The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-05

point blank refused to obey orders.
What was the spectacle we presented
abroad? What would have been the
effect had [ found no militia to 90 to
Darlington, or, having found them,
had failed to send them there? Would
not the lawless whiskey element have
felt that it bad triumphed? Would not
the mob have felt emboldened to
attack the constabulary elsewhere or.
have murdered them in cold blood:
How would tie constables have had
the opportunity to attend the inquest?
How could they have gone to trial in
the county without darger of being
murdered?
But will waste no further time in ar
guiug the wisdom and necessity of my
action. The people have sustained me
in this, as they have in all my efforts
for the States welfare, and can afford
to leave the newspapers and the men
belonging to the militia, whom they
encouraged to disgrace themselves,
and whom they have since tried to
vindicate, to q mutual ad miration. The
newspapers must admire the devotion
to duty, the discipline and the moral
courage of the troops. The troops can
not help baving high admiration of
the patriotism, wise counsel and good
sense of the editors.
If our bonds are at a premium and
capital not afraid to seek investment in
South Carolina it is not because the
militia of Charleston, Columbia and
other towns refused to obey the orders
of the Governor, but because the mil
itia of Spartanburg, Greenville, Edge
field and other counties responded at a
moments notice TO the call of the State.
1t is because the sturdy farmers, me-
chanics, clerks, merchants-men Of
every calling-dropped everything and
FASTENED to the Capital to sustain the
I Government they had chosen and to
uphold the law that their representa-.
tives had enacted.
PUNISHING THE MILITIA.
AS soon as things bad quieted down
orders were issued disarrning all the
com panies which had disobeyed or
ders. The Lee Light Infantry, Of
Chester, whose captain had done all he
could to get his company to go, was
reorganized, as were the Edisto Rifles,
of Orangebnrg, and the Manning
Guards. The Newberry Rifles having
been guilty of insulting the comman-
der-in-chief, while under arms, was
dismissed from the service Of the State
in disgrace.
To show the temper of the people
aud their adherence of mob violence
and resistance to law, in less than
thirty days after the riot over one hum
dred new companies were organized,
several of them from the volunteers
who came at my call and rendered
their services to the State, accompany
ing the offer of services always with
the remark: eve pledge ourselves to
obey orders and uphold the law" Not
since the days which saw the birth Of
the Southern Confederacy has such
martial spirit been shown. With the
arms taken from the old companies
as many of the new ones as possible
have been armed. In addition, the last
appropriation for the militia from the
| United States, amounting to nearly
$4,000, has been expended altogether
for arms; and there are now thirty
companies armed since the riot, of
| which twenty-six have the latest inn
proved Springfield rifles.
PAYING THE NEW MILITIA.
It is not necessary to tell the Legisla-
ture that the militia of the State merits
and should receive your fostering care.
its value AN ID necessity were clearly
shown at the time havejust described.
| Hitherto- the, services required of the
militia have been at intervals and Oh
occasions of minor portance-guard-
ing a,jafi'or repressing disorder among
the negroes-and the, Taxpayers have
beep.- disposed to gruMbfe at the ex-,
pSnses. of the annual appropriation.
| This has been spent, not in equipment
and arms, but paid directly to the CON-
panies to assist them in maintaining
their organization. The whole sys-
tem needs remodeling and there should
be & radical change in policy. We do
not need so many companies, out We
! need well-armed,. well-drilled men who
! can be relied on. There should be q
term of enlistment, with better ,discip-
line and means of enforcing it. We
have had a severe lesson in depending
on holiday soldiers, whose officers on oc-
casion constitute themselves debating
society to discuss the Governors orders
ard vote as to the propriety of obeying
them. Without going into details.
would strongly urge that the money
appropriated be spent in arming such
of the new companies as have shown
by their zeal and proficiency that they
are IN earnest, and are willing to enter
the service under the stringent regula-
tions which should obtain in future.
All of the officers of the companies
which failed to respond to my orders to
20 to Darlington have been suspended,
with three exceptions. To have court
martialed them would have been a
! costly farce. Had I possessed the
power, I would have disbanded these
commands; but not having donned
their uniforms and gotten under orders,
they did not come under the Articles of
War, and 1 could not legally do more
| than I did. This is defect in the law
which should not be overlooked. Ar
bitrary power is not desirable in a free
| government, but there are sometimes
occasions and conditions when nothing
else will do. The governor is, at all
times, responsible to the people, and no
harm could result. UDder the Statutes
as they stand, the Adjutant- t-General
has power to disband a company which
fails to pass inspection. But the Com
mander-in Chief cannot do 80, even for
disobedience of orders. It is almost
certain that had the other officers Of
the Fourth Brigade done their duty as
did Capt. Edward Anderson, tho GEM
mand would have promptly assembled
and gone to the scene Of the riot. l
will say here that there are about
twenty thousand dollars in cash or
securities belonging to the brigade,
which can be used to arm and equip
other men within the city of Charles
ton. A good battalion is al that is
needed there, and I am sure the mate
rial exists to form one which will obey
orders hereafter and wipe off the
stigma now resting on the military of
that city.
1t pains me to make known fur
ther instance of gross characterization,
and, indeed, outrageous insolence, on
the part of the officers of the Oldest and