Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-01-25
Our Columbia Letter.

Under date of the 22d, our Columbia
correspondent sends us long and inter-
esting letter, but owing to the crowded
state of our columns we can only give
place to the following extracts:
1.-THE Senate refused to adopt Nash's
joint resolution authorizing the employ
ment of legal counsel for the prosecution
of persons engaged in land swindles. 1t
came up for its third reading in the Sen
the requisite two-thirds majority. McIn
tyre said that he voted against the rcsolu-
ton because he thought the Attorney
General was solely responsible, inasmuch
as he was one of the members Of the Ad-
visory Board and its legal adviser; be-
cause the Attorney General would prose-
cute those who had imposed invalid til
ties on him; because the Senate should
not delegate to others the duty he is paid
to perform; because the Attorney Gen
eraI and Advisory Board are worth moth
ing, and the state could gain nothing by
prosecuting shadows. And he asked
that these reasons be entered on the
Journal.
"Now, if these reasons have any
force at all, they prove that Mr.. McIn-
tyre should have voted for, instead of
against, the resolution. If the Attorney
General is solely responsible for any land
swindles that may have taken place, he
ought to be prosecuted, and he cannot be
expected to prosecute himself Ifheha
intended to prosecute anybody he would
have done SO long ago, and the indica-
tions are, that if the Senate does not del
egate this one of his duties to some one
else, it will never be performed. 1t is
very improbable that an invalid title was
ever imposed on the Attorney General,
and if that imp ,sition is the only kind OF
land swindle he proposes to prosecute,
the swindler may rest perfectly at ease.
The talk about pursuing shadoa0s is SIM
ply nonsense, for the resolution was to
employ counsel for the prosecution OF
persons engaged in land swindles, which
signifies the indictment of such persons
as criminals, ard the result of criminal
prosecution, if successful, is the Penitean en-
tiary; and it matters not whether the
criminal is worth anything or not.
Immediately after the defeat of his
resolution Nash gavenotice that he would
introduce Bill for the same purpose
which he did on Friday. 1t received its
first reading and was ordered for Sec
ond and third consideration.
"Poor Ben Byas was soundly thrashed
on last Friday, by one of the negro po-
licemen, named Williams. 1t seems
that Byas had used some language to the
wife Of Williams which was considered
disrespectful, and Williams resented it.
He attacked Byas in the State House
Just at the door of the Hall of the House.
and belabored him with a cowhide. Byas
most discreetly began to change his base
and went down stairs in double-quick
time, Williams following him and beat
ing him all the way to the lower floor
and out of the House. Ben will proba
bly, "hoid him responsible in the Courts
of the State" for this uncivil interfer-
ence with his social rights. No doubi
mis- dignity as an Honorable Member,
as he calls himself, is seriously offended
1t is said that Byas went up town to buy
cowhide, saying that he was going tc
whip Williams. But have heard moth
ing of it yet. M.