Year: 1873

Mistellameuns 2eading*
THE BOND RING AND THE LEGISLATURE.


That ring or syndicate has been formed
by number of New York spectators and
some of the leading Radical officials of this
State, with view of carrying out another
corrupt scheme to fleece this tax-ridden peo-
pie, seems now quite apparent. There have
been rumors that something Of the kind was
going on for many months past, and as time
has rolled on, the indications, rather vague
and nebulous at first, have grown clearer and
clearer. We had, as perhaps the first circum-
stance that gave good ground for suspicion,
the mysterious disappearance, at the close OF
the last session of the Legislature, of the Act
to repeal the existing law by which it is made
the duty of the Comptroller-General to give
notice of the rate per centum of taxes on or
before the 18th of November. The actual
stealing of an original Act of the Legislature
is a high handed and unprecedented outrage;
but it was absolutely necessary to the scheme
of the ring that it should be done, and it was
done. There could have been no color of ex-
cuse for the recent mandamus, had that Act
become law as the Legislature intended.


The next move by the ring was the petition
for mandamus to compel the Comptroller to
levy the tax to pay the interest due and to be-
come due upon the five classes of bonds to
which the operations of the ring have SEEM
ingly been confined. The petition was grant
ed, and the Comptroller commanded to issue
the order as prayed for Right here it may
be as we'll to remark that, although in the
body of the opinion, the impression is con-
veyed that only tax sufficient to meet the
interest upon the FIVE bonds specially set
forth in the petition is contemplated, yet the
order of the court is in far more general
terms, and commands that the writ do issue
in the form prayed for in the several petitions.
The prayer of the petitioner is that the Comp
troller should be compelled to order levy
covering the interest upon all of the bonds Of
the five several classes named, so that out of
the general amount the petitioners might re-
ceive what interest may be due upon their par
ticular bonds. Next we find the decision in
the case of the South Carolina Society, by
which the courts are shorn of all the power
Of interference to stay or prevent the collec-
tion of any tax which may be imposed, how
ever unjust, unrighteous or illegal it may
be.


The ring have been very adroit, and have
managed with great success up to this point.
There is only one power left for them to fight,
which is the General Assembly. That body
can defeat, or not, the schemes of the bond
ring, as it chooses. The ring is doubtless re.
lying upon buying up the General Assembly,
as has been frequently done in the past four
years. There is probably due and to become
due by the 1st of October next, interest upon
the $3,500,000 of bonds embraced in the pool,
amounting to about 100000. The ring can
we'll afford to expend 100000 or more Of this
interest in securing the desired legislation.
The expenditure, moreover, can be made with
out any risk to the ring, by making the pay
ments in the coupons Of the bonds themselves,
to be redeemed when the tax is collected.
The legislature will be peculiarly susceptible
to bribery, because the Treasury will be abso-
lutely bare of funds until the taxes begin to
come in, about the 1st Of December. Every
thing so far seems favorable to the designs Of
the ring.


The course of the Legislature will be anx-
iously watched by the people, and as each men,
ber acts so shall he be applauded or condemn
ed. If that body has an honest desire to de-
feat the ring and to protect the people, the
first act done will be to repeal the law pre-
venting the interference of the courts in cases
of unlawful taxation the second will be to
revive Immediately the Act which was stolen
last winter, and which deprived the Comptroll-
er of all power in the levying of taxes. The
party stands pledged to suspend the payment
of all interest upon all bonds as to the legali-
ty of which there is the least question. In
this category must be placed every bond upon
which the ring based their petition for man.
damus. The representatives of the party
must make good their pledges, or else ac-
knowledge themselves as utterly faithless to
the people, The Administration processes to
be opposed to the ring and determined to
make an honest adj dustment of the debt. Pro-
fessions are we'll enough in their place; but
actions speak louder than words, and by their
works, and not their promises, will the people
judge them.


Things are not as they were two or three
years ago, and public officials cannot now, with
impunity, make barefaced sacrifices Of the in
terests of the State to their corrupt greed
for gold. The more intelligent and industr-
Gus Of the negro population have been and are
continuing gradually to acquire property.
This portion of the colored element will feel
the burden of taxation as sensibly as the white
property owners and it will only require some
glaring act of oppression, like the enforce.
IL, hr;n,. ohouf bina-
ton which will hurl every thief headlong in
disgrace from official position in South Caro-
lina.- Charleston Neaus.


BLIND FOLDED SoLD1ERs-WoNDERrUL
DRILL OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CADETS
The San Francisco cadets gave their first
exhibition in this city in the Seventh Regi-
ment Armory, last evening. They are the
guests of the Seventh, and that fact was suffi-
Gent of itself to assemble hall full of specta-
tors. The cadets numbered ninety-three men,
commanded by Captain Mcdonald and Lieu
tenant Bigley.


The drilling squad last evening consisted
of twenty files. They entered the large drill
room in column oftwos, and after exhibiting
their proficiency in changing from twos to
fours while on the march, and even in the
act of facing about, their peculiar skill of
drilling blind-folded was exhibited. Captain
Mcdonald says that the theory of executing
maneuvres by rule and not by sight enables
men to operate as efficiently by night as by
day. His success in drilling chosen few un-
der this theory was pronounced marvellous by
the military men who witnessed it.


The first peculiar evolution was executing
the manual of arms to the tap of the drum.
The men were drawn up in column of fours,