Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-11-28
PcKENs COURT HOUSE, s. C. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2s, 1851

nlent for thirty hours, and though the hav
oc was dreadful, it gave no evidence of des-
pair OF sinking courage.
Midnight ended my guard duty, and an
other sentinel taking my place, sought
refuge from the sand-cloud, and slept till
morning. And with this progress, and
these incidents ended the second day of
the bombardmont and the 23d day of March
The Legislature Charleston.
Ga Monday next the Legislature con-
vencs. Will it do anything, aud what, for
the benefit of the State and people? The
past leads us to expect but little; and that
it will confnc itself, as usual, to the tax
and appropriation bills, and the chartcring
of corporations this is all for a peope
whose taxes are grossly unequal, and who
are already corporption-riddcn Most of
the members, having attained the honor of
a seat, arc soon after their arrival in Co
lmnbia camorous to get home. Those who
are disposed to work, and who do the work.
and who earnestly desire to apply the legis-
lation necessary to the advance of the ace
and the defects time and change have de
veloped, are overrulcd by those who do
nothing and think nothing, and who are
more intent on Christmas dinner and a
country frolic, than on the exigencics of
their institution and laws.
Beside the innumcable defects of law
and mischicfs in its administration, Which
need attention, consider the prominent sub
jocts pressing for reform
The taxation system. The criminal code
The banking system. The codifcation or
revision of the body of laws The usury
l.systcm. The elcctionsystem The Judi
ciary and magisterial system. The drain
age of the swamp lands, and the fence sys-
ten. The election frauds and corruptions.
| A word as to the latter. 1t is ever a
melancholy duty to point to the abasement
OF people But the unquestionable fact
stares us in the face, that there are hun
dreds, ifnot a thousand, purchaseablc votes
IN Charleston--men who make ita business
to sell their votes, and there are men who
make it a business to manage the purchase.
AS this vote GENERALLY holds the balance of
| power between the general division of par
ties, there are immense sums spent upon
them in every election. Corruption and
fraud in suffrage have become crying evil
4 IN this city, andso systematized, aud deemed
i n matter of course, that even good and hon
orable citizens, however loathing the ne
cessity and drcading the cost, arc forced to
participation in bribery, or to consent to
forever cschew any influence in public af-
fairs, general or municipal tits desper-
ate evil, that an intelligent and high-toncd
community should be forced between two
| grinding clements, the rich and unscrupu-
lous on one side, and the low and debascd
on the other
But this iniquity takes even wilder
range of eyil-irit strikes pt the foundation
of State influence and virtue. The cor
rupted element is near a fourM of the suf-
frage power of Charleston, and it controls
her elections and thus HER And who can
doubt that Charleston, in turn, holding a
large balance of power capacity, in repre-
sentation, in talent and in wealth, can and
does exercise a potential influence over the
State? VIII the State consent that its en-
porium shall sink, and draw the State with
it, into the slough of political and monetary
abasement If disfranchisement is neces-
sary to cure the evil, it is time that the
work had commenced. Suffrage, the basis
Of our institutions aAd liberties, if rotten at
Che core, must destroy the Republic.
Il Il u a