The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-29
CHI AR L Es ON.
MONDAY MORNING, MARCH %, 1859.
The Close Of the Session.

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We did not 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 hurry to adjourn. The
body was chiefly made up Of colored bar
bers, tsilors, carpenters and plantation
hands, whose services in the field and at
the anvil were worth, perhaps, ten dollars
a month s'and found" In the Legislature
they drew six dollars 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 twen-
ty-one new Joint Resolutions.
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
$11OO each for bills to incorporate colored
fire companies, to incorporate the colored
Amateur Literary and Fraternal AsSocia-
ton, 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 a cost of
some $4,000 There is something, how
ever, to be paid for the privilege Of being
represented bv white adyenturers and ig.
noranE negroes, anu, as Ino ""i"0 y. WV
nation held the purse strings, we ought to
thank our stars that they did not bleed us
10 the tune of cool half million. Grum-
bling may be very unreasonable and show
very poor appreciation of the blessings
of the situation; but it 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 cupidity and timidity of the
combination party. There is an ACT to
make an appropriation for the pay and
mileage of members, an ACT to provide for
the conversion of State securities, an ACT
authorizing the pawning of State bonds, an
Act to authorize loan for the relief Of the
Treasury, and the huge 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
nav. and to secure the State officials from
running short of Veuus Chcqu0t and rate
4. Fo;s Gras, until the General Assembly
can meet again and vote another sup
plv And the chronic fright Of the "Hon-
oorable Senators and Representatives"
caused by the romances Of Tolbert and
Hore, and the proclaiming and swearing OF
that excellent individual, R. X. Scott, Gov
ernor, found its expression in the 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-
servation of the peace. Only think Of it
Two thousand rifles and an armed focoe to
keep the peace in South Carolina. Why, ii
one 1.-THE 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.
Lank Leslie stood aghast in speeches. trance,
| To arms cried Boscmon, and couchcd his
qlivering lanse.
So they provided for the immediate auni-
hilation of every man in huckram, and re-
lieved their overwrought feelings by remov-
ing the county seat of Barnwell to Black
vile and ratifying the Fifteenth amend
ment.
When we take from the long roll the Acts
We have named, the Acts of incorporation
which could have been. included in one gen.
eral law-and the acts and resolutions
which were directed to remunerating some-
body for something he had done or prom
ised to do, there is left but beggarly array
Of measures to represent the public work
of the session. 0mitting the railroad bills,
there are about dozen Acts and Resolutions
of public character, in return for all this
labor and profuse expenditure of money.
Whipper, the negro lawyer, was elected to
codify the laws of the State, in company
with Mr.. Corbin, the United States District
Attorney sn1 Senator from Charleston.
Elliott, negro, was confirmed as Assistant
Adjutant and Inspector. General Of the
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