The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-10
THE PHOSPHATE OUTAGE.
A Letter to Corbin.;

To Hon. D. T. Corbia, State Senator, Uni.ed
StcteS District Attorney city Attorney, codi-
fer or TIE LARS, &C., &C., &C., DO, de-, DO.
SIR-In speech which the papers attribute to
you, as delivered in the Senate on the 2ad Dcccm-
Der uls, on the Phosphate bill, you are said to
have argued that by means OF the monopoly you
advocated:
.lnstead OF four or five men stealing the phos-
pilates belonging to the State. there would DC
i've or SIN hnnufea mcn se.lsas "oiss' Wages
"rhcsc people who have been stealing phosphates
may howl and Growl. but there is no answer TO
the argument that the state OWNS the phUSphatcS
and that it Is tho duty uf the State 10 develop
them i'll the best possible manner.
"Seeng so much feeling exhibited, looked for
some argument and sense, but VIII declare on
my honor as senator and gentleman, that
saw mr. u sensible reason given, ana when you
trace tie opposition to its source, you will lind
it comes from gentlemen stealing phosphates by
the wholesale.
"These men have been down in the Coosaw
River and have moved about ten thousand tons
during the last year"
And you even went so far as to lndividuallze.
Although an old citizen of the State, could not
pretend to the knowledge OF the facts that you
should have had, when you made the assertion
above alluded to, aud therefore have been at
some pains TO Inform myself OH the subject.
The statement SO far as the person named and
his associates are concerned, Is utterly unfonnd.
cd in fact; not one pound OF rock has been taken
from Coosaw River by them 1t is true that some
OF these parties your statement has slandcred.
and who have put capital into phosphate enter
prise5 (mhllst those in whose behalf you spo IKE
would not advance or lend dollar to develop the
phosphate Interest in the State,) have purchased
and leased lands al or Ceosaw River, from the
creeks and bayous of which, being their own
property they have dug few thousand tons Of
phosphates. So far as my knowledge goes, no
phosphates have been taken from any location to
which the State can lay any claim, except BY per.
haps few poor fshermeR, against whose hum
BILE industry you indulge your sneers and satire.
Notwithstanding your statement OF the law, IL IS
held as am informed by lawyers whose attain
mcnts are equal those Of any that are instruct
cd In the institutes OF Vermont or elsewhere in
sew Englapd, that iSSs Tissss to take these phss.
pilates in the rivers Of the State Is inherent, and
to be enjoyed in common BY all the citizens OF the
State.
The disinterestedness Of some gentlemen OF the
North, who come down to enlighten the poor bar
barians OF the South, reminds me OF an Incident
l have seen somewhere in English history. When
the 1rst George came over from Hanover to rule
the English people, and rode in his coach through
the streets, he looked out OF the window upon the
popuIace, some OF whom received him with cheers
and others with Kisses, and cried, 81 comes fer
your goots" sand for our chatsels, too," rcsorted
wag in the crowd.
This seems to be the spirit which anmates some OF
you WHO have left your native cnes, where neither
your talents nor your characters were justly ap-
preciated TO reform and enlighten benighted
and barbareus people. Whatever may have been
the barbarisn OF the people OF this State, they
have never been accustomed to hear those who
pretend TO respectability accuse each other on
common occasions Of the yilest crimes, nor have
they ever heard before u senator, on his honor as
senator and o gentleman, charge gentlemen"
with the foul offence Of stealing" That gen
tleman should charge gentleman with theft, was
unknown to US until now. This may be fresh
social nomenclature introduced by our new tu-
tors or 1t may be the result Of difference OF edu'
cation or OF the familiar and intimate association
with the ignsrant and the vicious; but in the
midst OF the barbarism which preceded the pre-
sent progress OF this history Of Its Legs.
lative Assembly will present no example Of like
parliamentary diaectios.
Monopolies ore the absorption OF general advan-
tages by one person or class Of persons to the ex-
cusion OF others. They are repugnant to free
trade and common right; are the creatures OF
fayoritism, and have led and will lead to nepot-
ism and oppression. They are generally the Of
spring Of usurped and ill.gottcn power, and are
usually the representatives Of the licentious ava
riciousness OF greedy politicians.
You, Mr.. Senator, openly advocate monopoly.
Protesting Republicanism, you take from the
many to enrich the few. You deny to the indus
try and energy Of all what you lavish in oblatons
to the wealth of q moned oligarchy. You cry
liberty aud equality for your new friend, the COL
cred man. yet you ridicule his "canoe" and his
"scow." You deny him the result OF his
toll and the labor OF his own arm,
whilst you laud with sycophantic praise the
"power or never-tiring stcam," and having alb
sorbed power in your own hands, you are Jealous
that none share it with voc but those who enjoy
the sunshine Of your favor.
But even In the face OF all this, you are eensis-
tent 1t was at least to be expected that he
who, in his disinterested effort to make Il new
government in his missionary advent amnus bar
barians had absorbed political and legal honors,
and the ucrativ" emOlumcnts incident to bo;h
would be ready to advocate the claims Of others
to exclusive advantages which would not con.
dict with his own aggrandzcment. Bishop Bur.
nett said the Duchess OF Cleveland was the
greedest woman in al England; but II lie lived
at this day and read the address to this article,
and your speech in the Senate, he would fall
short of his reputation for sharpsightcdncss and
satire, II he could not put his dnger in this county
on the greedest man In South Carolina.
FREE TRADE.
DRAY LICENSES, &C.-The City Treasurer
gives notice In another column that lie is now
prepared to issue licenses for carts, drays &C.,
for the year 1870.