The weekly clarion., 1870-12-15

s...es in the south Carolina Leg.
fsIaaure.

Inquirer.
"a large. burly, good looking negro,
with bright red neck-tie (named *. Is.
Elliott. and since elected 10 Congress)
,.-mmeneed to call Mr.. Speaker Down
came the gavel. Mr.. SPeakerl he
.~reamed again, aided by about fifty Other
voices; again the gavel fell, and for
ofrhtv-seven times more, by actual count,
J.d this occur until the Speakers arm
.,orned tired. During this time q small
mulatto member with prominent nose
De Large, since elected to Congress)
ras busily engaged on the floor, passing
from member TO member, and at times
leaving the Chamber and returning with
different parties. All the Senator'S and
raernbers-four-ffths Of whom were col
ored-were loudly discussing terms con
ditjonal to changes In the vote, some re-
esiving what appeared to be money. L
tnrned to ask an intelligent-looking white
r,an near TO me whether the delay was
gin.nlv TO give time to bribe refractory and
gvacting members. He replied Yes. =
po;ntipg down to those nearly under our
-aotion 0f the gallery, he said: Every
.,sn Won see there demands his pay for
.rsrv vote Of Importance he gives. Ell
Iiatt and De Large are fomenting in order
r1oain time. They are the intriguers of
tbF House, and they well understand
tbat they must arrange to secure, by pur-
chase. enough votes to make a majority
-.potorious is the fact that part of the
H.r.g is known as The Forty Thieves
"ln the same body / saw Rainy, a
begbt handsome mulatto, since elected
n Congress from the Georgetown Dis
tri-t- lie seemed fully aware of the
corruption, but took no part in it. Ran
.sr was also there, since elected Lieuten-
ant Governor, and busily helping Elliott
and De Large. My gallery informant
aid: Each Of those men, De Large,
Elliott. Moses, &c, came here poor
lheir pay is - per day; they now own
and drive teams alone that cost double
.beir pay for an entire session, and their
living is consistently extravagant. Some
.tvsh women (colored) were on the floor.
Who are they?' | asked. Noted and
influential courtesans and lobby men,
hers was his reply. Their political IA
vor must be bought to secure the passage
Of any important BILL This was the |
legislature of a proud old Common
wealth, composed, with five or six ex-
cfptious, entirely Of Republicans. The
corruption was unblushing, indecent, ac-
knowiedgcd and undeniable.
vKl,nt she People Find in This
Country aI E'resenG-ThimgsG GO- |
ing Wrong.
From the Nation.
People have recovered from the excite
ment Of the war against slavery, and
have begun to look closely about them,
and the state of things which meets their !
ewes is by no means satisfactory.
They find themselves saddled with a |
nriH of extraordinary complexity, which |
auches thousands of articles, and is full |
Of snares and absurdities they find that |
though its supporters declare it to be the |
best tariff that ever was, it is taken up |
regularly every winter by these very per
sons, and overhauled from top to bottom,
tBkercd and patched and modified, under |
the instigation of powerful and insatia- |
liable lobby, TO the great disturbance of
business and to the serious injury of the |
NATIONAL industry.
They find the collection of the national |
eyenHe-that is, the transaction of the
NATIONAL business committed to a body |
Of men from whom no guarantees as to
character or capacity are exacted, but
who are furnished by the very nature of
Ae system under which they are appoint
ed with every conceivable temptation to
dishonesty and idleness and they are
told by competent observer that about a
fourth Of the national income is stolen or
lost in the process of collection.
They find the State Legislatures, espec-
tally in the East, becoming one by one
terribly corrupt, and passing rapidly un-
der the control of the great rings" OF
wealthy and unscrupulous jobbers, whose
combinations are taking complete posses
sion of all the great joint stock enterpri-
,es, the railroads, telegraphs, expresses,
and rising rapidly above the jurisdiction
Of the courts.
They find the character of the judcia-
T seriously deteriozating in the very re
sons in which judicial integrity is of the
NEST tconsequence-the great centers of
#ealth and population.
They find the schools, the persons, the
clarifies of the country, gradually slip
ping away from the hands of the men
Sdo make these things the object of hui
nan and scientific pursuit, and passing
more and more into the hands of political
clarlatans, to whom school, or prison,
Evork-house, is only interesting as a
Place in which they can find places for
oertain number of party hacks.