The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-05-03

VOL. XII-:-N0. az; ..
I - -------- - \. -79. ri 1',i77.
liberations, and it wonld be, improper in
me to attempt to use my official position
for the purpose of influencing your de.
liberations in the slightest degree. and /
shall take care not to trayel ia this diree-
tion beyond the boundary Of my duty.
I have no hesitation in saying. however,
that as citizen I feel q deep and ardent
interest in the future :iwelfare' sofli oar
common mother, our beloved, South Car.
olina.. ]; would rejoice to see her reattain
that proud position, which was once hers,
amid the galaxy of States, and which
may again be hers by wise judi
cious course on the part tof' her people
and her officials. .I,.would rejoice to see
her rise from her prostrate condition and
again take rank upon 'her accustomed
front line among; her peers, and I have
no doubt that this feeling burns in the
bosom of every Senator here, and that
everything that can be done will be done
towards the consummation of this great,
this glorious end. The field of legislation
before you is broad and inviting. There
is much to be: done; and, i feel, assured
that you are prepared to enter that field
with zeal and with high patriotism. and
that your guiding star will be that'solemn
decree of the Roman Senate ALWAYS is
sued. to the .consuls in. time of danger,
take care that the REPUBLIC, shall receive
no harmp In conclusion; Senators, per.
nit me to request that we shall all resolve
in this, the beginning of uuripublic duty,
that throwing aside all partisan infuen.
ces and considerations, and forgetting all
heart-burnings growing out of. the recent
election, we shall unite together in s6ne
common effort for the promotion of the
best interests of our whole people, all
classes, all conditions and all sections.
Let us do this, and let us work up firmly
to this resolve, and the time viii come at
the, ending of our official career when we
will not only deserve, and receive: the.
welcome plaudits of our countrymen, but
what is far better, we ourselves can look,
back with pride to the time when we
were connected with the Senate Of 1876:
There is nothing now left for meito say,
but to announce that the. Senate must
come to order" -, ,.
+ Senator Jeter here rose and moved that
the Senators from Edgefeld, e sLautens,
Abbeville, and Barnwell, Who had not.
yet been sworn in, come forward and pre-
sent their credentials to the President Of
the Senate and be sworn in. f'Ifa bomb.
shell had burst in the Senate Chamber
the effect upon the Republicans could,
not have been more electrifying than this
announcement, nor was their astonish;
ment in any way modified when Messrs.
T. J. Counts of Barnwell,; j. G: Maxwell.
Of Abbeville, H.. w. Gary ofaEdge6eld,
and S. w. Todd of Laurens, appeared,
before the presidents desk and handed
up their credentials. Whittemore, Swails
and half dozen others jumped up and
protested. Lieutenant Governor. Simp-l
son said in reply to these Republican
protests that these gentlemen have the
right to be sworn in, and it is proper for
me, as the presiding officer Of the Senate:
to administer the oaths. The chair holds
this position on the ground that every
claimant who presents credentials for q
seat has the primo Jucie right to'that seat
If that were not 80, a. simple quorum,
after being. sworn in, in alphabetical Or.
der, might, by combining together, ex-
clude forever every other member who
appeared after them. An alphabetical
precedence certainly gives ;.no .such'
ground of preference. The Senate is not
left without its remedy, and / shall pro.
ceed to perform my duty. 7" -
Swails here jumped up and said :'"'I
would like to ask whether; by an arbitra.'
ry power which the presiding officer may
claim, he intends to override all rules, all
laws and all precedents heretofore estab-
lished in the Senate of South Carolina:
In regard to. three of these gentlemen
who stand before the desk, the question,
of their rights are. now before the COM :
mittee on privileges and elections. In
reference to- the other gentleman, who
claims to represent Barnwell County, j
would say that last December 7IIremem-
ber that the Hon. Jones NJ. Williams
represented Barnwell COUNTY in this
Senate. 1t has been rumored; and have
no doubt it is true, that he is dead but
the Senate does not know thatia writ, was
issued for a new election, nor have those
papers gone to the proper committee
All that we ask is that these matters be
referred to the proper committee; who If
there is q contest. will examine into the
rights Of the respective candidates, and
report who IS properly returned. With
out any captious spirit, if you think we
as representatives intend to take any
highhanded measures against the gentle
men under contest, you are certainly mis-
taken, for we do not intend to pursue any
such course. do, however, solemnly
protest against this action, which is, as |
consider, against the letter and spirit of
the law, and against all precedents estab-
lished here:" ..t..,.
At this stage of the proceedings Mr..
Cochran, of Anderson, handed a commu-
nication to the chair, which was read.
and proved to be letter from T. N. Tol.
bert, of Abbeville, Withdrawing his con-
test against the Democratic candidate for
Senator from that county. A similar
letter was then handed to the chair from
Lawrence Cain. of Edge6eld, withdraw
ing all opposition to the seating of Gen.
M. W. Gary, and stating that the order
ing ofa new election in EdgefeM Coun:
ty would be disastrous to the interests Of
the constituency whom he claimed to
represent. az,
Lieutenant Governor Simpson then
said: II do not propose to override all
precedents and parliamentary law but l
am here to preside. over the Senate, and
have come to the conclusion thai, # is
my duty to administer the oath to the
claimants here before me. If I am in
error, the Senate is not without it's reme-
dy. The Senate is the judge of the elec.
ton and qualifcatlon ofits own members.
After these membe 3 have taken their
IL Al L.. 49,