The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-11-22
COIUMBIA, IS. ,C.
Fr.aey 1orainR ,Noyember %, 1879;
Tho BenAtorlal Contest.

- a. sawyer. Aue eiectl0ps IL ls ,eA-
pected, will take place early in the ensu-
ing session. Candidates and their friends
begin to show the ardor and zeal which
80 great prize Is calculated to stimu-
late. They will seek an eariy solution
OF who is The best man. Thereby hangs
. tell. Il ie. not. the Ssnatorship alone
which has to he decided, but many minor
Offices held in connection with it. The
string Of positions which may, one by
one. be vacated by the success of some
one gaining the highest at the top, will
present the liveliest attractions to oil as.
pirants down along its line. The Office
now, you see. is not seeking the man,
bat several men arc seeking the Office,
and many subordinates and strikers are
looking on with ravenous eyes. ssraining
20 ascertain whs. ere likely TO be The
possible vacancies,
Since the great revolution in our State
affairs. which brought a new set and
order OF men to the surface and front, of
all the high positions that OF United
States Senator has bsen the least desc
otated and :ho least ahascd.
At the regular election which came on
at the meeting OF the Legislature after
the adoption Of the State Constitution,
Thomas J. Robertson and r. A. Sawyer
bore off the Senatorial prizes. r X
Scott gave way to Robertson, and mo.
destly oontented himself with the Co.
vernorship. Robertson is native OF
the State, graduate OF the college, O
man Of property. of good business quail
fications and integrity. He was elected
without difficulty. and reelected last
winter over all opposition. His course
has generally been discreet. It might
have been more generous towards the
people OF South Carolina; but, taken all
In all. We cannot complain OF him. consi-
dering his surroundings and the neces-
sites which his Radicalism imposed
upon him. He is not a speaking man, ,
bnt has an active mind when applied to
practical Matters aud is capable of
much energy. He has quietly and
silently done something for our people.
He yindicated Hampton, Butler and
Kershaw when rudely and lyingly as
sailed in The Senate. and at one critical
moment. he testified to the good order
and auiet of the people OF the State and
its freedom from Ku Klux outrages; but
without avail. It was in the book OF
fate that that cruel game must he
played through. Robertson should be
regarded as the least odious of all our
natives who embraced Rspublicanism.
he was inoculated early, and the virus
entered naturally and logically into him.
In swallowing Radioslism. We should
think I" 'twere veil 'twere tioue quickly" F."
F. A. Sawyer has to walk the plank
Why. exactly. We cannot see He has
been school.keeper, and that is popu-
lar and much vaunted calling in our
new Africa. He is New Euglander,
and so comes from the right quarter.
BE is an Adonis, aud pIeases the ladies.
He is fair speaker, and has all the re-
quisite c,nceit aad self-importanco to
make him fnvorite. It is not Liberal
ism which has hurt him. He has for
soEe time, from apprehension that he
wonld be counted out, emphasized his
Radicalism. He is narrow-minded and
bigoted enough to meet all the extreme
demands of party. But he is played
out. and his place is wanted. We don't
fancy him much, but neither he nor
Robertson has ever condescendel t. any
baseness.
Three candidates press forward to fill
Sawyer's p'aoe-Gov. Scott, Il. D. Eli
OFT, member of Congress from this Dis
trlct, and "honest" John j. Patterson.
Which OF the three to choose? On lt,
Chiei Justice Moses has Withdrawn ia
favor OF Elliott, md Elliott denies that
no has Withdrawn in iavor OF Patterson.
He says that he will run, in order to make
stand Tor fright and jnstice;" that il,
for tue advancement, in his own person.
OF bis race to positions OF the Iiuhest
Ill