The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-11-24
IS LEGIsE4AT1yE RRocERDINes.
sii siisTURsDAv, SRPTEMBRR %, 1859.
HOUSEcD EcDNEBEPRESENT

II
j The House tof. Representatives Assem-
bled inl the Capitol building at 12 M.
Speaker Moses took the Chair, when the
Clerk called the roll, aud quorum was
f0undto be present. Prayer by Rev! e.
JD Adaaasj Chaplain of the Senate.
Speaker Moses delivered the following
address: Hsaf94.I j. -e>!ait ji .,
.GHNELfALEN OF THE HOUSE OF REPRE-
sRsiIkrIv0s; We have again assembled to
resufnS the oherouB and responsible du-
tieasotleeislafors,l While it is pleasing
to sne 60 ongratulate:y upon the gene
raliyiayorabIe ahspices which attend us,
wes arc painede to know that since our
last adjournment, three of those former
IyRss6o2atad. with us have passed from
the estage of lffei Jonas w. Nash; Henry
W.oaWebb and George tDdsenbury are
daadaii Their oseabs are now occupied by
ota1erG who have been sent by their con-
sssasseefs.s sssasseefs..s ss3 take theirplaces and TO assist
in the completion Of their unfinished
work. We would be untrue to the in
stipots of nature, and wanting in re-
spdltful regard ITO their memory and
their worth, should we fail, before enter
ing npon. .ouftduties, to pay them q CRATE
faiItribute. We knew them MS earnest
and, jealous 'co-workers with us-unob-
trueiye,in their deportme ent and kindly in
their intercourse, but at all times awake
tothe interest of their people and to the
welfare of our State. They had no selfish
alnis-.tno higher ambition than to do
their duty. Ito those who now occupy
their places, we extend the hand of well
come and can bespeak for them no
higher reward than that they shall rs
faithfully and earnestly discharge their
trust as did those whom they have sue
ceeded. 1r
To: the rest of this membership n
mefciful Providence has kindly vouch-
safed the privilege of renewing our asso-
Citations, and We meet each other to. day,
as humbly trust, with no other desire
than to perform, in earnestness and full
faithfulness, the work which is before
us. We come together with the mani
fold advantages which naturally spring
from our past experience-from our hav-
ing intern,ingled with our constituents
from having learned something of the
wants and necessities of the country
from having witnessed, to some extent,
the practical workings of our past legis-
Iation-and from having discovered
wherein We may have fallen short of our
legitimate duty. We have, hitherto, not
been unmindful of the magnitude of the
political task which the contingencies of
the late war have cast upon us-the task
OF restoring the blessings of law and
order to q divided and distracted people,
and OF giving peace and protection to
those who were left, by the results of
that war, in condition where lawless-
ness was the rule and subordnation to
law was the exception. OF political wis
dom, learning and sagacity, we had no
boast, and if we have achieved success,
we owe it, in large measure, to the
direction of experimenting Providence,
which alone can give success to the mea-
sures of mans devising. To ourselves
we can take no higher credit than that
we have brought to our work an earnest
determination to do our duty faithfully
and fearlessly-as faithfully to those who
refused to recognize our authority, and
who steadfastly warred against our po-
litical existence, as to those who gave to
us their sympathy and support. We are
privileged this day to congratulate our
selves that our State, in the new and
novel order of its administration, has
steadily advanced in political and mate
rial prosperity. Despite the cavilings
and, the portentous forebodings of those
who desired that our political expert
ment should prove a disastrous failure
"hV PApAOAAoo tuuU ruin SuOulu prevail
rather than they should not rule, and
who have not hesitated to throw across
our path every obstacle and hindrance
that malevolent ingenuity could suggest
we are proud to know that We have
succeeded, even beyond the expectations
of the most sanguine. The present DO.
]itical condition of this State, is one
which must in all ages stand upon the
page OF history, as of the most remarka.
BILE and astonishing import The enfran-
chisement of race hitherto enslaved,
reared to manhood, without the ad.
vantages of education, and trained to q
quiet and uuquestioning obedience to the
will Of dominant people, wealthy, edu.
Gated and powerful-the political regene.
ration of such e-extending not
alone to their emancipation from the
bonds OF servitude, but to their advance.
ment to equality of rights and privileges
before the world, and to positions OF
power and high responsibility-is n
grand political spectacle. to which all
past history furnishes no parallel. From
such startling experiment., many ex.
pected nothing but absolute failure. II
was predicted bv manv-uho .oo,o,> = !