The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-08-31

set at naught public rights and personal in
terests, or to 80 amend city charter as to
open wide the doors to illegal and fraudu-
lent voting, are passed under the lash Of the
party whip, without any regard to what may
be their power for good or for evil. There
are one or two Republicans in the Legisla-
ture who areable and probably trustworthy;
but even these fear the majority from which
they may have to ask fat Offices for them
selves or for their friends, and act contrary
to their own knowledge of what is true and
right, rather>than run counter to the be-
hests of their revolutionary companions.
Nor has the Legislature shown one jot Of
that economy which is 80 necessary in the
administration of the affairs Of an impov-
erished State and overta1ed people. Any
intelligent Republican would, it seems, have
urged the Legislature to do its work quick
ly, if it could not do it well;-so clearly was
it to the advantage Of the party to show
that it had some higher motive than that of
party success and individual money-mak-
ing. But if this prudent counsel was given,
it has not been needed. The constitutional
convention cost the State one hundred and
ten thousand dollars; and the cost Of the
Legislature up to this time is about seventy
thousand dollars, which, if paid in State
bills at twenty per cent. discount, will i'm
pose debt on the State of nearly ninety
thousand dollars, or about eighteen hum
dred dollars for each day that it has been
in session. And what has the Legislature
to show in return for this enormous outlay!
Thirteen bills have become laws and have
been signed by the Governor, and Of these,
two are acts of incorporation, two are loan
bills, one is to provide for private secre-
tary for the Governor, and one is to provide
the Governor with residence. This is all
that the Legislature has done for ninety
thousand dollars, if we omit the fact that it
is daily creating new Offices with handsome
salaries, which will tend still further to de-
press the fortunes and dicredit Of the State.
This, for the present, is more than enough.
In the prudent and economical govern
ment of the State, every white and colored
man who lives within its boundaries is
deeply interested. The moderate and re-
spectacle Republican has as much-his all
at stake, as the moderate and respectable
Democrat; the industrious and sober freed
man has as much-the fruits of his labor
to lose, as the industrious and sober white
man. This is no question of party politics,
but Of commercial calculation. We leave
out Of sight the question Of the constitu-
tionality and legality of the assembly which
now makes our laws; we leave out of sight,
for the moment, all question of race or
color, and confne ourselves to the simple
and self-evident proposition that this State
cannot be improved in population and re-
sources, and that her people cannot increase
their little wealth or be secure in the en-
ioyment of their property, 80 long as she
and they are governed by body which is,
for the most part, devoid Of honesty and
decency, and is wholly without that expe-
rience, intelligence and disinterestednesS,
which arc indispensable to a just and ad-
vantageous public administration. The
members of the Legislature have them
selves but little to lose. They hold no prop
erty and pay no taxes. Their simple creed
is, that to take is more blessed than to give.
as we'll as Democrats will as
suredly understand that such men must lead
the State to ruin, and that its only safety
lies in such revolution as will return the
to the hands of those who ven
ture both means and reputation, and who
will direct our affairs in the interest Of the
whole State, and for the greatest good Of
the greatest number of its citizens.