Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1872-01-26
From Columbia.
Correspondence ofithe Charleston Neys

:
present determined movement on the part of
the Rcfor,ners Of the Assembly to oust Gov.
ernor Scott from the high otfice which they
claim he disgraces, it is certain that the ngi.
tation of the subject is day by day bringing
to light such now forms and instances Of
rascaity, suoh new developments of official
corruption and mendaoty, and such new
proofs of the absolute and utter rottenness of
the dominant party in this Sta'e as must go
far toward opening the eyes of tho people,
not only of South Carolina, but of the whole
country to the character Of tho scoundres
who have taken advantage of the dI5or yaniza
ton inevitably consequent upon civil war to
| ride into power in the Southern States. Iu
the House, to-day, Mr.. Bowen made four
hours speech, 10 the course Of which he went
from one misdeed to another, charging fraud
after fraud with such minuteness of details as
seemed to leave no doubt of their correctness.
and covering the Executive of this State, if
one half of the charges be true with q load
of infamy from which, in the eyes of any in.
teligont or honest man, he can hardly hope
to clear himself.
At the conclusion of his speech Mr..
Bowen retained the ttoor on a question Of
privilege. He said that the Governor had.
in his special message. attacked him personal,
ly and by name, speaking Of his moral na
kedness.' 60, and lie wanted to say some.
thing in reply to that. He asked why it was,
if he we're so bad man as tho Governor
said, that the Governor had repeatedly sent
to him just after his election to the Assembly,
aud begged him to go to see him ut the Exec
tive mansion. lie had gone there he said
at the repeated mud earnest invitation of the
Governor, and there Scott had offered, it he
| would withdraw from the tight against him.
to support him (Bowou) for tho noxt Govern.
| or of The State, ani to bnck that support with
| all tho power, all tho inl1ucuce anI all the
patronage he could connand He had re-
| fused the offer because he could nat consent
| to help him cover up his swindIcs, md he ci
ted tho speaker ot the lIouse, who had been
present and heard the conversation, in proof
Of what he stated Speaking Of .'morul TIA
keincss," "nhe- said that hewould show how
certain young lady, schoolmistrcss in Wal
halla, who had been pursuaded to come down
here by tho wife of this very Governor Scott,
had been staying for ono night under the
roof of the Executive mansion, and how,
when no one else was in the hnuse, her room
had been entered by Governor Scott aud
| This raised perfect storm of Interruptions
Thc chair was occupied ty Ice, OF Edgeirld,
during the temporary absence OF the speaker,
and ho was kept busy alternately command.
ing silence and ruling upon points Of order
raised by the excited adhercnts Of the Gov.
ernOr. Byas objected to this invasion of the
Governors private hstnry ns unpsrlianlent,
ry and unhecoming, and the temporary chair.
man sustained that view of tho case. Bowen
didn't like that, and made some remark about
officers of tho House Sinking their duty,
which brought the speaker buck to his desk,
to the evident relief of lee. Then Jamison.
Jones, Mohley and half dozen others raised
points Of order, all of them amounting, when
Strengthened into English, to the proposition
that Bowen had no business to attack Scott's
private character The speaker oyerruIcd the
point. He snd tho members language
might be unbecoming. and he believed it was,
but ho know Of no law or parliamentary usage
that forbade a member to attack the public or
private record of any officer, SO long as he
was not member of the House. He said
that perhaps to morrow the boot might be on
the other leg, and then sou,e members would
see tho justice of ruling by which ho refus.
ed to rob member of the Hou of his right
to criticise an officer.
This stiIled the storm for little while,
and Bowen continued. There we're, he said,
men in tho penitentiary serving long terms
of years for doing that which Governor Scott
had that night done to that poor woman un-
der the roof of tho Gubernational mansion,
and this was tho man who talked of ''moral
nskedncss." He had written that woman a
threatening letter, and it was that letter,
shown by her to, some sympathizing friends
in Charleston, which had furnished proof
against him, and had shown that even the
Gubernatiopal mansion furnished no protec.
ton for the virtue Of a woman.
| Hero Byas arose, and in the most excited
manner called Bowen to account. lie didn't
want to hear about the virtue of woman, he
didn't know what that hud to do with impeach
ment, and he threatened Bowen with expul.
sion and all manner Of terrible things if lie
didn't stop. (, osy i.. g.,,lr,.., ",
mr. Bowen replied that he cared nothing
for his threats, then, turning to the speaker,
he continued that he cared nothing for the
threats Of any man whose vote you could pur.
chase any day for five dollar bill.
! 1, This shot quite upset tho little man from
Orangeburg, and, allowing his passion to
get the better Of his prudence, he rose to a
question Of privilege, and began to bluster
out a denial. ..i..
/ The sponker asked him how he made tho
members remark apply to him, which caused
q general laugh pt tho expense Of Byas, and
he gradually, subsiled. !, Il l.,,.i
Bowen remarked that lie had been bother.
cd by, that man about as long MS he NEAR . to