The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-03-26
COLUMBIA,S.C.
Friday Morning, March %, 1875.
End Of the session--The Good and Bad.

we shall sum up, III due time, the
good and bad results of the long session
of the General Assembly, which comes
to m end to-day This morning. we
glance only ut point or two. It's cxtr.-
ordinary length was owing, partly, to
the fact that the public officers were re-
miss and behind-hand in sending in
their reports, This, We hope, will be
remedied in the future. Other less repu-
tablo causes co-operated with the one
named in making four months session.
Several events, outside of legislation,
stand to the credit side of the Legisla-
ture. Tue eiootion OF judge Rect; was,
first Of all q triumph of the better ele-
ments of. the Republican party over the
worse, through the assistance of the
conservative vote. It drew more closely
the lines of distinction between the Re-
publicans who sustained the administra-
ton and those who sought the opportu-
nifty to fight against it. The distrust of
each other in these two wings culmi-
mated at the next election, and Judge
Shaw was chosen by the combined influ-
ence of Conservatives and Republicans
against candidate who was acceptable
to the administration. In casting their
votes for Col. Reed for Judge, the Con-
servatives' chose what they regarded as
the less of the two evils presented to
them, and gave o mark of appreciation
of the efforts of the Governor to give
them good government. In joining the
Conservatives to elect Major Shaw Judge,
the Radical disaffected element of the
Republican party merely expressed their
repugnance to the other. His election
eTas, therefore, partly accidental. The
latest election held-that for Comp
troller-shows still greater advance,
and men of all parties and shades of
parties cordially united, and upon diff
ferent principle, in support of Col.
Dunn. Thus we see party and race
lines growing DINNER and DINNER.
Our colored friends now exercise the
privilege of uniting their suffrages with
the white voters upon considerations
which are higher and better than party
and race.
The elections have been more judicious
than the legislation. Several measures
of creditable character have, however
been adopted. Some acts or parts of
Acts of hurtful nature have been re-
pealed, and amongst these, the Acts to
establish official newspapers; to require
insurance companies doing business in
the State to make deposit in the State
Treasury, and perhaps others. The un-
willingness to pass the Forfeited Lands
Commission Act, and the Act to provide
for the payment of certain claims (the
bonanza) over the Executive veto, are to
be put to this side of the account. They
are temptations resisted. We shall, no
doubt, find others of this sort when we
come to gather up the results of the ses-
sion. 1t is, indeed, as high reach of
virtue as we are permitted to chronicle
of this body. This session Of the Gene
eral Assembly will be remembered not
for its positive Legislative merits, nor; for
its conspicuous vices. It has been
sorely tried in exercising self-deninl, and
in escaping the snares which were spread
for its feet. The robbers were there. not
as bold and shameless as in former days,
except in few instances, but masking
their spoliations under some honied
name or deceitful device. The average
Legislator, in resisting them, had the ad-
vantage of having alongside of him the
example and intelligence Of few men
who could not be deceived, bribed or
bullied. He caught something of the
spirit which animated them, as we have
seen in the elections mentioned, and
also in coming to his conclusions and
taking his stand upon measures of legis-
lation. He has learnt that jobs are disrc-
putable, that there are better things than
trickery, bribery and being led into
temptation. He has learnt to think, and
is growing in the power of being able to
think and act for himself. He aspires
to higher plane of political and per-
sonal conduct. The characteristic,
which we have family sketched, is more
plainly to be discerned in the House
than in the Senate. The habit of cor
ruption, Of judging everything by its
bearing upon the fortunes of the mem.
bers, Of getting up schemes to manipu-
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