Year: 1876

the year has been nearly third greater than
that Of 1875. the increase being principally
in silver The Director seems fully COM
mitted to the double standard, and argues
delight the silver producers; he would have
the legal tender limit of silver increased to
ten dollars, and make it, after resumption,
legal tender to any extent, excepting for GUS
toms. He recommends that the trade dollar
should at once be made equal with gold to
the extent of fifty dollars or one hundred
dollars, and not only laughs at the idea that
we can have too much silver coin, but seri-
ously wonders where wo are to get enough
metal from which to make it in case we
resume specie payments.


South Caroltna's Legislative Trouble.


The democratic House in South Carolina
seems to be in good position to lin a very
decided advantage over its rival, through
secessions from the latter body. A sufficient
number of republican representatives has
already gone over to the democratic side TO
give Speaker Wallace sixty-two members at
Carolina Hall, bearing the certificate of the
Secretary Of State, and exclusive of the
members from the counties of Edge
field and Laurens who were rejected
by the Returning Board. A single addi-
ional accession will give the Wallace House
yixty-three members, all duly accredited by
The Secretary of State and declared regularly
elected by the Chamberlain Returning
Board. 1t is confidently expected that the
required member will be secured, and then
the position of the democratic House will be
lmpregnable.


The ground taken by Governor Chamber
lain in an interview with HERALD cor
respondent foreshadows the course that
will be pursued by the republicans
in this emergency. They claim that
when their House first assembled they
had quorum, excluding from the count of
The full House the members from the re-
|ected counties of Edgefeld and Laurens;
That no member who took the oath in the
Mackey House had right to join the demo-
cratic body afterward, and that with
quorum, as the judge of the qualifications
Of their own members, they had right to
tunlJ tuo ucAcuIcu CuAuuasco lIoM Iubc-
ield Laurens or any other unrepre-
,ented counties. OF course the origi-
na, position taken by the Chamber
lain party is untenable. A quorum of
a Legislative body means a majority of the
number of members of which it is composed.
How is the presence of quorum ascertained
in legislative business? Simply by calling
The roll, and proving whether or not major
ty of the whole body is in attendance A
majority bill passes the House only when a
majority of all the members composing the
House vote in its favor. There are
,ne hundred and twenty-eight men,
bers Of the New York State Legis-
lature, of whom sixty-fve are quorum
Does any one suppose that if there should
be half dozen vacancies in the Assembly
through deaths or other causes less than
Rixty-ive would be quorum of that body?
To state the case is to prove the shallowness
Of the claim of the Chamberlain House to
have ever had a legal quorum, and to have
aver done the first legal Legislative act. This
is SO plain that it gives color to the reports
of President Grants alleged utterances on
the subject. Nevertheless the republican
Senate and House proceeded yesterday with
The business Of counting the votes, and
Of course declared Governor Chamberlain
elected.