The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-05-03

municipal government, will quietly
submit 70 his Invasion of their rights,
aud it would be prudent on his part to
go slow III the rigid enforcement of a
very unpopular law.
II should not be understood as en-.
courageing, IN the slightest degree, law.
lessness or resistance in any fjrm to
lawful authority. The people of Dar-
lington and Florence, as rule, have
not resisted the lawful authority. There
may be exceptional instances, as there
are in every community, but they do not
justify tho Wholesale denunciation which
he seeme to have put upon them. From
what L observe in both these counties
there has not been the least excuse or
Justification for ordering the military 10
these points. Ho has done so at an
enormous expense to tho taxpayers of
the State, and, Of course, he will have to
Il ok out for that.
"Wbile in Darlington / advised, as
far as had the right to advise, that the
friends of the deceased who were killed
IN tho emeute 1t The railroad station, 20
before tho trial justice, mako affidavit
charging the accused parties of the Of
fence which they thought they were gull
ty of, demand the Issuance Of warrant,
let the Same be placed in the hands of d
duly authorized constable or citizen, or,
whore tho accused has ded the jurisdic-
ton of warrant, that it, be sent to
The sheriff of the county where they
are found, endorsed and served by
him, so that the parties might be ar
rested according to law, required to ap-
pear, given bond and answer to the
charges IN The due course of judicial ad-
ministration. If resistance should be
made to the constable of the trial Justice,
and he should fSil to make the arrest,
he should be required to endorse such
failure on the warrant, aud then, and
then only, tho civil authorities should
call on the military to act as posse tor
the arrest Of the accused.
II see by the papers that Governor
Tillman, in note to Capt. McCaugh-
rim of the military company, has stated
that tho duty Of the soldiers, and the
militia are soldiers, when called into SER
vice Is blind obedience to orders from his
superior, and not to question them in
any way TJ my mind this proposition
10 simply monstrous. and Ia not true.
No officer is bound to obey tho orders OF
his superiSr when the order issued is ille-
gal. Nothing is better settled in mill
tarV law than that. Suppose the Cover.
nor had ordered Capt. McCaughrln tc
nre into church filled with women anc
children; suppose he had ordered hin,
to set fire to the town of Columbia; sur
pose he had ordered him to throw q rail
road train, full Of innocent passengers
from the track. According to lis theory
he would have bad to obey, and yet, il
he had obeyed, Capt. McCaughrin and
his company could have been arrested
tried and doubtless convicted, Of murder
or arson, or iucendiarism, and the order
of the superior officer, the Governor,
would not have protected bim. This
shows how wild aud untenable and alb
surb his proposition ls. I repeat, DO
officer can be compelled to carry ont an
unlawful order OF his superior tff1,ers,
and If he declines to obey it, the only
penalty he incurs ls trial by court mar.
tial.
II would not advise any officer or
soldier in the military service of his State
or elsewhere to acts OF characterization
or disobedience of orders, but they are
as amenable 10 law as other citizens,
and should never forget that they are
Subordinate to the civil power of the
government. We haye had recent ex.
ample OF how sensitive the officers and
soldiers Of the regular army are. AT
Denver, Col, where Gen. McCook oi
tho regular army refused to interfere at
the instance Of Governor of Waite, saying
he VAS present with his troops as preserv.
era Of the peace, and couldionly interfere
tUt hA 0ixyiI
This, think, would be safe rule for
the military of this and all other States.
"Governor Tllman has rulhlessly y
and wantonly lnsulted this gallant young
ofA ;er of Newberry. There is, and can
be, no justification for cruelty. Capt,
McC Caughrin is q gentleman, and exer-
clsed the right which every soldier has
Of tendering his resignation rather than
serve under braggart, bully, or an in.
competent superior officer. He has q
right to exercise this privilege at any and
all times, and the exercise Of tho right
does not justify or excuse this wanton
ineult from his superior officer.
II cannot comprehend what Governor
Tillnan means by his wild and reckless
conduct. The thinking people of this
State, of all factions, are tired OF dissen.
sions, wrangliug and confusion, Of his
fire alarm pyrotechnic style Of govern
ment. 1t is having bad effect upon
the material and social interests of the
State. 1t ls making us an object of ridi.
cule and by.word with all enlightened,
intelligent people. We want re-
pose. quiet, peace, order; and
it will not do for him to say
that these disturbances are brought about
by an oligarchY or an aristocracy OR
ring. He has had unGisputable control
of every department Of the government
for nearly four years and it is very
strange that all these disturbances and
dlssensions, and all of this wrangline
and bloodshed should spring frcm his
own administration. Does it not argue
that there is something wrong, radically
wrong, in his administration?
"ihe people of this State are not fol-
ohs or outlaws; as q rule they are con-
eeryatlve and law-abidinp of all factiona
In 1876, they arose in their mower on,