The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-29
CHI ARLE Es r ON.
MONDAY MORNING, MARCH %, 1869.
The Close OF tho session.

We did net suppose that the General As
sembly Of South Carolina elected by uni
versal suffrage and under the restrictions
of the Fourteenth Constitutional Amend.
ment, would be in Q hurry to adjourn. The
body was chiefly made up of oolored bar
bers, tailors, carpenters and plantation
hands, whose services in the field and at
the anvil were worth, perhaps, ten dollars
month ''and found" In the Legislature
they drew six dollars q day and mileage,
besides perquisites; so that it is not sur
prising that they amused themselves for
seventeen weary weeks in doing their best to
turn topsy-turvy all that the former session
had left of respectable and venerable in
the State. Happily, however, they have
adjourned at last leaving the taxpayers
one hundred and seven new Acts and TWEEN
ty-one new Joint Resolutions. s9 4
We ought, maybe, to thank the General
Assembly for not remaining in session all
the year round, and it is doubtless captious
criticism to suggest that it was hardly worth
while for the State to pay at the rate of
$l1OO each for bills to incorporate colored
fire companies, to incorporate the oolored
Amateur Literary and Fraternal Assoeia-
tion, the colored Longshoremen's Protective
Union Association, and the like. 1t is true
that the old Legislatures of South Carolina,
in which her people were represented by
upright and intelligent white men, usually
safe but three or four weeks, at q cost Of
some $4,000. There is something, how
ever, to be paid for the privilege Of being
represented by white adventurers and ig-
norant negroes, and, as the wards of the
nation held the purse strings, we ought to
thank our stars that they did not bleed us
to the tune Of cool half million. Grum-
bling may be very unreasonable and show
very poor appreciation Of the blessings
Of the situation; but il must be said that
the white people Of the State do object most
emphatically to legislative session in
which SO much is done for the Radical tag
rag and bob-tail and SO little for the white
people Of the State. ..
The list Of Acts and Joint Resolutions is
curiosity In its way, giving unmistakable
evidence of the oupidity and timidity of the
combination party. There is an Act to
make an appropriation for the pay and
mileage Of members, an Aot to provide for
the conversion Of State securities, an Act
authorizing the pawning Of State bonds, an
Act to authorize o loan for the relief Of the
Treasury, and the hugo Appropriation bill
Of which we have already spoken. This is
the financial work Of the session. Five
Acts to give the members and officers their,
pay, and to secure the State officials from
running short Of Veuvs Clicquot and Pate
de Fois Gras, until tie General Assembly
can meet again and vote another sup
ply! And the chronic fright Of the "Hon-
sorable Senators and Representatives"
caused by the romsnoes Of Tolbert and
Hoge, and the proclaiming and swearing Of
that excellent individual, r. K. Scott, Gov
ernor, found it's expression in tho Act to
organize the militia, and the Joint Resolu-
tions authorizing the Governor to purchase
two thousand rifles Of the most improved
pattern, with the necessary ammunition,
and to employ an armed force for. the pre-
servstion Of the peace. Only think OF it
Two thousand riAes and an armed force to
keep the peace in South Carolina. Why, IL
one tithe Of what Scott and his minions say
were true, one hundred thousand rifles with
one hundred thousand WHITE men to bear
and use them could not keep peace In the
State. The legislators supped full OF hor-
rors. .-rs"~
Lank Leslie stood aghast in speechless trance,
10 arms! cried Bosemon, and couched his
quivering lance.
So they provided for the immediate anni-
hilation Of every man in buokram, and re-
lieved their overwrought feelings by remov-
ing the county seat Of Barnwell to Black
viils and ratifying the Fifteenth amend
| ment. #f NJ. 4
When we take from the long roll the Acts
we hove named, the Acts OF incorporation
which could have been included in one PEN
eral law-and the acts and resolutions
which were directed to remunerating some
body for something he had done or prom
Used to do, there is left but beggarly array
Of measures to represent the public work
Of the session. omitting the railroad bills,
there ara abeut dozen Acts and Resolutions
OF nnhlie character, l.. return Sor all this
labor and profuse expenditure Of money.
Whippsr, the negro lawyer, was elected 70
oodify the laws Of the State, in company
with Mr.. Corbin, the United States District
Attorney and Senator from Charleston.
Elliott, q negro, was confirmed O. Assistant
Adjutant and Inspector General Of the
Militia. A variety Of fat places were con-
trived and . number Of salaries increased.
The white people Of the State have abse-