The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-03-01
TFaon OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE

[FaoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE
COLUMBIA, s. C., February 20.
Another Waterloo defeat for the metropoli-
tan police iniquity, and now let US hope 1t will
stay whipped. It has had the lives of cat,
and the impuaence of the father of lies, but
It is dead now and buried beyond all the hopes
fairly and squarely beaten before, and Its
hackers Acknowledged their defeat and retired
from the field, but the events of, the past few
DAYS have given them The hope that 1t might
be revived. The basis Of this hope was found
beyend doubt 10 the recent success OF the
Blue Ridge swindle. The little Clique OF
Charleston soreheads who have been engineer
ing the metropolitan device discovered that
the Blue Ridge scheme was 10 be handicapped
by several Others, that Is to say, tnat the
t'marglnn allowed by the Blue Ridge bill was
to be spent to secure the passage OF the bills
that should ride behind II, and they then
endeavored to get their bill included In the
lot. This arrangement was finally made, and
1t is said that the amount devoted to
the metropolitan bill was $4,000, or as
the APPROXIMATION bills Say. ''as much thereof
as should be necessary This little mutual
benefit scheme was perfected during the late
convention, aud almost Immediately thereafter
the preliminary steps were taken 10 revive the
bill In the House. There was one other inau.
ence besides the $4,000 that was depended
on to work in favor OF the bill. That influence
was the feeling of jealousy and spite which
notoriously exists among the colored members
: from the rural districts against Charleston and
everything pertaining 10 her affairs. This Is
the blind, irrational feeling Of petty enmity
against large cities that is always to be found
among the less intelligent rural population,
intensified in this case by the fact that Charles
ton had lately emancipated herself from party
ruie. That this feeling exists Is patent to all
who have ever observed the course that the
Assembly has always pursued toward Charles
ton, and the feeling is especially rampant
and vehement in The lower House. 1t is
constantly cropping out In debate, and
was poiniedly shown last Monday in the action
of the House on the bill to encourage the re-
building OF waste places, and afford empl oy-
ment to laborers In Charleston. This was
bill that directly appealed TO the sympathles
of the members, inasmnch as IL would chiefly
benefit the poor and laboring classes by whose
votes alone they are elected, and IN every
way 1t commended itself to them, except Tor
the one TACT that 1t would tend TO benefit the
City Of Charleston. The very title OF the bill
aroused their jealousy, which was enconragea
BY the speeches made In opposition 10 II, and
which was indeed the ouly argume Mt al
tempted TO be brought against Ii, and 1t was
killed by one vote. The Charleston delega-
tion voted for 1t. the friends of the Blue Ridge
measure supported 1t, and even lobbied In ils
favor; out Lne jealousy OF tne sand-llilS ana
coal-felds was aroused, and the bill was lost.
To return to the police bill, it was evident
from the nalignty display ed on this occasion
that the House looked upon Charleston as
natural enemy, upon whom IL would be the
proper thing to saddle a metropolitan police
force, or any other odious measure, and this
feeling, with The twenty thousand dollars be-
fore referred to, was what was counted on to
carry through the measure. 1t was pretty
good scheme, but 1t most emphatcaIly laed
to work, and, with This final failure, ends all
fear of u metropolitan police force In the
CITY of Charleston, at least till 1873.
The bill was callrd up In the House by Jones,
of George town, and no sooner called up than
motion was made by Bosemon to strike out