Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-01-30
FOR TIE ADVERTISER.
"Alsernon Sydney" and the
Convention.

Mn. EDITOR A writer in a late number
Of the Carolinian, over the signature of aAI-
GErsoy SYDNEY" hassthousht proper 10 at
! tack the Bill passed atthe late Session of our
Legislature, calling aConyention of the peo-
pie of the State. Asthe article is mischiey-
Gus in its tendency, and as its authorship has
been attributed to a prominent and distin-
guishcd citizen of our own District Hon. F.
W. PrcKEss) 1hayc thought proper, through
your columns, to offer. a few:retnarks inrcply.
In doing this, Idesire not to be understood, as.
:assailiing moGyoa; 81 as wishing 10 throw the
ftfic writer in; question, to the State Of
South Carolina: war only against his
positions. .ss;
The only portionfof that article TO 7which1
shall reply, is the gratituitous and unwarant-
cd attempt on the part Of lis author, to render
unpopular with the people Of the lower conn
try, this Indispensable measure of Legisla-
ton; by very broadly limiting, that the Con:
ycntion, when assembled, may deem that the;
general weJarc of the State will be promoted
by rcadjusting the basis ofsreprcsentation.
and annulling the compromise, between the
lower and upper country, adopted in 1907
Rest assured, the Convention ,ciH possess no
such power as any one will at onceperceiye,
who is at all familiar with the proceedings of.
the last session Of the Legislature, and who
took the trouble to read the debates that pre-
crded the adoption Of the Bill calling that
Convention. The Act expressly declares, as
"SyDsEY" has properly stated-but which.
he does not correctly construe-that its OBJ
jrcts shall Lc, @to take into consideration tho
proceedings and recommendations of Con-
gross Of the slavcholding States, if the same
shall meet and be held; and for the further
purpose of taking into consideration the gen.
cral welfare of the State in rieD Of her relo-
tions to the laws and government Of the United
States and Mcrcupon to take care that the
commonwealth of South Carolina shall suE-
fer no dctriment" The italics are ours;--
and We submit, that we have rs great right
to use them, as las "SYpSEY"-nonc of tho
words in the original, being thus printed.
1t is manifest, therefore, that sALGERSos
SYDNEY" is unnecessarily alarmed at the ez-
tent Of power this Convention will possess;
anl that he is bat yielding to the dictates Of
4 morbid and crratic fancy, in supposing that
it will hold sail poaeer" in its hands-that
all limitations attempted to be thrown oyerit,
will be-to use his own rather hackneyed met
aphor-" like cobwebs over the reused lion. ." :
For VIC have shown from the very words Of
the Act itself, that it will meet for purpose
strictly defined, and expressly limited! Tho
truth is, to suppose that the Convention will
hold sal pomer" in its hands, is both to lose
sight, entirely, of the object for which that
,ody HIS been called into existence, and to
lssume that the Legislature cannot cali 9
Convention for particular purpose.
That The Legislature has the power Of lin
ling the authority of 4 Convention of the
,coplc, and that such Convention cannot ez-
ecd those limits, l need only refer tothc de-
,atcs in our Lcgisturc at the memorable ses-
ion that called the Convention Of 'S2, and
. the very able and lucid opinion of the late
'hanccllor IIARrER, delivered in the celebra.
ID cases, of "THE STATE CT relatione Nc
READY rs IIuSr;;' and "TnE STATE er
elafionc Mcdaniel rs McMEEkE." Every
ne, at all familiar with the history Of the
'oublous times to which We. have referred,
lust know, that that Convention was called
u definite objects and that its convocation
as long and successfully opposed on doubt
lggcstcd, that its powers could not Be limi.
'd-that among other things the unequal
arish Representation in tbc lcpislat,lrc. OF