Wilmington journal., 1871-07-07

Correspondence of the N. Y. Journal OF Oom
m6rce
GLANCE at the Law-makers and POIttt-
cInns An South Carolina
Before the war i, w-s considered high
hoaor to be a member of the South Caro-
lima Legislature. Some of the ablest men
in the State were sent to Columbia to
represent their Sc ctions. The Legislature
was then q dignified body Of in intelligent
men. The salary of members was So Per
day each. Members had no pages except
their own servants. to follow them aronnd d
and wait upon them. The body usually
sat three woeks in each year.
How changed the scene Now men of
standing In the community would not
suffer their names to be used in connec-
tion with the nomination to the Legis-
lature. 1t is composed mostly Of ignorant
negroes who cannot read and write, and
unscrupulous white mon, though it
is just possible that there may be
very few honest persons among
them. They meet at Columbia and
remain in session several months in the
year, at Ii salary of Sc per day each, aud
mileage to and from their respective
homes. They adjourn over all holiday s
aud reasse BILE in order to secure the mile
age fees. There are 124 members Of the
lower house. These have more than 125
men TO wait upon them, nearly all colored,
for whom the State has no sort Of use or
employment. They lounge around COM
mittee rooms, clear the glasses and pitch
ers and keep the whiskey aud brandy bot
ties in good supply. Every committee
room is elaborately furnished for the re-
caption of negro guests. The little mat
ters-such as brandy, whiskey, wineo ci,
gars. etc.-are called contingent ex
penses," and are paid for by the State
Though the capitol is a very large build
ing, aud ought to accommodate several
such bodies as the present Legislature, yet
when they are in session they rent houses
and rooms throughout Columbia for
committee rooms. These places
are furnished and supplied at the expense
# the State, and are said to be the head
quarters of corruption and debauchery du
ring the session. Instead of reheciing
upon the impoverished condition of tho
State, and exercising economy, they fur
nished to begin with, the House of Rep
resentatives, at a cost of $93. .O0O. Now, when
is is considered that the room of the Sp6 aker
o. the Hous7 at Washington, which is about
half as large as the House of Representa-
tives here cost, with its magnificent trim
mings, less than Sd, 600 to furnish, the ex-
travagance here may be imagined. Each
window is draped with the finest and heav-
lest brocsde Tx, aud charged at the rate
of 80 900 and So. 900 per window. Even
the spittoons are gorgeous affairs, made Of
fine porcelain. ornsmented, and cost fsbu
lous prices. They are so hberally supplied
that the clumsy negro legislators fall
over and break them, TO the average num-
Der of one or more each day. The men
who presented the bills for furniture say
that when they were filed in the Commit
toe of Ways and Means for examination
they amounted to about SAL 900, but when
the Committee reported them to the
House the same bills amounted to $93, 900.
They say they thought the first amouat
would cover all reasonable stealiDgs. but
the members Of the committee and the
House made them feel ashamed of them
selves for attempting to steal so little. The
furniture supplied is valued, upon the
fairest and most liberal estimate, at about
$35. 900. Even that iss much more than
has been spent for furnishing the Senate
Chamber, House of representatives. Presi-
dent, Vice President and Speakers room
and all the committee and reception rooms
in the Capitol at Washington. in any one
year since the foundation of the govern
ment.