The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-12-21
Tbe GbafleStoa1 Aems
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1871.
Impeach the Robbers.

ImDeaCh the nOOpeFSs
The impeachment movement made salts
factory progress in the House OF Represent
atives on Tuesday. As we have already eX-
planned, an impeact ctment requires vote OF
"two.tbirds OF all the members elected"
This is provision Of the organic law OF the
State, and cannot he evaded. On Monday,
when the report OF the Bowen Committee
was adopted as the sense OF the House, only
eishty-two members voted on the final ques-
ton. The entire number OF members in the
House, when full, is one hundred and twenty
four, so that eighty-three affirmative votes
would be required for al impeachment, or
one more than the entire number OF members
who voted upon the report OF Mr.. Bowen's
committee. There was some danger, then,
that the hirelings OF Scott aud Parker would
press the impeachment resolutions to vote,
and defeat them at time when barely two
thirds OF the members were present. Mr.
Bowen anticipated this man9nvre by pro-
posing to defer the consideration OF the i'm
peachment resolutions until after the recess,
and he gave notice that, when the vote was
taken, the sergeant-at-arms would be re-
ouired to see that every member was in his
place. We think, however, that it cannot
be ruled that the impeachment requires a
two-thirds vote of complete House-one
in which there are no vacancies. The con-
stitution requires only two-thirds vote OF
ssall the members ''ected," not two-thirds
vote OF the entire number Of members pro-
vided for by law. 1t seems, therefore, that
in order to obtain decisive and consttu-
tional verdict it is only needful to have every
elected member present iu his seat. The
vacancies by death or resignation should not
affect the result.
Mr.. Bowen, in the course OF his speech,
declared that Governor Scott admitted to
him, when in New York, that 80, 200, 600 OF
fraudulent bonds were then iu use. Does
Governor Scott deny the truth OF this state
ment? Does Governor Scott deny that he
signed q confession that the American Bank
Note Company printed S22, $40, 900 of State
bonds and stocks? Does he deny that ne
acknowledged, in his annual message 10
the General Assembly, that So, 200, 900 OF
conversion bonds were printed, and that only
Sl,260, 500 were issued in eiTectiEg CONVEX
sons under the Act OF March g. 1869, which
Act prohibits the issuing OF conversion
bonds except upon the application OF the
holders OF bonds or stocks OF the State, sur
rendered in lieu OF the new bonds applied
for? Does he deny that the money with
which the Blue Ridge Ring carried on their
speculation was State money, obtained, with
his approval, by pawning bonds OF the State?
Does he deny that he officially reported the
total public debt on September 20, 1871, at
ss,52s, ,564, and that, two months later, he
reported the debt to the General Assembly
as amounting to sl5,767, sos? Does he deny
that, as charged by Mr. Bowen, $780, 600 Of
State bonds were hypothecated in Columbia
for private loan, and sold at forly-onee
Does he deny that he, with his colleagues OF
the Financial Board, is responsible for the
official acts OF the Financial agent, who has,
in every instance, scted under the orders OF
that board?
L. is an absurdity for Governor Scott to
treat Mr. Bowen's onslaught as a "black-
"mailiDg operation" The Radical Reform
ers have gone too far to recede. They have
burned their ships behind them, and they
cannot retreat. And the whole House OF
Representatives are now on trial before
the public Governor Scott boasts that he
can buy them up-that lie can, by bribery,
insure defeat OF the impeachment resolu-
tions. Their conduct will prove to their
felow-citizens, to the Republican Reformers
in Washington, % the assa!lants OF the Ring
in New York, TO the exposers OF corruption
in the West, whether an overwhelmingly
Radical Legislature, with the damning facts
Def re them, can be bullied or bribed into
acquittiug an official whom they know to be
guilty of every variety CT official miscon-
duct.
Nor would mere defeat Of the impeach-
the consequences of his wrong-doing. Mr..
Bowen stands pledged, with his followers,
20 assist, with his testimony, and by every
means in his power, any persons who may
90 into court to invoke the power OF the
law against the robbers of the State. The
judgment in a case Of impeachment "shall
"not extend further than removal from
"ofIice;" but criminal indictment leads to
the penitenliary.
We believe that the Radical Reformers are
"terrlbly in earnest" They mean to push
the rogues into corner. They mean to
fght the public enemy with every weapon in
the legislative and judicial armory. And
this they will do because, upon them and
their conduct, depends the future Of radical
ism in South Carolina. The Republicans OF
the North and West cannot afford to be
dragged to official perdition by the Scots
Parker; and Neagles OF the day.