The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-03-02
OUR COLUMBIA CORRESPONDENCE.
COLUMBIA. S. c.. Feb. %. 1876.

aware that the Legislature is still in ses-
sion, and if you can form the remotest
idea when it will cease to be, you are
decidedly more of prophet than l am !;
but why should we not expect a long
session. Did the Radical party not
promise very short one? and have they
ever failed in the history of this State to
do the opposite of what they promised to
do? Then, we might have known in the
outset that they would keep the Legisla-
ture in session about four months. The
alleged reason for this session being pro-
tracted is the impeachment of Montgom-
cry Moses, Judge of the Seventh Circuit.
He pleaded "not guilty" to the charges
and specifications on last Thursday, and
asked for more time-until the 18th of
March. This was denied, but he was
granted until the 7th to prepare his de-
fence. Although it is said "Old Mont" :"
is very poor, still he finds no difficulty in
getting the very best lawyers in the land
to defend him! 1t must be remembered,
however, that he has brother who is
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
the State, and it might not be an advan-
tage in the future decisions for an attor-
ney who refused to defend the brother,
/
"without money and without price" At
any rate, not a single one has refused,
and he has Messrs. Campbell, Rion, Y.
J. Pope, Baxter and Youmans defending
him, which makes q very formidable
team, and if there is any hopes for him
they will bring him through. Elliott
has taken the whole thing in charge for
the managers of the House of RepreSen-
tatives, and, Atlas like, imagines he has
the whole thing on his shoulders.
One more of the scoundrels has been
caught and dealt with. The saint-like
J. Douglas Robertson, of school-book
notoriety, was expelled by the House for
corrupt and disgraceful propositions to
several publishing houses to use his Off
cial position to force their books ipto the
common schools of this State. have
spoken of this before in one of my COM
munications, so I take it up where l left
off. Some of the committee finding that
their former report had been published,
and that they could not 60 back on that,
so they had to take the bull by the horns
and complete their report by recommend
ing his expulsion. The consideration of
the report by the House was STAYED off
from day to day as long as possible, when
finally it came up. Col. Crittenden, of
Greenville, made the first speech for his
expulsion, which was full and thorough
exposition of the whole matter. He was
followed by sinIess Robertson, who said
the persecution was irritated, and consum-
mated in malignity and hatred to himself
and the Republican party. He tried to
make it appear that this was not fight
against him alone, but against the Repub-
lican party also by the Conservatives on
the committee; that they sought to make
the members of the Legislature their
tools to expel him, as they could get rid
of him no other way. He attacked one
of the Conservative members of the
committee with having betrayed conf
dance by telling secrets of the committee.
That member arose promptly to his feet
and told him that if he referred to him,
he stated a palpable and malicious false
hood, which quieted the Beaufort saint
on that subject, who endeavored to take
advantage of every technical objection
imaginable. His friends claimed that it
required two-thirds of all the members
elected to expel him, and Curtis, the
Speaker pro. tcn,., sustained them in that
position, but Mr. Orr turned to the sec.
tion of the constitution relating to the
subject, and showed it only required two
thirds, which, in comparison with other
sections which said "two-thirds of the
members elected" clearly meant two
thirds of quorum; and he read from
fourth Supreme Court reports, in the
case of Morton, Bliss & Co., where the
question had been decided that that Sec
ton only required two-thirds of the
members present. Chancellor johnson
sustained this view of the case, so it was
then decided that way by the Chair.
Freeman, Hamilton and Hayne, all col
ored, spoke for the expulsion of Robert
son, while Whipper (colored) and Bray
ton (white) against expulsion. The vote
was taken Friday night, and was very
close-ffty-six voting for expulsion and
twenty-five against--two more votes
would have kept him in. He said in
one of his letters to publisher that
there was every probability of his being
next Superintendent of Education for
the State; and you need not be surprised
if he is, for he has just the character fol-
an otice-holder in the present state Of
affairs.
E. B. Wesley, Esq, of New York, had
a bill for relief before the Legislature, in
which he asked that sS96,925 be paid
him, which amount he advanced to the
State in 1872, to relieve $4,000, 900 worth
of bonds, and for which he took Blue
Ridge Railroad scrip. This scrip has
been declared void, so he has no security
and wants it paid by taxes. The House
laid it on the table, thinking that Mr.
Wesley, although honest, had made a
miserably poor bargain, and that the