The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-03-19

From the Charleston Neous and Courier.
Grotesque Incidents of South Carolina
Legislation.
COLUMBIA, 8. c., March -.
This has been an eventful day in the legls-
lative annals of reconstructed South Carolina.
If ever the man and brother demonstrated his
unftness to govern, he did it to-day, and if, in
the eternal fitness of things, it should ever
come to pass that future generations will look
back upon this feature Of the history of recon-
structed South Carolina, the excesses of Saint
Domingo will pale into insignifcance along
side of the misdeeds of the Palmetto State.
AS recorder of passing events, your cores
pondent will "set down naught in malice" but
will con6ne himself to simple relation of the
occurrences of the day. When the House met
this morning the fight over the bill to appro-
by J. Woodruff was resumed by n B. Meyers,
of Beaufort, who made the point that the mo-
tion to reconsider the vote whereby the enact
ing clause of the bill was stricken out was ille-
gal, for the reason that the bill had passed out
of the possession of the House at the time the
motion was adopted; that message had been
sent to the Senate announcing the fact, and
that the motion could, therefore, not be enter
tained While this question was being argued,
message from the Governor containing the
announcement of the death of Sumner, was
received, and, in honor of the event, the House
adjourned until one o'clock. At the time ap-
pointed for the re-assembling of the House, a
| wait of about an hour occurred before quo
rum could be obtained. The point made by
Movers was overruled, and the House then pro-
ceeded to its regular business.
The bill to raise supplies for the fiscal year
came in from the Senate with the amendments
adopted in that body last night. All OF the
amendments were concurred In except the one
proposing an additional levy of three-fifths OF
mill to pay the past indebtedness of the Pen
itentiary, and the levy of one mill to pay the
Joint Stock Trust Grab claims Dill. 1t is some
what difficult to explain this action on the part
of the House; but viewing it in the light of
recent events it is fair to presume that the OBJ
ect of the grabbers was to get a larger tax levy
than one mill. The game seems to have been
to amend the bill on its third reading so as to
increase the amount of the steal from S156, 900
to about S26O000, and it will be seen that
levy of one mill will raise only about $780, ,0O0
So the programme of the ring was to get levy
of one and three-quarters or two mills to pay
themselves with. This is the way our modern
legislators UNLOAD"
The House met again in the evening at seven
o'clock. The first measure that came up, tor
discussion was the bill to charter the Charles
ton and Sullivan's Island Railroad. When the
first section of the bill was read, Turner, of
Charleston, offered as an amendment that the
corporators named in the bill be stricken out,
and the names of a half dozen members OF the
Legislature be substituted The object of this
Ia common dodge in the Legislature was to
give the franchise to the persons named, and
consequently give them an opportunity OF sell.
! ing it out for few dollars. Artson opposed
| the motion in an earnest speech. He assured
the members that this was no scheme OF the
kind, that it was a bona-fde enterprise. 1t
was an unfortunate thing, and ought to make
the members blush, that no enterprise of the
kind could be started without their desiring to
get share in it. Several of the members who
had been indulging little too freely in liquor
became obstreperous and kicked up a row,
which made it rather difficult for Artson to be
heard. But he went on Notwithstanding the
frequent cries of his tipsy colleague, Petty,
who arose to innumerable "pints" of order.
Hurley at this stage suggested that it was always
a very unfortunate thing for dog to have a
tinpan tied to his tail, because the pan always
made so much noise that the dog could not be
heard. Petty replied that some monkeys
ought to have pans tied to their tails. Hurley,
however, got the best of the retort by saying
that he was not disposed to 60 into discussion
of the Darwin theory with his colleague He
then went on to state that the corporators in
the bill we're men of means who we're disposed
to carry out the enterprise, and the members
were mistaken in supposing that there was any
money in it for them. At this point another
member from the rural district of Orangeburg,
who had been drinking arose to question OF
privilege, and asserted with maudlin earnest
ness that he was an independent farmer. "Sou
Calina born" Hurley said he would withdraw
the members question of privilege, at which
the member subsidized, professed his satisfaction,
and was happy. After the interchange OF some
further little pleasantries of similar charac-
ter, the previous question was called, and the
bill passed by vote of 63 to II, the amend
ment offered by Turner being first voted down.
It was about this time that, in the language OF
the minstrel people, the trouble commenced.
The House, after disposing of this matter,
proceeded to take up the bills on the calendar,
but it was uphill work in consequence of the
quantity Of bad whiskey which had been so
freely imbibed by some of the rural members.
Dannerly, of Orangeburg, had by this time
become so drunk and his inebriation developed
his combatativeness to such an extent, that il
was difficult thing to keep him squelched,
Notwithstanding the fact that the services OF
the esergeant-at-arms were called into requisition
A discussion arose upon the bill to amend Part
q, Title /, Chapter 1876 of the General Statutes
The bill proposed to strike out Section of the
chapter in question, which, it seems, is kind
of civil rights section, prescribing penalty
for distinctions on account of race or color by
railroads and steamboats,. 1t was upon this
that Dannerly spread himself. After good
deal of persuasion he was, however, silenced
and, vote being reached, the .enacting clause
of the bill was stricken out.
The next bill which came up for second
reading was the Senate bill to amend the ACT
to regulate the pay of the members of the
General Assembly. The bill provides that
each member of the General Assembly, here.
after, shall receive such per diem compensa'
ton for each regular session as will amount to-
and not exceed, 5000, and the further sum Of