The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-08
THE NEW REGIME.
PEN PICTURES OF OUR LEGISLATORS.
Their Color, Politics and Occupation
The senate-Corbin and his Charac-
tertstics-Daddy Cain-Alicn, Arnim
and Barber.
NUMBER II.
COLOR. POLITICS, OCCUPATION.

| tors and one hundred ana tWenty-tnree re-
presentatiyes. OF this number, seventy-one
are white. forty-four black, and thirty-eight of
mixed blood. Twenty-one are Democrats (all
of whom are whitej and one hundred and
thirty-two Republicans.
On the rolls of the Senate and House OF
Representatives, there is placed opposite the
name of each senator and representative his
ssoccupation or profession" from which it ap-
nears that there are in the General Assembly
ten attorneys at law, thirty-one farmers, nine
| physicians, seventeen clergymen, twelve teach
ers sixteen planters, thirteen merchants, three
merchant ,ailors, three clerks. two masons,
eight builders, one magistrate, one civil en-
gineer. one engineer, one marble dealer, eight
carpenters, two hotel keepers, one druggist,
one bookkeeper, one wheelwright. four coach
makers, one tanner, two mechanics, one
chemist. one auditor, one halter, one black
smith, one tailor.
THE SENATE AND SENATOR'S.
The Senate, as compared with the House, is
q yery digniied body. 1t may be very proper
" STYLED a balance wheel for the House. In a
speech once made by swails at a mass meet
! ..nc held in the hall Of the House Of Represen-
tatiyes, he said that the people of the State
ought to thank God that they had Senate.
His remark was somewhat strong, but then
the people have cause to be thankful that the
House had Senate to keep it little in check,
as it did and prevented session OF the Legis-
lature all the summer. There are thirty sena-
tors in this body at present The counties Of
Abbevile and Beaufort are unrepresented.
Colonel John S. Cothran, who was elected
from the former county, was denied his
seat. j. j. Wright, colored, the senator
from the latter county, resigned his seat when
elevated to the position of associate justice of
tho Supreme bench of the State. OF the thirty
senator's, twenty-one are white, four black and
FIVE of mixed blood. Six Of these are Demo-
Gratis and twenty-four Republicans.
rAvID T. coRBIN.
The sshead and front" of the Senate is the
clear-headed, obstinate, oflice-grasping D. 7.
Corbin. Radical senator from Charleston City.
From the fact that he holds the Offices of United
States district attorney, lieutenant-governor of
the State, codlfler of the laws, city attorney,
and other offices, almost "too numerous to
mention, he is designated as the "oflicial
polygamist." He is fine-looking man, and,
Judging from his features, the most contcnted
man in existence. He possesses great in
fuence in his party and in the Legislature.
In his speeches, in the Senate, he is very uic-
tatorial and unmerc full to his opponents, MAX
ing no allowance whatever for the ignorance
Of those who differ with him upon question
under discussion, especially legal questions,
about which Leslie and Wright are the only
two senator's, besides himself, who are sup
posed to know anything. But these did not
escape the illegal senator's" sarcasm. Corbin
speaks very deliberately and clearly, and when
discussing subject, in which he Is In
terested, is untiring, fighting opposition
at every point, but never descending to little
parliamentary tricks" to accomplish his OBJ
ject. BY virtue Of his position as Lieutenant
Governor, he is president of the Senate, but,
with the exception Of the nights when the
"Code" was under consideration, he seldom
occupied the chair Whether he is or Is not
entitled to all the Offices he holds, popularity
but enormously believed to be two-thirds OF
all In the State, Is matter for his partisans to
decide; but certain it is that there is no one in
the Radical party in the State more competent.
AS chairman of the Judiciary Committee ne
had a great deal of work to attend to. Gene
-ally, whatever he presented wss passed with
out much debate or opposition. AS regards
his influence with the senators, it was more
the result of fear of his opposition than OF al
lection for the individual. Corbin is native
of Vermont, and held the rank of major in the
United States army during the war. He is
''long term senator" The Legislature could
not get along without him.
FRANK ARNIA
is native of Prussia, served as captain III the
Federal army during the war, after which ne
settled in Edgcneld County, and was sent to
the Senate by the Radical party 10 represent
il. He also holds the position OF county CON-
missioner of Edgcied County. He speaks
very ''brokcn English" and when excited
cannot be understood at all. In the Senate lie
has no influence, and regarded as ''unsound"
by The more bitter of the Radicals. On sew
eral occasions he has denounced the measures
OF the party, which apparently were intro
duced more for the benefit of a few individuals
than for the interest of the masses. When the
bill for the extension Of the limits Of Columbia
"a measure to secure the election Of Radicals
to the municipal oflices-was under considera-
ton, he bitterly opposed it, and offered to
amend it so rs to provide that none but Eepub-
licans should ever be elected to fill any Of the
offices of the city-thus showing the object of
the supporters of the bill. a few days before
the adjournment he startled the Republicans
by raaking speech against A. S. Wallace,
whom he asserted had said he had kept him
(Arninl) out Of the pcnitcntiary when he was
under arrest for alleged revenue frauds. lie
closed his speech by saying that hc had occ'l-
pied the time Of the Senate not merely Tor per-
sonal purposes, not merely to remove The
scandalizing influences OF the man who claims
to be representative elect, but to show TO the
Republican portion Of this body that there IS
stain which attaches 10 tliS candidate, who
proposes TO represent Us, deep. dark and iai;'-
nous enough to send him. as IN Official Of The
United States Government, 10 that lieHilcr-
tiary where lie would have inmurcd him
(Arnim. and, Is L politician, TO cons@n him
fyy,,l, o.,l IN M oblivion from which hr snOuil