The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-07-07
COME IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
The Rev. John G. Williams 1ndicts tie
State.

The Rev. John G.. Williams 1ndicts tie
State.
10 the Editor Of the Ncaos and Courier ::
The bad prominence that South Carolina
has obtained for lawlessness and crime is
notification and a grief to every one
of her true SONS and daughters. Nearly
every day there is murder or some
other kind of lawlessness committed
somewhere in the State. Within the
past few years some Of the worst things
that have ever been done anywhere have
been done here in South Carolina, and
by white men. 1t is no use denying 1t,
South Carolina is making for herself a
bad name among her sister States. And
ne don't see that things are getting any
better, but rather worse.
All good citizens are asking, what is
the matter? What are the causes at
work producing all this crime and law
lessness to the hurt of the State in her
good name, in the morals Of the people
and in her business interests? I want to
mention several causes that, in my opin-
ion, are largely responsible for the pres
ent deplorable condition that the State
is In. And first I will mention political
wickedness and moral corruption in our
State Government. No sooner had the
white people regained control. of the
State than we seemed to have forgotten
that it WAS the Lord who had delivered
us from Radical misrule and oppression,
and no longer feeling our dependence
upon Him, we were willing that Demo
cratic politicians and Office seekers
should take entire possession of the State.
That they we're immoral, drunken, pro-
fame, gamblers, murderers or anything
else that was bad didn't matter, if they
were only good Democrats. The most
crooked methods were justified if done by
and for the Democrats. E
The Lord and the Ten Commandments
were voted out of politics as something
with which the Lord didn't, and oughtn't
to, have anything to do, and this in the
face ofthe solemn fact that God has de-
clsred Himself to be the Supreme Ruler
of the Universe, and His law-the moral
law-to be supreme and binding every.
where, and in politics, as in everything
else. I can hardly imagine anything
more wicked and foolish than practically
excluding God from politics as We have
done here in South Carolina. mean by
politics the adoption of such measures
and the election of such men to carry
them out as will best promote the happi'
ness of the people and the glory Of our
Supreme Ruler. But in our South Caro-.
lima politics the two prominent features
have been greed, or disregard of the vel.
faro Of the people, and wickedness,. OF
disregard of God. What we need in our
South Carolina politics is more Bible
politics. "Happy is that people whose
God is the Lord"
"Righteousness exsltetb nation, but
sin is reproach to any people," And
this particularly, that wicked men, of bad
influence and example, ought not to be
"set up" that is, honored with position
and high Office. "Yea, they that work
wickedness are set up" was a charge
which the Lord brought against Israel in
it's degenerate days. immortality and
wickedness are never 80 corrupting and
dangerous as when the power and inau-
ence of high public Office and place are
thrown around them. An old stump in
the ground that is afre ia nothing like as
dangerous as an old tree that the fire has
run up fifty feet The higher up the
fire the more dangerous, and sol it is with
wickedness.
1t il wicked and cruel thing to put
any man in q high Office, or to honor any
man who cannot be safely held up to
young men as an example to them. To
"set up" those "that work wickednesa" is
to say to the boys of the State, this is the
way to be popular and to get the honors
and the Offices. There is nothing hardly
that is more demoralizing and mischiev-
ous in its effects upon the people than an
immoral and corrupt popular government
In which the body of the people and
their rulers, or the officials, are close
together, and ihis. very closeuess source
of corruption, both to tie governors and
the governed, and particularly to the
latter, when the former are bad and bold.
But what, it may be asked, has all this
to do with the lawlessness and frequent
murders in South Carolina? Why simply
this, that the laws of God are but one,
and all stand or fall together, and when
the laws of God against drunkenness,
against profanity, against gambling,
against unchastity, against stealing, or
ell dishonesty, against Sabbath breaking
are disregarded, caa anyone suppose that,
amid this reckless disregard of all moral
Law, the law against taking human life
can long maintain its acredness and be
obeyed' 1t is out of this very immoral
atmosphere that murder and other crimes
come. The law which protects human
life is not whit more sacred than Gods
other laws which are intended for the
purity and protection of society-lawa
which so many high in authority and SC
many in private life set aside as matte,
of very little consequence. Moss is not 8
surer sign of damp atmosphere and
malaria than frequent murders and Other
shocking crimes are signs of a very bad
moral atmosphere,
A second cause of so much bloodshed
and crime in South Carolina is bel
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