The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-12
the opportunity of doing 10, and the power has

|
| I recognize in the Greenyille and Columbia Rail
road useful and importahtageptin in the develop
| of the resources of what Ia rapidly becoming the
most p3pulous and p osperous portion ol tne s,aie M
| COMPANY by new act, giving the state endorse,
| ment under proper restrictions, to fs original
| bonded debt, and enbodying such conditions os
would make the company ieel its re.ponsloilty. III!
is understood by corporations or individuals that all
| that Is necessary to SECURE the success OF their
schemes is to present till to the Legislature. en-
brac:ng whatever provi ions they may deem most
conducive to their interests and by assduous lob
byine and other questionable means force it
thl ough the tate capitol will be constantly INFESTED
with the paid agents and advocates of every concsiv-
able project by which spectators my hope TO oo-
, tam control oil the peoples money.
The present managers uf the Greenvile and Co.
| lumba Railroad, by their course heretofore. have
| given an indication of what may be expected from
them hereafter Periodical applicat ons 70 tne cen
| cral Assembly Will be made as their debts become
! due until they Will have accumulated TO sucn an
| amount Us to become utterly unmanaqeaole, when
| the company will be crced into bankruptcy and
liouda,iou leaving to the State the responsibility
OF Its heavy debt and worn out railroad not worth
one.half the sum for which it Is mortgaged. Wblle
the debt s the road is ular! and rapidly lncreas
ing it's value Is steaHiy diminishing: In year or
two at mos the track will relad with new iron ut
very heavy expenditure, and we have every reason
to expect that the state will again be applied to for
| assistance IN this new emergency.
| Every augmentation OF the debt OF the STATE IN
1
while it increases the burden OF the taxpayer 49,
therefore incumbent upon those having the ustody
OF the public treasure to guard 1t with jealous Vei
lance; and the Chief Executive OF tho S:ate j. Is
made nv duty to s.e that the constitution Is main
tained aud the laws faithfully executed The act un'
der consideration processes to be an amendment 70
an act based upon what purports TO be an act ol
Legislative BODY not recognized by THIS governments
Both on the grounds Of unconstitutional tv and in
eypedicucy feel compelled to withhold my assent,
ond therefore respectfully return it to the Senate
ROBERT 4. SCOTT, Governor.
The Senate, then, on motion of Mr.. Corbln,
resumed the consideration Of the Charleston
Election bill.
MIR. Corhin requested tho reading OF a COM
mun.cation which appeared in the Charleston
Courier, over the signature OF Vera1. His
object, he said, in having that communication
read was to show that the party who wrote II,
as well as q largo number of citizens OF
Charleston, seemed to be persistent IN making
statements which he apl they ought TO know
are not true. He believed the cltizens OF
Char ,eston WHO had signed the memorial, sta
ting that the case was now IN tue courts, had
been misled IN making the statement, from
the simple reason they had not Consulted the
records of the Supreme Court to know how the
case stands.
The quo Darrdnio, he said, had been dlscon-
tinuea duriug the session OF the Supreme
Court. According to the laws OF South Caro-
lima discontinuance of cause IN the nature
OF the case Is an end of it. 1t cannot be taken
11p again. He woulu leave it to the Senate and
to the people 10 decide whether, under these
circumstances, they have cot been mlsled.
The press Of Charleston have not scrupled to
saw ANYTHING that common dcconcy would al
low them to say with respect to his course III
the Senate. He only referred 1T, however,
because it had reference TO the memorial be-
fore the Senate, and also because 1t had REFER
ence to his own veraclLv.
Raluev. Did not the senator. as solicitor,
refuse to take out o writ OF quo tca,raRto
either in chambers or before the court!
Mir. Corbin. We might have taken out writ
of QUO ,cdyrdnto before the Supreme Court
but refrained from courtesy to that tribunal
They.ntlmated to us very pleasantly that Wo
Having said this much in explanation, Mr.
Corbin proceeded with the discussion OF the
bill. He had presented it, be said, because he
believed it Just and right. It was to lntorce
the constitutional rights aud privileges OF the
people OF Charleston. Those rights and priv
leges aro that they shall have tac rlgnt 10
elect tl.er own Mayor and Aldermen; that
their determination at the ballot-box was to be
respected; that the parties they shall select
and elect to Office shall go into office. Ihls Is
question that lies at the foundation Ut our
civil government namely, that the people snail
rule. The constitution says, IN all elections
by the people, the parties who receive the
highest number of votes shall be elected. But
We vent further aud said. these parties shall
be inducted into Office on the Monday follow
ing the election. The election was had; GER
tein parties received majority ofthe votes cast.
That evidence was returned, and the Mayor
and Aldermen by law were required TO record
and declare the result and induct the parties
into office. Did the Mayor do it as provided
IN the seventh section Of the act9 No; he just
| shat himself up and SAID there is protest
| against this election, and I am not going to 90
| ANYTHING, He said to the parties and to tho
people OF Charleston who had gone through
an election, 81 am in Office and have the keys
Of this Office" Somsboay handed him pro-
test, and he would not declare the election:
What right had he to consider protest at oil
! There Is no authority in the act for him TO
consider protest. There is no such word as
.'protest" in the act. That man knows better
than ANYBODY else why lie held on to that
Office. On the day OF election We find HIM IN
the street, up at Mr.. Pilsbury's house, IN the
presence OF two thousand people, saving 70
them. "You have elected Mr.. Pillsbury Mayor.
| shall be your Mayor until Monday next. when
I shall have the extreme pleasure Of Inducing
your Mayor into officep That s what he said
| to that largo concourse OF people on the day OF
election. Well. what happens?
He saw great light, OF else his mind was
| ClOuQeQ WltQ QaTRuCSS, DoChuSo VIC feis ASA'
day hc said to the public: I'VE will not de-
clare the election" Why2 Because there had
been protest handed IN. Some OF his friends
gathered around him aud said: Such thing
| is not known to the law. You must declare
the election" 'sWell," said he, II cannot de-
| clare It, forsomebody disputes that there has
| been on election. There has not been proper
election. He would no. declare the e.ec-
ton" He gathered the Board OF Alder
men und placed before them some general
CHARGES, and it was conceived by that set OF
gentlemen that case had arisen such as was
not provided for in section of the act. Note,
the act says: when the seats OF a amaJollty
of the persons voted for are contested" Now,
the Mayor, in his report, says it was protest
and not a contest. The Board Of Aldermen
started out with wilful mlscontruclion OF the
law. No such case as contest had arleen.
But Mr. Clark and his Board OF Aldermen
met and he says to them: Gentlemen, this
thing ia protested. Hore is very grave and
and solemn matter. Fifteen hundred citizens
of Charleston (all of the defeated party) have
como forward aud protested against tue eiee,
tion." They had an examination, and then SAID
they would GILL it a contest. They wanted to
cali it something like the last sentence in this:
seetion (section seven). They then concluded
to call it contest and examine the matter
What did they find? After two weeks exami-
nation they established the fact that the mana
GERS of election had conducted it as we'll as
thew knew how. They had three days re-
cistration; had conducted it in the most care
fnl manner; had registered all the voters II
| f,harlesion who wore able to register.