The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-01
CHI A r T. E S TON
MORNING. FEBRUARY i, 1869.
MT. corbin and his Little Bill.

Mr.. Corbin, Senator from Charlestoh
and United States District Attorney, doubt
less regards himself as the looming man,
who, through the General Assembly and
various little bills, is to govern South Caro-
lima There is smack Of Dictatorship in
all that he says and writes, and it must be
him some cause to look upon David T.
Cerbin as the Republican Goliath of the
State. The. Republican party in South
Carolina is not strong in experience. Its
most valuable members, with but few mark
ed exceptions, are the freedmen, who, at
least possess the capacity to work and the
power to earn an honest livelihood But
there were more Offices than there were
reading -andwriting Republicans to fill
them; so that Mr.. Corbin was tempted to
aspire to the most important public posi-
tions in the State, and was able by his legal
shrewdness and boldaess of assertion to
confuse and overawe the inexperienced men
with whom he had to deal. In this way
cording to the common idea, the dictator or
master Of the General Assembly; it being
understood that his dictatorial powers
should only be used for the glory and profit
of the newborn Radical party.
1t is difficult, nevertheless, for an ssouter
barbarian" to understand in what way Mr..
Corbin's Election bill is to be Of use to the
South Carolina Republicans. The bill is
spoken of as necessity, as party neces-
sity, there being some confusion of ideas
as to whether Mr.. Pillsbury is dependent
upon Republicanism or Republicanism de-
pendent on Mr.. Pillsbury We, of course,
cannot venture to say that the installation
Of Mr.. Pillsbury and his Board Of Alder
men is not essential to the existence of Rad
icalism in this State; and yet we are not
disposed to believe that the General AS
senbly will. for the sake of Mr.. Pillsburv
or Mr.. Corbin, or both of them, enact .
law which is unconstitutional in itself,
which is on invasion of popular right,
which is utterly unprecedented and with
out foundation in fact;-a law which will
wrest from Republican as we'll as Democrat
every vestige Of security; for if the Legis-
lature can declare that to be legal cleo
ton which was void from the beginning, if
they can install nineteen men as duly cleo
ted when their own previously appointed
tribunal has decided that there was no cleo
tion at oil, they can certainly set aside an
election which is in every way legal, andso,
at pleasure, defy the will and thwart the
wishes of the people. If this is what the
Radical party are driving at, they cannot
prove it more satisfactorily than by passing
Mr.. Corbin's little bill
But Mr. Corbin may, after all, have
very good reason fer appealing to the Leg
islature. He was one Of the counsel for
the Pillsbury ticket when tho election YVES
investigated by the Acting Board of Alder
men, and was there defeated by the deoi-
sion Of the Board that there had been no
legal and valid election. His next appear
ance was before the Supreme Court, the
result of which was that his clients were
placed in position to assert, in the courts
Of law, their claims to the Offices of Mayor
aud Aldermen of Charleston. This. Mr..
Corbin said, was all that he wanted; and
yet without trying the courts, he hurries to
the Legislature and asks that body. Of
which he assumes himself to be dictator.
to legislate his clients into office.S Mr.. Cor
bin did not forget that in the Senate and
House Of Representatives atone his sophis-
tical citations and professional adroitness
could not be met by counsel who were as
cunning of fonce as he. tas. #Y..y
We have not treated the Charleston cleo
ton case as a Democratic or Republican
question, although We believe it to be one
which is of more consequence to the Repub-
lican party than it is to the Democracy of
the State. We have shown that the bill in
troduced by Mr.. Corbin is as false in its
statement Of facts as it is unprecedented
and bad in law, and we do not hesitate to
express our confident belief that its pas
sage--whether for the sake Of Mr.. Pills
bury or at the bidding Of Mr.. Corbin--will
go far to hasten revulsion of feeling
which will change our nsinority into ma
jority, and hasten the lasting downfall Of
kadicalism in South Carolina.
--ss.-------
Four GSosi skuaes,
Mnok,n 10y