720 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



many were killed or how they were killed I do not 

 know. This collision was the culmination of the sys- 

 tem of insulting aud outraging of white people which 

 the negroes had adopted there tor several years. 



Many things were done on this terrible night 

 which, of course, cannot be justified, but the negroes 

 " sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind." . . . 



1 did not attempt to accomplish by force what I 

 could not accomplish by peaceful means. 



The collision was a sort of spontaneous combus- 

 tion. 1 thought I saw it approaching, and did all 

 that any human being could be expected to do to 

 prevent it. 



On July 22d Governor Chamberlain ad- 

 dressed a communication to President Grant, 

 expressing his views on the state of affairs, 

 and saying : 



I deem it important to advise you of the facts 

 now stated, and to solicit from you some indication 

 of your views upon the questions presented. To be 

 more specific, will the General Government exert it- 

 self vigorously to repress violence in this State dur- 

 ing the present political campaign on the part of per- 

 tons belonging to either political party, whenever that 

 violence stiaU be beyond t/ie control of the State autJior- 

 ities? Will the General Government take such pre- 

 cautions as may be suitable, in view of the feeling 

 of alarm already referred to, to restore confidence to 

 the poor people of both races and political parties in 

 this State by such a distribution of the military forces 

 now here as will render the intervention of the Gen- 

 eral Government prompt and effective, if it shall be- 

 come necessary, in restoring peace and order? 



President Grant on July 26th replied, con- 

 cluding his letter as follows : 



I repeat again that I fully agree with you as to the 

 measure of your duties in the present emergency, 

 and as to my duties. Go on, and let every Governor 

 where the same dangers threaten the peace of his 

 State go on in the conscientious discharge of his 

 duties to the humblest as well as the proudest citizen, 

 and I will give every aid for which 1 can find law or 

 constitutional power. 



Government that cannot give protection to the 

 life, property, and all guaranteed civil rights" (in this 

 country the greatest is an untrammeled ballot) to the 

 citizen, is, in so far, a failure ; and every energy of 

 the oppressed should be exerted (always within the 

 law and by constitutional means) to regain lost priv- 

 ileges or protection. 



Too long denial of guaranteed rights is sure to 

 lead to revolution, bloody revolution, when suffer- 

 ing must fall upon the innocent as well as the 

 guilty. 



Expressing the hope that the better judgment and 

 cooperation of the citizens of the State over which 

 you have presided so ably may enable you to secure 

 a fair trial and punishment of all offenders, without 

 distinction of race, color, or previous condition of 

 servitude, and without aid from the Federal Govern- 

 ment, but with the promise of such aid on the con- 

 ditions named in the foregoing, I subscribe myself, 

 very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



U. 8. GEANT. 



Some other outbreaks were reported during 

 the year, the most important of which was 

 the collision between whites and blacks at 

 Ellenton, in Aiken County. The riot lasted 

 for several days, and resulted in the killing of 

 a number of persons, most of whom were 

 negroes. This was alleged to have been an 

 outrage committed upon the blacks by the 

 white rifle clubs. It was asserted that rifle 

 clubs had been organized in all parts of the 



State, and that from 16,000 to 18,000 mem- 

 bers had been enrolled. On the 7th of October 

 Governor Chamberlain issued his proclama- 

 tion ordering all organizations and combina- 

 tions of men not a part of the militia of the 

 State, formed for the purpose of drilling, etc., 

 to disband and cease to exist, and if his proc- 

 lamation is disregarded for three days, he will 

 resort to military force. His reasons for issu- 

 ing the proclamation are thus presented : 



Whereas, It has been made known to me, by written 

 and sworn evidence, that there exist such unlawful 

 obstructions, combinations, and assemblages of per- 

 sons, in the counties of Aiken and Barnwell, that it 

 has become impracticable, in my judgment, as Gov- 

 ernor of the State, to enforce, by the ordinary course 

 of judicial proceedings, the laws of the State within 

 said counties ; by reason whereof it bus become 

 necessary, in my judgment, as Governor, to call 

 forth and employ the military force of the State to 

 enforce the faithful execution of the laws; 



And, whereas, it has been made known to me, as 

 Governor, that certain organizations and combina- 

 tions of men exist in all the counties of the State, 

 commonly known as " Eifle Clubs ; " 



And, whereas, such organizations and combinations 

 of men are illegal, and strictly forbidden by the laws 

 of this State; 



And, whereas, such organizations and combinations 

 of men are engaged in promoting illegal objects, and 

 in committing open acts of lawlessness arid violence, 

 etc. 



To this proclamation the Democratic State 

 Executive Committee published a reply, of 

 which the following are extracts: 



The charges preferred by Governor Chamberlain 

 against the citizens of the State are as false and libel- 

 ous as his threatened usurpation of power is tyranni- 

 cal and unwarranted, and his extraordinary procla- 

 mation can be explained only upon the assumption 

 that Governor Chamberlain, with a similar disregard 

 of law and of fact, is determined to resort to most 

 extreme measures to prevent the otherwise certain 

 defeat of himself and his corrupt party. 



There have been disturbances in Aiken County, 

 non-political in their character; they have long since 

 ceased ; all the parties for whom warrants were issued 

 promptly surrendered themselves to the law. Per- 

 fect peace and the profoundest quiet prevail. No 

 armed combinations hinder the processes of the 

 courts, and the Bepublican County Convention, last 

 week, held a continuous session of twenty days with- 

 out molestation. 



The disturbances in Barnwell were Eepublican in 

 their origin, beginning in the resistance by an armed 

 band of negroes of the arrest of a robber, for whom 

 a warrant had been duly issued. This band tore up 

 a railroad, wrecked a train, fired upon and wounded 

 the sheriff of the county, and were dispersed by a 

 so-called armed band of whites, who had been duly 

 summoned by the sheriff as a posse, with the sane" 

 tion of the judge of the court, then in session. 



This posse, after performing their duties, quietly 

 dispersed. So far from opposing the law, the whole 

 people desire the prompt dispatch of business in the 

 courts and the enforcement of the law by the civil 

 arm. The white people throughout the State have 

 volunteered their services to the Governor to main- 

 tain the law, and he has refused them in a libelous 

 communication, intended solely to furnish a pretext 

 to force the introduction of Federal troops to be 

 placed under the control of irresponsible and un- 

 scrupulous officials to overawe the people and con- 

 trol the election. 



Application having been made by Governor 



