The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-05-03
COLUMBIA CORRESPONDENCE.
COLUMBIA, S. c., April 80.

COLUMBIA, S. G., April 80.
MEssRs. EDITORS: 1t was with very
different feelings from that heretofore
felt that the Democratic members ap-
peared and took their seats in the Hall
of Representatives at the State Capital.
Heretofore they have been unwilling
witnesses, and nothing more, to the rule
of corruption and prejudice, with no
power to maintain their own rights or
the rights of the State; but now, thanks
to good Providence and our own exer-
tions, all this is changed, and to-day the
papers have q majority Of the repre-.
sentation in the lower House, and fair
probability of soon having a similar rep
resentation in the higher branch of the
Assembly, together with Governor and
a full corps of State officers Of their own
choice. The people may rest assured,
then, that corruption in the affairs of the
State is a thing of the past; but as to
how long a time it will require to free
the State from the extrayagant and ex-
pensive machinery of government estab-
lished by our predecessors, is quite diff
ferent matter. TIE Radical party while
in power looked to the perpetuation of
their own party and their own selfish in
terest, and in doing SO has established
systems of government Numerically
opposed to economy, and of course dif-
ferent from what formerly prevailed in
the State. By Legislative enactment they
have instituted Offices and officers, and
fixed the salaries thereof, and in fixing
the salaries they always looked to the
interest of the Office holder, and not to
that of the taxpayer, because their party
were altogether of the ofice-holding class
and not of the tax-paying class. Now,
to restore economy eaectually these Off
ces and the duties relating thereto have
to be repealed, else by simply failing to
make an appropriation we find ourselves
entangled by another law requiring def
ciencies to be provided for. Besides all
this the various Offices as now established
by law are parts of a complicated system
which cannot safely be amended or re-
modelled except by substituting simpler
systems in their stead. Then there is
another difficulty; no law can be re-
pealed except by concurrence of the
Senate, and as the Senate now stands
Republicans IL, Democrats 15-the Re-
publicans can defeat any change the
Democrats may propose and carry in the
House. While this is all true, we still
have hopes of the Senate, for it is be-
Iieved that many Of the Radical Senators
have innumerable G:ns to answer for, and
investigations are dangerous things when
some of the ring are so snxious to turn
States evidence.
You will see at once, then, the difficult
ties the present Administration will have
to contend with before it can restore the
government to natural and normal con-
dition; but while we admit the difficult
ties, and while it is not our purpose to
throw any unnecessary obstacles in the
way of fair, full and complete admins
tration of the law, yet the Legislature is
fully determined to protect the best in
terest of the State hy reducing taxation,
even if it has to be done by failure to
comply with law. What mean is this:
if the Senate should persist and refuse in
uniting with the House in reducing tax
alton and in repeating such laws as would
render such reduction legal, the House
intends to reduce anyhow and risk the
consequences.
A great many bills have been submit
ted, and no doubt there will be great
many more forthcoming. To casual
observer this plethora of business at this
time would appear strange, but we should
remember that for the past eight or ten
years every part of the State has groaned
under some one or more of the oppres-
sive laws passed by the Radicals, and it
is but natural the people should avail
themselves of this The first opportunity
they have had to lift the burdens from
their shoulders. But do not consider
IL TO be the purpose uf ne present Legis-