Year: 1876

The high handed and presumptlou'
action Of the Board Of Canvassers o
South Carolina in refusing to obey the
orders Of the Supreme Court Of the State
and issuing, in direct violation Of those
orders, certificates of election to the
republican electors, before the question
Of the validity Of their election was fully
determined, and declining to issue Ger
ti6eates to properly chosen members o.
the Legislature as ordered BY the court
is enough to arouse the indignation o.
every law abiding citizen Of the United
States. The Supreme Court Of State
is the only legally constituted civil trl-
bunal to which citizens may resort for
the settlement Of matters in dispute, and
when its mandates are treated with con-
tempt and openly defed by bodies Of
men who, either by reason Of their po-
sitions or numbers, are beyond the reach
Of the arm Of the civil Law, the only
remedy left to the people for justice and
the maintenance Of their rights is revo-
luton.


The people of South Carolina have
manifested a spirit Of forbearance in all
the wrongs and outrages that have been
heaped upon them through the instru-
mentality of the thieves and carpet-bag-
gers who have held possession of their
State government for the past twelve
wears that is almost wonderful. Had a
1.-THE Of the outrages that have been per-
petrated against them been attempted
in the North all the troops that Grant
could have gathered together would not
have been sufficient to have enforced
them. Even the Pennsylvania Quakers
would have laid aside their plain garts
of peace to resist such villainous op-
uressions. The State Government has
been taken out Of the hands Of her men
Of intelligence who, by reason Of their
birth and possessions, were interested
in the peace and prosperity Of the State,
and committed to the hands Of political
Office hunters and penniless adventures
who focked thither at the close Of the
war, like vultures in the search ofprey,
and Of illiterate, uncultured field hands
who had not the slightest idea Of the
nature or importance Of their duties.
Between the rascality Of the carpet
baggers"-as those people are termed
and the ignorance Of the negroes, the
State has been well nigh ruined. Her
treasury has been robbed till she is on
the very verge Of bankruptcy; her cit
izens taxed in the support Of illegal and
unjusti6able extravaganza, till a general
cry of distress is heard from all parts OF
the State. Injustice and oppression
exist on every side, and while other
Southern States have long since secured
the blessings Of good government and
are rapidly advancing in prosperity,
South Carolina has still been degraded,
oppressed and cursed with "carpetbag-
ism" And when her citizens, aided
by the better classes and more intelli-
gent Of the negroes, who are alike dis
gusted with the corruptions Of their
northern rulers, sought in the late cleo
ton to rescue their government from the
hands Of their oppressors in the peace
full and legal use Of the ballot, they were
met by armed soldiers Of the Federal
Government stationed by order Of the
President at their voting precincts. Yet
Notwithstanding this illegal and unjust
interference with their rights as Amer
ican citizens, they cast their ballots, in
large numbers, for the men Of their
choice-their own citizens in opposition
to Northern advepturers-and elected
them-the democratic candidates-by
assured majorities The election over,
still fearing, from the character Of the
men with whom they had to deal. that
the Board Of Canvassers would, if un-
restrained, defraud them Of the results
Of their peaceful victory, they resorted
for protection to the highest legal tri-
buual Of the State, and appealed to il
to restrain the fraudulent action Of that
Board. That Court listened to their
prayers for justice and issued orders
to the Board-6rst to restrain il
from the exercise Of judicial powers,
prohibited By the constitution Of the
State next to appear at its bar to settle
disputed questions Of law and to issue
certificates Of election to the officer.
properly chosen as shown by their OWL
reviewing Of the ballots All of these
injunctions have been openly and dar.
ingly de6ed by the Board Of Canvassers
and unless some other means Of secur-
ing Justice can be obtained, the people
must be defrauded Of their rights, anc
their choice Of rulers as expressed al
the ballot box ignored. But the effec
of this defiant action Of the South Car.
olina Board is not confined to that State
It is felt upon every part Of the whole
Union. If the legally chosen represen
tatives Of the people can be thus dis
carded and the popular will ignored
and the mandates of the courts of justice
thus openly unheeded, right and justice