The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-01-28
SENATE CaAnBER, January 26. 1871. :
Mr.. ED1ron: In yesterdays issue of


Mr.. EDITOR: In yesterdays issue Of
the LsxingtoH :Disputst; n DopAof which
has been pleoad insmy hadds u q siena
I andhmy reesnt aSti6n in theSensse. ia
introducing 5 bilE'to provide fof tie
election by fha people. of COUNTY Trea-.
surers and County Auditors. severely and
abusively criticised. If the writer had
contented himself with giving state
ment Of .fucts. so great is my aversion to
newspaper notoriety that should have
treated the article with the contempt
which is due to the fertile brain of one
who could concoct and publish to the
world. for truth. such concatenation of
deliberate and malicious misreprcsenta-
tions. But, inasmuch as these state
ments are calculated to deceive, feel it
due to myself, to justice and to truth,
that should set myself right, and, at
the same time, set h;m right also. I
will not undertake to reply Seridfim to
the numberless things that he ''desires
to know" but will answer his leading
queries.
First. He desires to know, 'as the
Constitution Of the State made these Of
foes elective three years ago, why is it
that the binding obligation of that sa-
cred instrument has been 20 long ig
nored?" My reply to this question is
that the "sacred instrument" docs not
make these Offices electire. The terms
County Treasurer, County Auditor and
Tax Collector, are nowhere to be found
in tie 'sacred instrument
Secondly. He wants to know "why the
said Senator has just now walked up to
take position different from that which
he has heretofore so willingly acquiesced
in?" My answer is Temporal mutantur,
have taken place in the last two years in
public sentiment. and what may have
been wisdom then might be folly mo,o.
No citizen of South Carolina desires
more earnestly than I do to see the
dawn of that day when the political
straight jacket shall be torn from the
body OF every disfranchised Carolinian,
and when regenerated and redeemed, he
shall stand again before the world rein
vested with eUery right of which lie has
been temporarily divested.
AS to the inoinuatiun that l have
violated my oath in setting aside one of
the "plainest provisions Of the Constitu-
:ion, / oan only repeat that the Consti-
tuition is silent with regard to the whole
matter; and it Is like surprising that
one who permitted his great light to
shine in the Club House during sixty
days for the miserable pittance Of eleren
dollars a day, should display such a
lamentable degree Of ignorance OF the
''sacred instrument" which he helped to
frame.
Another err~r of the writer is con-
tanned in the following: 'The body OF
which he is q member, has just drawn
something like $4,000 to pay them
selves for extraordinary services on a
Christmas loaf of two weeks" To this
charge 1 reply that it is false in every
particular. The Senate at present con
sists of twenty nine members, and the
amount "drawn" was less than $4,000.
For myself, individually, ] can state
that have always believed it wrong to
draw pay during the recess, and my
votes, recorded upon the journal, will
prove it.
1t is likely zone of the People," in
figuring up his statistics, stumbled on the
calculation Of certain shortlived Con-
gresham, who spent three months in
Washington and drew something like"
S.. 900 for his ''eitraordinary services"
to impress upon the people of my native
County this fact: In this affair I have
not been the aggressor. The right Of
sclf-defence is inalienable, and by the
grace of God, I intend to exercise it
while live.
"O9a of the People" thought, donbt-
less, N,s by pouring such brondside
into Mt|from his heavy artillery, he would
silence my battery ut once and forever;
but II still live," and tnko wonderful
consolation in the following lines Of
Goldsmith:
''But soon 4 wonder came to light
Which proved the rogucs they llei
The man recovered Of tho bite
The dog it was that died"
Respectfully. your fellow.citizcn.
e. 8. J. HAYES.
-s-oo-S
1NcENDIARIsM.- regret to state