The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-01
CHI A r Es TON
MONDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY /, 1869
a1r. corbin md his Little Bill.

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Mr.. Corbin, Senator from Charleston
and United States District Attorney, doubt
less regards himself as the ''coming mar" ="
who, through the General Assembly and
various little bills, is to govern South Caro-
lima. There is smack of dictatorship in
all that he says and writes, and it must be
admitted that circumstances have given
him seme cause to look upon David T.
Corbin aa the Republican Goliath of the
State. The Republican party in South
Carolina is not strong in experience. Its
most valuable members, with but few mark
ed exceptions, are the freedmen, who, at
least possess the capacity to work and the
power to earn an honest livelihood. But
there were more Offices than there were
reading -and-writing Republicans to fill
! them; 80 that Mr.. Corbin was tempted to
aspire TO the most important public posi-
tions in the State, and was able by his legal
shrewdness and boldness of assertion to
confuse and overawe the inexperienced men
with whom he had to deal In this way
the Senator from Charleston became, ac-
cording to the common idea, the dictator or
master of the General Assembly; it being
understood that his dictatorial powers
should only be used for the glory and profit
of the newborn Radical party.
1t is difficult, nevertheless, for On "outer
''barbarian" to understand in what way Mr..
Corbin's Election bill is to be of use to the
South Carolina Republicans. The bill is
spoken of as necessity, rs party neces-
sity, there being some confusion of ideas
as to whether Mr. Pillsbury is dependent
upon Republicanism or Republcanism de-
pendent on Mr.. Pillsbury. We, Of course,
cannot venture to say that the installation
of Mr.. Pillsbury and his Board of Alder
men is not essential to the existence of Rad
calism in this State; and yet we are not
disposed to believe that the General As
sembly will. for the sake Of Mr.. Pillsbury
or Mr. Corbin, or both of them, enact
law which is unconstitutional in itself,
which is on invasion Of popular right,
which is utterly unprecedented and with
ont foundation in fact;-a law which will
wrest from Republican as well as Democrat
every vestise of security; for if the Legis-
lature can declare that to be legal elec-
tion which was void from the beginning, if
they can install nineteen men as duly elec-
ted when their own previously appointed
tribunal has decided that there was no eleo-
ton at all, they can certainly set aside an
election which is in every way legal, and SO,
at pleasure, defy the will and thwart the
wishes of the people. If this is what the
Radical party are driving at, they cannot
prove itmore satisfactorily than by passing
Mr. Corbin's little bill.
But Mr.. Corbin may, after all, have
very good reason for appealing to the Leg
islature He was one -cf the counsel for
the Pillsbury ticket when the election WAS
investigated by the Acting Board of Alder
men, and was there defeated by the deci-
sion of the Board that there had been 70
legal and valid election. His next appear
ance was before the Supreme Court, the
result of which was that his clients were
placed in position to assert. in the courts
of law, their claims to the Offices of Mayor
and Aldermen of Charleston. This, Mr..
Corbin said, was all that he wanted; and
yet without trying the courts, he burries to
the Legislature and asks that body, Of
which he assumes himself to be dictator,
to legislate his clients into office. Mr.. Cor
bin did not forget that iu the Scuate uud
House of Representatives alone mis- sophis
,cal citations aud professional adroilness
could not be met by counsel who were as
cunning Of fence as he.
We have not treated the Charleston cleo
tion case as Democratic or Republican
gu, stion, although we believe il 10 be one
which is of more consequence to the Repab-
lican party than it is to the Democracy of
the State. We have shown that The bill in
troduced by Mr.. Corbin is as false in its
statement of facts as it is unprecedented
aud bad iu law, and we do not hesitate to
express cur confident belief that its pas
sace-whether for the sake Of Mr.. Pills
bury or at the bidding of Mr. Corbin-will
20 far to hasten u revu!sion of feeling
which will change our minority into ma
jority, and hasten the lasting downfall of
Radica!ism in South Carolina.
Four Good Rules,