Year: 1877

rage line, said that there was no one more
willing and ready than he to bridge over the
bloody chasm, and no one more willing to
stretch forth his hands for the olive branch Of
peace. I am sent here by constituency
which stands right and square and adheres to
ompromises, but when l look over the coun-
try and see poverty staring US in the face,
when I see that the dearest rights of the peo.
pie have been trampled upon, and when see
the dire wants around me, lam ready to yield,
not that I have been convinced, but yield in
behalf of the poor down-trodden people. AS
the honorable gentleman has said, he has al
ready taken the oath and no power on earth
can make him take it again. Gentlemen, the
Chief Executive of the State, who has been
installed in Office, was sworn in the same man
ner and at the same time and place, and l
am willing to reconsider the motion, knowing
that in doing so it does not alter our minds
one iota what we conceive to be the letter and
the spirit of law. .......-...


At this stage in the debate, salute of 100
guns in honor of the day began pealing forth,
which, while it called forth applause from the
galleries, had a most subduing effect upon
the naughty Senators. The vote on the ques-
ton of reconsideration was then taken, and
resulted ~ to in favor of reconsideration,
the dissenting being Whittemore, Swails,
Duncan and Taft. This manifest symptom
of weakness was hailed with applause from
the galleries. Nash then gracefully with
drew his amendment that the Lieutenant
Governor be sworn in, and the original mo-
ton that committee of three conduct the
Lieutenant Governor to his seat, was next put
and carried by vote of 20 to Z.


Swails then said : II have the honor now
to introduce to you, gentlemen of the Senate,
the Hon. w. D. Simpson, the Lieutenant
Governor of the State, and ex.oficio, your
presiding officer"


Lieutenant Governor Simpson then said {:
Having been elected Lieutenant Governor,
and having qualified, am ex-oficio President
of the Senate, and am here to assume that
position and to enter upon the discharge of its
duties. I am in hopes, Senators, that the re-
lation which is about being established be-
tween US will be pleasant and agreeable one.
l shall exert all my powers to make it 80,
and to this end I would like the cordial CO.
operation of the entire Senate. 1t will be my
principal duty to enforce the rules which you
have adopted, or which you may adopt, for
your own government in this respect. am
but the organ of this body. I shall endeavor
to discharge this duty firmly, fairly, and with
perfect impartiality to each and to every Sen
ator, and in this effort I ask the forbearance,
the patience and the indulgence of the Senate.
Under the lew I am debarred the privilege Of
participating in your deliberations, and it
would be improper in me to attempt to use
my official position for the purpose of infuen-
cling your deliberations in the slightest degree.
and | shall take care not to travel in this di-
rection beyond the boundary of my duty. 1
have no hesitation in saying, however, that as
citizen, feel deep and ardent interest in
the future welfare of our common mother,
our beloved South Carolina. I 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 and judi.
cious course on the part of her people and
her officials. 1 would rejoice to see her rise
from her PROSTATE condition and again take
rank upon her accustomed front line among
her peers, and I have no doubt that this feel
ing burns in the bosom of every Senator here,
and that everything that can be done will be
done toward the consummation of this great,
this glorious ed. The field of legislation
which is before you is broad and inviting.
There is much to be done, and feel assured
that you are prepared to enter that field with
zeal and with hig Oh patriotism, and that your
guiding star will be that solemn decree of the
Roman Senate always issued to the consuls
in time of danger, take care that the repub-
lie shall receive no harmp In conclusion,
Senators, permit me to request that we shall
all resolve in this, the beginning of our pub.
lie duty, that throwing aside all partisan in
fuences and considerations, and forgetting
all heart-burnings growing out Of the recent
election, we shall unite together in one COM
mon effort for the promotion of the best inter-
ests of our whole people, all classes, all con-
ditions and all sections. Let US do this, and
let US work up firmly to this resolve, and the
time will come at the ending of our official
career when we will not only deserve and re-
ceive the welcome plaudits of our country.
men, 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 me to. say, but
to announce that the Senate must come to or
der" .....-..


Senator Jeter here rose and moved that the
senators from Edg6eld, Laurens, Abbeville
and Barnwell, who had not yet been sworn in,
come forward and present their credentials to
the President of the Senate and be sworn in.
If bombshell had burst in the Senate Cham
ber, the effect upon the Republicans could not
have been more electrifying than this an.
nouncement nor was their astonishment in
any way modified when Messrs. T. j. Counts
of Barnwell, J. G. Maxwell of Abbeville, M.
W. Gary of Edg6eld, andS. W. Todd of Lau.
rens, appeard before the presidents desk and
handed up their credentials. Whittemore,
Swails and half dozen others jumped up and
protested. Lieutenant-Go Governor Simpson said
in repl yto 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 seat
has the prima .tacie right to that seat. If that
were not so, a simple quorum, after being
sworn in, in alphabetical order, might, by
combining together, exclude 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 I shall proceed
to perform my duty. ..... .a .sa.


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