The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-28
SOUTH oARoLrNA's STATE HOUSE.
1t Is One of the Most Historic Build
ings In the south.

Kate Phelen Hamton, in the PHILADELPHIA
Times.
In this day of the various societies. mas
euline and feminine, for unearthing and
perpetuating the ehivalric incidents of the
colonial and revolutionary periods of
American history we are continually on
the lookout for some hidden find of fact
or fancy, and when so discovered we rev.
erently blow the dust away, rub the Old
piece of silver, smooth out the crumpled
sheet, decipher the fading ink-all no
doubt in very bad English-and patrioti-
| cally dispatch these heroic emblems to our
| IaVorite store room of national preserves
IN recent visit to South Carolina / was
told TO be sure and visit the state house. l
| ala so and found it the most imposing
| oullulng and the most Interesting archive
OF history in that picturesque and noted
Town, columbia. The state house of every
! state Is always center of interest, but
the state house of South Carolina, like the
state house of Boston, strikes one as the
great heart of the people, and like all peo-
pie, 1t bears its scars and hides its skele-
| ton. The state house of South Carolina
may almost be called a national corner
stone, for indissolubly connected with it
! are the names of Lord William Campbell
| Rutledge and Moultrie. In the early days
OF the colony the seat of government was
| at Charleston. Lord Campbell tried to
remove it to Beaufort for some British
| policy, but the plan failed When the
| colony became a state it was considered
necessary to secure a more central capital,
| and for safety, one farther from the coast.
| This was in 1880 and the spot selected was
| that on which Columbia now stands Some
one has said that Columbia like Washing
ton was capital city from her birth.
In ha v4a.EA Il.
| photograph taken from an old print of
| the original state house. 1t is a quaint
| wooden structure and seems to stand alone
| amid its primitive surroundings. In a re-
| cent open letter written by one of Car
olina's most charming women, who has
made the study of her state a pleasure,
| she tells US that many were the hard
| ships of the legislators in the old days:
| 'No accommoda tons for man or beast, or
| next to none were to be found in Columbia
| proper. Her one tavern held but the gov
| ernor and his suite, If they were not en-
tertained by the neighboring planters.
| The majority of the lawmakers were lodg-
| ed at CRANKY and compelled by the scar
| city of horses they frequently walked to
| their legislative duties. Their patriotic
| enthusiasm never tagged, though most of
| them were accustomed to ease and luxury
! when at home. How would our present
legislators stand a return to such ultra
Jeffersonian simplicity"
| In the early part of this century the
| original state house was replaced by
larger and handsomer building, also of
| wood but she adds: Its walls heard
| the eloquence of Hayne, Legare, Preston
and many other gifted orators who in the
| twenties and thirties added ulster to the
already brilliant reputation enjoyed by the
| state"
A still more worthy memorial was de-
sired, and in 1858 the South Carolina leg
| islature passed a bill to construct CAPT.
| toll which should compare faVorably with
any other building of the kind in the
| states. The first floor of this building was
| nearly completed when the foundations
| gave way, and the work was not resumed
until 1857, when the site was placed a little
west of the old one This is the founda-
| ton of the present state house, and the
| work of building has been carried on at
| an enormous cost and prosecuted in face
| of difficulties that might daunt less pa
| triotic spirit In 1861 81. 900, 600 had already
| been expended, and only few years ago
| 100000 more were used in handsome inte-
| rior decoration and for repairing the eff
| fects of abuse during the days of recon-
| struction. The building Is now complete
! except the dome, and two portcos, which
/ are to be placed at the back and front
| The original design calls for a flight of
marble steps to each of these porticos, and
| when completed will project $50 feet from
| the main building. The beautiful columns
| intended for the porticos and the statues
/ of Agriculture and Commerce and the bas
| reliefs lay in the state house grounds
| ready for placement at the time of the
breaking out of the civil war. All this
beautiful work, done in Italy by the
! sculptor Kirk Brown was destroyed in the
/ war, with about $4,000 worth of other ma
| terial ready for use. The marks Of can
non balls arc still to be seen on the west
I ~. mn
will be needed to finish the building as
| originally designed.
| The state house stands at the head of
| Main street, the principal thoroughfare of
Columbia, and reminds one of a light set
on a green hill; or like a diamond In an
| emerald setting. The mass of white stone
| can be seen for miles around, and as one
/ draws near the grass which covers the
| beautiful sloping elevation seems start
/ lingly green and fresh and smooth, but
nature seems TO spread this beautiful car
pet over all Columbia.
The offices of the governor and other
| state officials and the supreme court
rooms and library occupy the first floor.
The Senate and House of Representatives
| and state library are on the second floor.
| / believe South Carolina is the only state
| which still preserves the old-time favor OF
| royalty in her state house ceremonies. AT
| the Inauguration OF the governor there
|
| in the time OF the colony. The sword of
/ state and the mace are presented for the
reverence of the people, and the president
/ of the Senate and the speaker Of the
| House appear dressed in purple robes of
silk and velvet and heavy embroidery. /
| have been told that the speaker of the
House finds the robe so heavy that dur
ing the proceedings Of the body over which
| he presldes he has his gown hooked to the
| back OF his chair, so that In rising 70 put
/ questions to the House he will not have
| to lift its weight so often. There Is an in
stance in the later history Of the state
where a robe of this kind passed from ia
| Their 10 son after a long interval, and this
practice of looping the robe on the chair
| prevailed in both It's terms OF use When
the supreme court Of the state Is In ses-
sion the judges always appear on the
! bench In judicial gowns. This has always
been the practice in South Carolina. New
York has recently returned to this custom
| but / believe these two states are the
only ones which now have that custom,
that has always had the high precedent
| Of the supreme court of