The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-02-15
PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE.
Corresuondenee of the Charleston Neeps.

Correspondence of the Charleston News.
COLUMBIA, S. c., February.
The Lower House of the General Assembly
has just accomplished the best days work of
the session in the defeat, by the decisive vote
of So to q, of the iniquitous metropolitan. po..
lice scheme by which the Radical soreheads OF
Charleston, borrowing trick from the shrewd-
er rascals of the North, were to retrieve in part
their fallen fortunes by which, In fact, the
ours were irving to become retrievera instead of
the black and tan mongreis that they are. 1t
was pretty device, veryI 1t was cogtated
last summer with no end of pains and no little
expense. About dozen of the unacclimated
Charleston officials found it convenient last
August to take refuge in New York, and among
The other little games Of that wicked metropo-
lis they became familiar with the organization
and machinery of the New York NJ. T. force.
This was just what they wanted. Ii the roo
rap Radicals of New York State had succeeded
in sitting the Democratic voice of New York
City since 1864, why shouldn't the Radical ma
iority in South Carolina do what they pleased
with the Conservatives of Charleston? They
continued to investigate the M. p. business
Through the politeness of Ben Manierre and
Hank Smith, the two Republican commission
ers, they were shown through the gorgeous
headquarters on Mulberry street; then they
were kindly escorted by Detective Jim Irving
through various questionable places of resort
in that vicinity, including the Dew-Drop inns
of Broadway, the cigar divans of Canal street,
and the diving bells of the Bowery, and it is
even said that few of them, in consequence
of pursuing their Investigations without an
escort, we're found one Sunday morning by
sleepy old John Williamson, captain of the
IL - of he rofle Of
station-house in West Twentieth street. How
ever, this gave them an opportunity for study!
ing the practical workings of the NJ. P. sys.
tem. and besides, it gave one Charleston county
official. whose name Is omitted on account of
pesrate the best Joke ct his life. He is report
ed to have said, leaning against wh;tewashed
wall, and feeling despondently in his empty
pockets. Gentlemen, they say that Heaven
helps those who help themselves but, if | ever
get hold of them, Heaven help those fellows
who helped themselves to my watch and chain. !"
In fact, they found out all about the system as
it existed in New York, and then they took the
measure of Charleston and proceeded to make
a bill to fit. In due course Of time, they draft
ed their bill to their own complete satisfaction,
adopting precisely the title of the New York
bill, passed April 25, 1854, ian act to establish
metropolitan police district, and to pr63ide
for the government of the same,) and then they
rubbed their hands, began the parcelling out o.
the prospective patronage, and proceeded to the
erection of various other chateaur d. 6E$pagne
As to getting the measure through this winters
session of the Legislature they never thought
of any difficulty in that direction, and perhaps
there would not have been if certain couple
of Charleston county officials had succeeded Ii
getting the full amount of their claims cashed
at the last division of spoils by the county
treasurer, but they failed to do 80. The eonse-
quences of this failure have been an injunction
and lawsuit in Charleston, and fatal search
ty of money in the lobby in Columbia. The
United Brethren, it must be understood, work
for cash only, They will not accept promises
to pay, even from the Governor, for they rea
son, and with some plausibility, that although
he is a good enough Governor now; still ht
may not be Governor very long, and then where
would his promises be? -. .f'i,lD -.
The debate to-day upon the bill, and indeed
the arguments for the last three days upon che
measure have amounted to very little Tine
underlying reason Of the defeat OF the bill i
sufficiently indicated above, and the idea ofat-
tempting q connected report Of the speeches on
the subject is like attempting serious critiqu.
upon Punch and Judy show, or disquisition
on the dramatic unities in connection With The
feats of learned mule. The parts to-day were
taken by Jones, Jervey, Hunter, Hurley, Mob.
ley, Jamison ct at. The gerteel comedy btisi
ness was admirably sustained a1 usual by the
talented Mr.. Hurley, and really admirable
speech, and one which probably reflected. the
views of every honest colored member, wai
made by Mr.. Mobley, in which he said thai
the Republicans of Charleston City should bs
ashamed of themselves for trying, after they
had been fairly and squarely beaten in an efec'
ton, to legislate themselves back into office
against the clearly expressed wishes of the
community. Finally, the resolving clause ot
the bill was stricken out, on motion of Mr. r
M. Smith, by vote of SO to 81. The bill thus
disposed of is the one prepared and introduced
by Bowen, and supported BY the entire Charles:
ton delegation. There are couple of othel
metropolitan police bills in existence, ringing
the changes on the same subject, but they arr
both condemned by the united voice of tls
members from Charleston, and In the face Of
such opposition it would be worse than useless
to attempt TO bring them up. In fact, as Dick
iniquity is "dead as door nall" and any at
tempt to resurrect its putrescent corpse will bt
dismal failure.
The rest of the time of the Senate was oc'
cupied as usual by passage at arms between
Messrs. Leslie and Whittemore, the subjec'
matter this time being the latters resolution
to provide for the registration of all bonds aud
securities of the State of South Carolina at the
Carolina National Bank in Columbia or the
New York Commercial Warehouse Company
in New York. Mr.. Leslie, however, in his re-
marks to-day, came nearer the point than he
generally comes in his attacks upon the gentle
man from Massachusetts and Darlington, and
he explained why that gentleman'S measures
never do happen to pass the General Assembly
He said that it was the universal custom in po
litcal parties to have all questions that were tc
come up for legislative action previously con.
sidered in party, caucus, and adopted or rejected
in such caucuses so as to show in public uni
ted front to the common enemy, but that Mr.
Whittemore had preferred instead to paddle his
own financial canoe-to 60 it alone, in fact
and he must not complain if he got euchred on
some of the tricks. The measure was finally