The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-01-30
G H "A r l. E S T O NJ.
SATURDAY MORNING. JANUARY 80, 1869.
Mr. Corbin's Speech I'm the State Senate
ON his Bill to Confirna and make Valid
the Charleston Elections.

The speech of Mr. Corbin upon his bill
"to confirm and declare valid the recent
''eleotion Of Mayor and Aldermen of the
Getty of Charleston was published in The
NEWS of yesterday, and demands reply.
1t will not be forgotten that Mr.. Corbin is
one Of the senators from Charleston, and
also one of the counsel for Mr.. Pillsbury
and the Board of Aldermen who claim that
they were duly elected Mayor and Aldermen
on the tenth November last.
Mr.. Corbin says: 81 have no objection to
| s'the reference Of this bill to the Judiciary,
cor any proper committee, but it is very
''simple bill, and weu1d like it considered
sat once" Et,'t~rIi
This is very much the argument of escome
''into my parlor,"" said the spider to the
! fly; and, after stating that an election was
held in Charleston, Mr.. Corbin says: GAS
s'is we'll known, in that election certain per-
|f''sons were elected, and certain persons,
:.s :.s nrotsst a. sass' ~ts"'' -"-
It is well known, and Mr.. Corbin best
knows, that no legal or valid election was
held for Mayor and Aldermen, and that
s'certain persons were not elected, It is
also well known, and Mr.. Corbin best knows,
that the tribunal appointed by the Legisla-
ture to hear the case Of the legality Of the
conduct Of the managers, and to decide
! whether the persons ballotted for were, or
were not, "duly elected" have decided, an
nounced and declared, that Pillsbury and
his ticket were not e1ected-that is, chosen
according to law. 84.{ IlGr @
Says Mr.. Corbin: ''That election had
''passed off quietly in the City OF, Charles
tom" It is well known, and Mr. Corbin
best knows, that that election, so far from
passing off quietly, was the occasion Of the
most disgraoeful scenes Of intimidation and
violence which have ever marked an cleo
tiqn in the City Of Charleston which
shocked the bystanders and made the Re-
publican leaders blush for their party. [See
tie comments of the Republican paper after
the election.
Says Mr.. Corbin: ga registration had
.'been made, md the election was fairly
'sconducted." Mr.. Corbin best knows that
the "due registration'' prescribed by the
third section Of the Election act, as q pre-
requisite to legal voting, had in no. single
instance been complied with, and that no
single vote deposited in the ballot boxes
was . .slegal vote" under the act. To ,es-
cape from this difficulty, Mr.. Corbin and the
associate counsel Of :Pillsbury were driven
to contend that the act wss uneonstitutional,
| in requiring voters to be sworn before regis-
tration. This question has never been Judi
cially determined, and the constitutionality
Of the aot stands until ruled otherwise. But,
taking the requirement Of the registration,
oath to be unconstitutional, the counsel Of
Pillsbury were hopelessly impaled ON the
other horn Of the dilemma, Wig: That an un-
constitutional requirement was imposed on
the election which, Of itself, was enough to
invalidate it in toto.
! Says Mr.. Corbin: "And the election was
"fairly conducted" It is we'll known, and
Mr.. Corbin best knows, that it was most un-
fairly conducted.
Says Mr.. Corbin: "The truth was, the
"City Council got completely into the hands
"of the Philistines and took their advice, and
accordingly declared the election void. {"
And, therefore, this New Hampshire Sam
sen attempts to rush through the Legisla-
ture an act to frighten these "Philistinos,, !,
aad to bully the Board Of Aldermen, by
threat Of eS post facto penalties, into vie.
lating the law and the rights Of the oomrau.
nifty.
Says Mr.. CoFbin: So rsrsmptory mapds-
SINUS was issued, commanding them to 10
SON and declare the election, which they
'hnally did, just "a set forth in this bill
It has bsen shewn, repeatedly, that the re-
cital OF the bill does net truly state the s.de-
''claration'' made by the Board Of Alder
men; that ''dsclsration" made. under the
writ of "sandsass.- II qualified by the
prevaous reeurn Of the board, in which they
expressly say that Pillsbury and his sioke,
were mot duly elected; and that tho declar.