trials be-
fore the United States court in Charlest on
goes to show that the prosecutions have bee l.
undertaken not for the purpose of puri Tying
the ballot, box, but f>r tho sake of tho 20.
ltical capital to be squeezed ont Of such
conviction as may bo secured by hook Or
BY crook. The proceedings are worse than
fnrce; they arc disgrace TO the government
and to an administration which 90 cas,' y
lends itself to tho purposes of partsanshi p.
The authorities Of The government not only
packed the iurics, but havo prnifared test l.
mony which they must havs kn,wn t. be
false. We'll authenticated ssof Ilcpubli-
can violations Of law have been o3crlopkcl in
order to raise the hue and cry nccc <snry 70
Justify u foolish attempt on the part Of Il
powcr,csS Republican NJ ,j,rity in the house
to unscat IL number Of Dem ,atic Reprcscn-
t,tivcs In order to carry out this programme
which has nothing whatever to commend it
save the vicious spirit which dcdicatcs all
things to the success and glory of partisan-
ship. these eases have been tried.
Wc hsvc already followed these cases to
their turning point There was nothing for
them to stand upon in the first place, and but
for the packc'! inrics Zone of which was so
far advanced in its training under Bully Bot
tom Bvcwater's tools that i; succeeded in bnll-
dozing at least two iur.r,) there would have
been no, the scmblance OF conviction on
auy count, for there evidence worth
considering. In some of the later cases the
defendants pie dnd guilty. putting their
pleas in such shape that no sentence could
follow. but it is evident thcv would have game
to trial but for their knowledge of the fact
that tho inrics before which they were TO bo
tried had been packed by tho government,
officers. The judge said that all the govcrn-
mcnt wanted was tho vindication of the law
but why it should want the law vindica,cd in
South Carolina rather than in the District uf
Columbia, whore the star route thieves have
| their headquarters, Is a mystery to those who
have failed to fa,hom tho purpose of the nd
minis,ra,ion chosen by Guitcan to renew the
strife OF scctionali>m which in tho alb.
sence Of PRINCIPLES, has served the Rcpubli-
can party for fifteen years.
In the case Of Joseph Bntcs---and this case
is typical, so far az witnesses are concerned
five negro witnes es Swore positively that
they had followed the defendant from poll to
poll and saw him vote at number of pre-
! cins: whereas it was proven by fifteen re
| pu,ablc citiZcna that Bates was chairman of
| the board Of election managers at Milctvile
aud remained there ali day. Ii is vcry cs.
|
has leased his Louisiana witnesses to Bully
| Bottom Brewster, and we may expect to SEQ
| them escorted from State to State in the
trumphnl car of tho Government. Stopping g
ut little towns here and there and swearing
the roof. off Of rural court houses in order
to keep from growing rusty in lic business.
Similar trials arc taking place in Alabama
| where the Govcrnmcnt takes tho precautOn
to swear each juror that he will convic; 1t
might naturally be supposed that we mention
these matters in n spirit Of mpnnt. Far
from it We mention them in order to give
wide advertisement to the purposes of an
administration which is cndeavnring to turn
back tho hands on the political cnck We
mention them in order to show our own
people the purpose Of an administration
which they arc asked to indnrsc and strength.
en- by voting in behalf Of the Coalition.
There can be no better an,ido,c to InGe-
pcndcntism than the facts connected with
these trials.--1Nana Constitution