634 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



when " one dollar of lawful money was equal 

 to one dollar and five cents of Confederate 

 States notes," to the 1st of May, 1865, when 

 " one dollar of lawful money was equal to 

 $833.33 of Confederate States notes ;" and it 

 was provided "that the value of all debts and 

 obligations, whether under seal, created or 

 contracted in Confederate States notes, or with 

 reference to Confederate States notes as a 

 basis of value, issued by the so-called Con- 

 federate States Government, or in or by any 

 bills, bonds, or notes assimilated * or made 

 equivalent in value to Confederate States 

 notes, by any law or custom of trade, during 

 the years 18G1, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865, 

 shall be determined by the value of said Con- 

 federate States notes in the lawful money of 

 the United States at the time such debts or 

 obligations were created or contracted." 



The sentiments of the Eepublicans of South 

 Carolina, in regard to the political character 

 of the men appointed to office in the State, 

 were expressed in the speeches and resolutions 

 at a meeting of the Republican members of 

 the Legislature, held befqre the adjournment 

 of that body. Representations had been re- 

 ceived from Washington that the Representa- 

 tives from South Carolina were about to urge 

 upon the President the appointment of certain 

 persons to office in the State, who were and 

 had been open enemies to the State govern- 

 ment and the reconstruction laws of Congress. 

 A meeting was at once called, at which 

 speeches were made by many prominent mem- 

 bers of the Legislature, both white and colored, 

 remonstrating against the proposed distribution 

 of Federal offices in the State, and the follow- 

 ing resolutions were unanimously adopted : 



Resolved, That we, the Kepublican members of the 

 Legislature, representing a large majority of the 

 people in this State, insist and demand of our Repre- 

 sentatives in Washington that no person shall be ap- 

 pointed to office in the civil service of the United 

 States, in this State, who is not known to have been, 

 and now is, the true and tried friend of liberty, a free 

 ballot, the enforcement of the reconstruction laws of 

 Congress, and maintenance of the present State gov- 

 ernment ; and further, that every man holding office 

 in this State, who has not, in days gone by, earnestly 

 and unequivocally favored the system of reconstruc- 

 tion of the United State Congress, and the mainte- 

 nance of the present State government, shall not be 

 allowed to hold office and control the Federal patron- 

 age in this State to the exclusion of those who, in the 

 dark hours of the pas^, have been true to the princi- 

 ples which are the foundation-stones of the present 

 State government, to wit : a free ballot, equal and 

 exact justice before the law for all, and the zealous 

 advocate of the principles enunciated in the present 

 State constitution established by the people of the 

 State of South Carolina ? in pursuance of the require- 

 ments of the reconstruction acts of Congress. 



JResolved, That, in consideration of these things, a 

 special committee be appointed, to consist of mem- 

 bers of the Senate and House of Representatives, to 

 draft a suitable preamble and resolutions expressive 

 of the sense of the Kepublican party in this State, 

 and to forward the same to our Senators and Kepre- 

 sentatives at Washington. 



No question occupied a greater share of pub- 

 lic attention in the State during the past year 



than that growing out of the election for mu- 

 nicipal officers in the city of Charleston, held 

 on the 10th of November, 1868. Under the 

 provisions of a law passed at the special session 

 of the Legislature, in September of that year, 

 it became the duty of the mayor and alder- 

 men, in case of an election in an incorporated 

 city, to publish the whole number of votes cast 

 for each candidate, and declare the election of 

 those receiving the highest number. In this 

 case it was ascertained that Gilbert Pillsbury, 

 the Republican candidate for mayor, and the 

 Republican candidates for aldermen, had re- 

 ceived the largest number of votes, and were 

 therefore elected. But, in compliance with the 

 protest of a portion of the citizens against the 

 validity of the election, on the ground of al- 

 leged* irregularities in its conduct, the mayor 

 and aldermen refused to publish the returns 

 as made by the managers of the election, or to 

 declare the election of the successful candi- 

 dates. The Board of Aldermen, after making 

 an investigation, in which it appeared that the 

 alleged irregularities were merely technical, 

 and did not affect the result, declared the elec- 

 tion void. The aid of the Supreme Court was 

 now sought, to compel the existing authorities 

 to declare the election as required by law, and 

 for this purpose an alternative writ of man- 

 damus was issued. In answer to this writ, a 

 return was made by the Board of Aldermen, 

 in which they certified that the election had 

 been contested, and that, after an examination 

 of the returns, they had declared the election 

 void, on the ground of certain irregularities. 

 The court having decided that the Board of 

 Aldermen had no authority thus to declare the 

 election void, held the return to be insufficient, 

 and issued an order commanding them to de- 

 clare the election, as required by law, and 

 make return thereof to the Supreme Court on 

 the 20th day of January, 1869. The Board of 

 Aldermen obeyed this peremptory order by 

 publicly declaring that the Republican can- 

 didates had received the largest number of 

 votes, without admitting, however, that they 

 had been duly elected; and both mayor and 

 aldermen still refused to vacate or surrender 

 their offices. 



As it would have required not less than a 

 year to reach a final adjustment of the diffi- 

 culty in the courts, the matter was at once 

 brought before the Legislature by Mr. Corbin, 

 a Senator from Charleston, who introduced 

 into the Senate a "Bill to confirm and declare 

 valid the recent election of mayor and alder- 

 men in the city of Charleston," which was sub- 

 sequently amended to read as follows : 



e it enacted "by the Senate and House of Kepre- 

 sentatives of the State of South Carolina, now met 

 and sitting in General Assembly, and by the author- 

 ity of the same : 



SECTION 1. That the election held in the city of 

 Charleston on the 10th day of November, A. D. 

 1868, for the several offices of mayor and aldermen 

 of said city, the result of which has been declared by 

 the acting Board of Aldermen of said city, be, and 



