The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-18


mission and TO report whether there be any
trutb In them or not Such method If properly
carried ont will have better effect than all the
aerences Of the commissioner himself. There are,
as have before stated, numerous reports afoat
| rejecting upon the operations OF the commission
and the sooner they are proved or disproved the
better for all concerned.
THE STATE CeSsTABLEs sNUB3ED.
twill be remembered that short time ago
Nash introduced in the Senate bill to protect
the state police from arrest for alleged ofences
committed by them in the discharge Of their du'
ties, which provided that they could not be arrest
| ed upon any alleged offence whatever, ana also
providing tha. any magistrate who issued war
rant for the arrest Of any one OF them upon any
alleged offence should be fined or imprisoned.
The bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee,
which reported unfayorably. stating substantially
that they were no better than white people gener-
ally. and should be subjectto arrest and penalties
common to all mortals who live under laws. To-
day, In the Senate, the report was taken up anu
adopted without q dissenting voice.
There is considerable. talS Of abolishing the
State eonstGbulary force.
| THE ABBEyILLE SENATORIAL ELECTION.
The report Of the Committee ou Privileges
and Elections isigAed by Hoyt, Powers and Rose)
on the report OF the county canvassers Tor Aooe-
Vile County, in on election which was held on
25th OF May, 1852 to choose senator for the said
county, and recommending that as L. L. Gutfn
would have clear majority OF forty eight, If the
Calhoun Mills precinct, where the vote was Illegal
he thrown out, he should he admitted to seat in
the Senate, was taken up.
AUTHORITY WANTED.
| Leslie desired the chairman OF the committee to
state II the law Of the land, construed by Con-
gress and legislative bodes authorized the
throwing out the vote at one poll without vitiat-
| ing the whole election; he was satisfied that the
chairman had fully investigated the matter, had
"read up,n was posted" and lie would like for
him to furnish his authority or authorities for
recommending that the vote at one precinct be
| cast out. and the person who received majority
without the vote at that one be admitted to a
| seatS
| Hoyt said ne took the best legal advice In the
State In regard to the propriety and legality OF
the recommendation. Leslie thought that was
.very indefinite authority" and so stated, where
upon Hoyt stated that he did not consider 1t
necessary to give his authority.
LESLIE CALLS FOR THE LAW.
| leslie said he was advised that there was no
law authorizing any such recommendation as
| that of the committee; there were fifty cases on
the books which clearly showed that no action
such as was recommended could be taken. Leslie
then called upon the "loyal senator" (COrhin) to
.lay down the law" saying that he, for four
months, had studied and thought OF nothing else
but elections and laws bearing upon them, and
was, therefore, fully competent to enlighten the
senators, to give them the law bearing upon the
case in hand
Corbin, after volunteering the gratuitous inlor-
nation that he was Republican, but was some
times called Radical, and then stating that he
would vote to admit the man, whether Radical or
Democrat, who was fairly elected asserted as his
opinion that neither Colonel Cothran nor Guffin
was entitled to the seat; that there was no law
which would warrant the Senate in acting upon
the recommendation OF the committee He then
offered resolution providing that the Abbevllle
election be declared null and void, and that
neither Colonel COthran nor Gutiln be entitled to
O seat.
THE INCENDIARY H0GE.
Montgomery lin the chair) remarked that there
4 was n similar case in his mind which the legisla-
tive body interested disposed or and that was
Judge Hoge's. Congress admitted him to seat
to which he was elected by majority OF three
thousand votes against him. Leslie asserted that
the reason OF his being admitted was because his
opponent (Reid) was not qualified to accept the
seat. ...,..
Rose said that though his name appeared
among the signatures to the report, he knew
nothing OF the Abbeville election case, and nc
did not think the committee had. made as
thorough an investigation as 1t was ordered to do
They had acted entirely too hastily in the matter
and instead OF investigating as they should have
done, had gotten up the report outside OF the
committee room Hoyt said that as Rose had
gone back upon the committee, he would state
that although he (R.) was frequently sum
moncd to attend the committee Investigations
ne had only come once. The committee had had
twelve aIldavits from Gufln and ten from Colo
mel Cothran, and they had examined them, and
afterward considered that they could make as
fair and just a report as they could do II
they examined any number OF witnesses
and delibera.ed for three months.
BLOOD FOR BLOOD.
Leslie had by this time succeeded in getting a
COPY of the law, and proceeded TO read case after
case. the decisions OF which supported Corbln's
position. Maxwell commenced to speak in snp
port o. Corbln's resolution, and recon- mended O
new election. He was interrupted by l1oyt, who
desired to know il he knew how many lives had
been sacrificed at the last election, and how many
more would be sacrificed If another were held; to
which Maxwell replied that he lad said, when
The question was up before that il 1t cost $780, 0oO
it should he held, as a precedent must be cs-
tablishcd which would rebound TO the honor OF
the State There must be no more lives lost. We
must let the people Of the State know that they
will be protected in the expression OF their opin
ions II the people dare to attempt another act like
that at Abbelle it will not stop with the sacrifice
Of one or two lives. To prevent such occurrences
requires only determined, msnly action on the
part of the now oppressed people. II we order
another election the Republicans OF tnat county
will be inspired and will carry it, .iayne wanted
Corbln's resolution adopted. S!nce the ratifica-
tion of the constitution the people or AbheVliIe
had not been allowed to give free expression oil
opinion at the ballot-boX. IL his county tmarion)
they used to have murders and outrages upon
the people, but since it was understood By the
Democrats that for every man killed by them TWO
of them would die, elections passed OF quietly,
and the people enjoyed their rights He believed
in "tit for tat" He was willing to go to Abbe'
vile and help to secure the rights Of the oppressed
people; (Cain, interrupting him, "Will you be the