The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-11-30
SOUTH CAROLINA.

In order that Our readers may De informed
OF the agencies and motives operating il
South Carolina, and have the data npor
which { form All opinion OF the merits of thu
controversy now cngas.pg the attention nc
only OF fine people o. that State, but o
the nation, we transfer 10 our columns til.
the following reviewed. the issues. taken from
the Columbia spondence OF the y. Yor!
Times, dated the 18th inst. Since then ths
/ Canyassing Board was arrested, imprisoned
aud tued, and subsequently released eI
writ Of habeas corpus, issued BY Judge Bond
Of the e. 5. Circuit Court Tho Times says
| .'it is important to shog' the exact l"gra
status here. involving the result OF The eiec
| tion The present act on of the Supreme
| Court, is to say tho least. wholly nnprece
| deEted in this State. The Board OF STATE
| Canvassers have exercised llnciia llenged
| since 1868. the power to examine all election
returns sufficiently TO discharge tier duty
| according to their best Judgment. No court
| has ever before claimed any power to super.
Wise or revise their action, still less to restrain
| or coe-ce the GARD. II Is not unreasonable
| TO say that the present course of the Supreme
Court is suggestive of influences which do
| not property belong to the judicial character
or functions Of the court. Chief Justice Mo.
'es has never been trusted personally or pc
litically by any party il, this State. Judge
Willard has been known to have been in free
conference with the Democratic leaders here
md sruin the North, and is also Il freq elit
DMt always disappointed aspirsint for puiitic.
al honors at the hands OF the Republicans
| here. These facts render the course Of the
| cuttrt some what more cXpiIcable. Neither
Moses nor Willard were regarded As Repiib
calls, or friendly to Republican success IN
The lat canvass. 1t is the remark OF all r.
>peLtable aci unEreiudiced observers here
tina. the real coi,ns,l for the Democrats are
Judge Moses aud Willard. Suggestions con
SANITY come to them from tile court; time is
given them without the asking to repair mis-
takes. and arguments AMI rules are made
and granted by tile court before the COUNSEL
| nave called for them. The present procee'-
inys egan in eomrendous OmnibuS-lile
application To the cou.C for Il writ of prohibit
| ion and lnSnLauuS--ai ANOMALY Ill legal
yeadlngs, ming.n-, things entirely uncon-
Iectetl In one application. When The Board
# State Canva ,scrs appeared and answered,
the court granted an order which no man
| with one grim of legal sense or learning
could fail to pronounce an outrage and y
trick This order required the Board of
| Canvassers to aggregate the returns of the
counties, and to report the result to the
euslrt. The object Of this was plain. Nei.h-
er the court nori its Democratic advisers were
sure what the result of canvass would be
They therefore determined to get before them
the results brfore they made any further or
Ter Or decree; in other words the cD,lrS ln-
lertook to ascertain the Lrecie political cf-
feet Of an o,der beforr they granted it. This
lca ion Of course opened the eyes Of all to the
pstri iSan intentions Of the court. The Board
| VI Canva>sers iiiade tl" report. aud then the
plot was fully developed. The court inme-
istely allowed the Democratic lawyers to
| amend their pleatlings, or rather TO substi-
tutc new pleadings, by dividing their former
applications into six separate applications,
| intended to cover all the different branches
| Of the elections, viz: congressman, Electors.
State officers, members OF the General AS
semby. county officers, and circuit solicitors
Having laid out the work in tails way, no diff
tictlty WAS felt by tile court in framing Or
dels which would accomplish the desired. re-
suit. Naturally. the chief object Of the
cohsplrators was to secure the election Of
Hampton, and through him and Democrat.
| &c H4egisla ure to secure tile Electoral vote OF
the State for fiIden. 1t is q wholly mistaken
view to imagine that Til,len has been lest
sight OF; but the State can only be secured
for Tilden through Hampton. One part Of
The plan was to keep the Board Of Canvass
ers in sessions unit! after the meeting of the
Legislature and the inauguration of Hamp-
ton. Then new Board Of C.nvassers, all
Democrats, would take up and complete the
! work left undOne by the old board. To ac-
| coinplish this. the court gravely limited that
whatever time was occupied by the court in
| reaching its conclusions would not count in
the ten days allowed the board by the stat
ute i'll which to complete their worl1-;l sug-
| .seStoti repugnant to every legal mind. If
this plan had succeeded. the result is clear !;
but thanks to the Board OF Canvassers and
their advisers, tile plot failed. Ten days only
are allowed The Board There is no dispute
about this. Ten days would expire, eXclu-
| ling Sunday, on Wednesday, the 22d inst.
| While, therefore, the court WAS moving icis-
lrely along to the consumlnation Of the plot,
tue Board Of CanvaSsers hal their eyes on
the court, and fully OWNED it, purpose. The
| BOARD did no, propose to allow the vote OF
the State to be decided by any tribunal ex-
cept itself, especially not by r court so man
| ifest'y active in the sole interest of the Dem
ncraiic shotgun leaders here and in New
| York. On Wednesday, the 22d inst, there
fore, they proceeded in the exercise Of their
| ling 10 the law and according to the evidence
,efore them. In Edgefield and LaurelS
counties, they fund such widespread and
prevailing vio'ence and franal, that they re-
fused TO declare the candidates OF iIher par
| ty elected. Having discharged their full
| lllty in all respects, the Board of Canvassers
adjourned SINE die.
| Here il should be remembered that no or
| lrrof the court had then been made know to
them, which WAS in any way violated by their
adjournment. Subsequently, on the same
| lay, the order of he court requiring them to
certify the election OF all members OF the
| Legislature, including E lsfelI AMI La treus
| Counties, was served GA them; but they had
adjourned, and We're .functus o1icio. The
aiming Of the court should be noticed in
| granting this. last named order. by it they
knew they could compel, ii the order was
| pbeyed, he seating IN h. House of Represent
tatives of majority of Democrats. This
| House would, of course, choose a Democratic
| speaker, who would on the face of The re-
turns declare Hampton elected. Gov. Cham
| l,erlain would then be forced to apply to the
| Leg Stature for the right to contest Hamp-
TONS election. This question of entertaining
| Chanberlain's contest would be decided by
| IL concurrent resolution OF both houses. Tie
| Democrats OF the House would refuse to con-
cur III Tue RESOLUTION, anu Lil6ll chamberlain 4
rights would have been finally foreclosesl, and
| Hampton would remain Governor with no
chance OF tlisputing his election. After this
tie plot could be carried forward with ease.
| The new Board III Canvassers would have
unlone as far as possible the work Of the
former board; would have elected a United
States Senator; given new certificates to the
| rilden Electors, and thus in every poins
achieved perfect success fol- the shot gun
| Democracy. The rage OF the court, their
| Democratic advisors, and their whole band
of conspirators at the action OF the Board Of
Canvassers, knew no bounds. In private in
terviews the Judges stormed and raved.
they talked not like Judicial officers, bit like
the political con$pirators they are. Yester
| day when the court convened stormy scene
was witnessed. Attachments for contempt
were issued against the members of the
Board OF Canvassers, returliablr ut P. Al.
and what is most ludcrous OF all, the DEM
ocratic lawyers insisted on and obtained an
attachment against Hon. D. 7. Corbin, the
chief legal adviser OF the Board, and they
actually asked for q similar attachment
against Hon. A. T. Herman, who had, two
days before left for mis- home in Georgia. At
Pm. the court reconvened and proceeded
t},.,.., ottr tr,