Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-01-25
Legislative Proceedings.

On Wednesday, the 18th, in the Senate
.he greater portion OF the day was spent
in discussing tn, Joint resolution author
izing the employment of counsel to pros,
ecute the persons engaged in the land
swndles, The President ruled that under
the Constitution the appropriation OF So
900 required two-third vote, and after a
long discussion the resolution was lost by
o vote of 10 ayes, nays.
On the consideration Of the bill to abol-
ish the Office of Land Commissioner, the
Columbia correspondent of the Charleston
.NepS tells us that Nash made short and
sensible speech in favor of abohshlng the
Office. Nash is thus reported.
= He said he had voted for the estab-
lshment Of the Office because he believed
it would be a means of furnishing the poor
people of his race with homes and the
means OF making an. honest living but IN
this, as in many other things, the rascals
and adventures, who had come down
here in the wake of the army, had got
possession, had plunged their hands up to
the very arm-pits in the public purse, and
had perverted what was meant as pub
lie benefit into an instrument OF prlvste
plunder. In the years Immediately fol-
lowing the war it had only been necessary
to say to the poor, Ignorant colored men
of the South, that a man was Repuoh,,
can to secure their support of him, and
these scoundrely had, by working upon
the credulity of the colored people, climb,
ed into high places, and mad then betrayed
the colored men and plundered and IN
suited the people, until it was seen that
these white Republicans could steal as
fast as anybody else 1t was said that
negro governments were q failure; that
the whole system of reconstruction was
allure, and that the negro had shown him,
self unworthy of the boon of freedom and
political equality that had been conferred
upon him but he declared that the ne
groes had been betrayed, had been out
ragged and sold out by the white scorn-
drels who had focked to the South, bent
only upon their own personal gain 'and
enrichment. The bill was finally advanc-
ed to a third reading, with an amendment
proposed by Mr.. Whittemore, to the effect
that all books and papers pertaining to
the Office of the Land Commission be
turned over to the Secretary of State, on
and after the passage of this Act. and the
Secretary of State shall execute the du,ies
heretofore desolymg upon the Land Com
missioner
Wimbush introduced in the Senate his
bill to charter, in this State, the Raleigh
and Air Line Railroad Company of North
Carolina. 1t incorporates the company
with the usual powers, and authorizes the
construction of railroad with one or
more tracks from any point on the North
Carolina line, where the read may enter
the State, to such point on the boundary
line between this State and Georgia and
near the City of Augusta, as the company
may select, the location OF the railroad to
be made on such route as the board OF
directors of thecompany, after proper sur
veys may direct They are also author
lied to construct branch roads from the
main track to any other points or places
in the State, said branches not to exceed
one hundred miles length. The act also
authorizes any incorporated city, town or
village, which may be interested in the
construc tion of the railroad, or its branches,
to subscribe to the capital stock Of the
company.
Mr.. Cardozo, from the Committee on
Charitable Institutions, reported bill re-
quiring county commissioners to remove
imbeclles from the lunatic asylum to the
county poor houses.
MIR. Whittemore, from the Committee
on the Judiciary, to whom was referred
the petition of-ths Bath, S. e., Paper
Company, praying to be relieved of pay
menJ of taxes for the space Of FIVE years,
reported back the same, with a recon-
mendation that the prayer of the petition
ers be not granted.
In the House, the Bill to charter the
Independent Order OF United Brother
hood, or Scott Ku-Klu1, came up for a
third reading in the House to-day 1t
provoked storm of amendments, but
nnaliy passed its third reading. Hurley
wanted to amend by striking out the name
of tEsop Gocdson, and inserting those OF
p..J: Mackeysan R: X. Scott among the
corporators.a Z Whipper moved to strike
out the word independent" and insert
dependent" Having amused themselves
in this manner for about a half hour, the
previous question was called, and the
Bill passed by vote of sixty-seven to
twenty-five.
There was very little other business
done in the House. Mr. Wilkes gave no.
tice of ELL to grant aid to the State Ag-
ricultural end Mechanical Society.
The discussion of the Investigating
Committed report was resumed Whip
per, Jones, Bowen, Hurley and Speaker
Moses spoke.
Moses made speech defending himself
from the charges made in the joint fnan-
cial committees report, after which the
report was laid on the table, yeas sixty
three, nays eighteen.
Cain gave notice of the introduction Of
bill to determine the ratio of represen-
tation OF the counties Of Barnwell, Edge
field, Aiken, Lexington and Oranget arg.
Rivers gave notice Of the introduction
of a bill to incorporate the knights OF the
Circle Tie. Wonder if Prince is one Of the
knights.
Mr.. Wilkes gave notice of the introduc-
ton OF bill to grant aid to the State Ag-
rlcuitural and Mechanical Society, ana a
bill 70 limit the tenure OF certain State
and county officers.
On Thursday, the 18th, in the Senate
Mr.. Whittemore introduced bill to pro-
vide for the publication of the general
statutes of the State Of South Carolina
Mr.. Cardozo-Joint resolution relative
TO amending the Constitution Of the State
of south Carolina in favor Of minority
voting.
Inc event OF the present session, the
judicial election, Was accomplished on
Thursday after much tribulation and
trouble. At one o'clock, the two branches
OF the General Assembly met together IN
Joint assembly for the purpose OF going
into an election. The officers to be elected
were one Associate Justice, and eight CIR
cult Judges to serve for four years from
the expiration OF the present terms In
the first, third, fifth and eighth circuits
there was no opposition, and the present
inculnbents were elected without trouble.
The first election was for Associate Justice
to succeed Judge Willard.
The elections resulted as follows
For Associate Juctice of the Supreme
Court-A. J. Willard, reelected
For Judge OF the First Circuit-R. F.
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