Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-11-05
THE NEXT LEGISLATURE.

THE NEXT LEGISLATURE.
1t is now the 9th of November. In few days
our Legislature will convene to deliberate on the
important issues before the country. Among
others the "Situation of the Banks, the "Senato-
rial Election" and School Reform" including
the disposition of South Carolina College, will
perhaps attract most attention. No doubt our
Legislature will, in accordance with the genius OF
the age, be imbued with an economizng spirit
It will meet under circumstances calculated to
elicit angry discussion, and stormy session Will
soon be the exciting drama, before the people. In
our last, we designated what wc thought the
proper course to be pursued, in relation to the
Banks. To visit the full penalty Of the law upon
them, seems the only method of restraining I'M
prudence, oxtravagance, and fraud in the future
In our dealings with individuals, "the quality OF
mercy" should not be d" strained" but with Banks
the case is different Mercy to them, is robbery
to the people. With strong will, and honest
intentions, much can be done to rectify our DIS
turbed currency, and very much to guard against
the recurrence of similar crisis. We know that
the Legislature cannot, by its fiat, remove In
simultaneously the present embarrassment, but
it can, by determined and fearless course, excise
the cause, and in few months the public pulse
will beat freely and vigorously again.
The Senatorial election has Of late been lost
sight of in the bank-agitation, but it will doubt
less create no little ''shuling of the cards" when
il comes to the test. We do not know the COM
plexion of the Legislature well enough to make a
correct surmise as to its choice. Hon. r. b.
RgErr. Col. PIoKESs and Col. CHEsNUT, will have
many staunch friends to press their claims. The
tendency of the day is to make the election turn
merely on personal popularity, and not test OF
any vital political principle. Such being the
case, the election will fall to the person who un-
derstands best that important phase of states
manship, yclept in common parlance, "Log-rol-
ling" ....... ............... ..
A reformation of the school system is, we think,
the most important and the most difficult duty de,
volving on the Legislature. The main dithculty
is contained in the following question how con
we induce the poor to permit their children to be
educated! It must be evident to every person
who has bestowed the least attention on the SUBJ
ject, that ignorant parents, not appreciating the
blessings'o of learning, and not fearing the blight
ing influence of that mental malaria-ignorance,
have no inducement to deprive themselves of the
feeble labor or the company of their children
Nor have they any motive to force their children
to school against q truant inclination, which Of
tentimes is only the index Of vigorous native ta-
ents. From the ignorance Of the parent, the good
which the present system might effect is neutrali-
zed the thousand vices which spring from the
foul and fostering soil of ignorance continue ram
pant, and the fair visage of the beautiful Goddess
of Wisdom is left to "blush unseen" Literature,
the cheapest the purest, the most excellent OF oil
luxuries is practically cut off from that class
which most needs the solace of philosophy, the
sympathy of the poet, and the genial humor of
the wit and scholar. We do not propose at this
time to suggest any correction for this evil, and
ONLY mention it in order to direct the attention OF
others to it. ...
The South Carolina College is again on its feet,
but from the feeling manifested few months
since, we do not think the people will be satisfied
to leave it in an equivocal position. On one point
every person appears decided-that the expense
of the College, comparatively, far exceeds the
benefits resulting to the State. Not that we be-
lieve the State so penurious as to begrudge few
thousand dollars in the noble cause of education,
but because what is intended as blessing, be-
comes practically curse when misapplied. We
will venture to make few suggestions as to its
future management. In the first place, we fear
the situation is an unfortunate one. Columbia is
beautiful and healthy town, but its warmest
admirers have never accused it Of being remarka-
bly, moral. In town of its size, the vices most
unfriendly to studious habits and the development
of moral character must necessarily be found
Were healthy site in the country selected, and
land enough purchased to secure it against evil
neighbors and corrupt influences, we will venture
the assertion that dissipation would be diminished
one half and that two would then graduate, for eve
ry one that does now, in proportion to those who
enter College. But twhether the College be removed
or not it cert ainly needs careful supervision and
it would be no little improvement if it were taken
from under the control of the students and sub.
jected to stricter discipline than it has ever
known. The whole secret Of the characterization,
which we so often witness, lies, and can only lie,
in the want District discipline. Students are
very much like other gregarious animals, when
one breaks the fence, the rest follow. 1t is only
by restraining the first dereliction that they can
be peaceably governed.
GEN. JOHN A. ASTON.
We give elsewhere from the Register, the result
of the election for successor to the lamented
HUDSON. We understand that Gen. ALsToN will
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