The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-01-27
/, Z POLL TICAL,,
The R;l lis of Representations iIn
a.tT ~. sS,o5,tis Gt:e Vn3;,a:sL

{,l It.was provided i'll the first consti.
tHtionaof South Carolina. drawn BY
Mr. Locke, bnt never actually adopt
cd bythc pc ,plc, although it was by
thcsIlaris Proprictors, that The State
sheuldtbc divided into counties, baro.
MES, scigniorics and precincts. Eacl,
hrecimct was to have one representa-
rive, chosen by tho people. This
ss,nll,l seem to Indicate some equality
III the basis of representation.
\ 1T is well known thar the settle
ment Of the State OF, South Carolina
ss@as chiefly confined to the lower
Country, during the first century Of
its history. The upper country was
a wilderness aud Inhabited a great
Hortion Of that pcriol by the Iudians.
tThe city of Charleston and the par
ishes were the State. III the Colo
,nial Legislatures they al1nc were
represented and pretty fairly repro
scented. 4 ,,aga
'a''Ih 1776, the people Of South Car
olina adopted their first Constitution,
which was before tho declaration Of
American Independence. by this
Constitution, tic representation Of
tho State was fairly distributed over
rit,in proportion to The population aud
property. The city Of Charleston
returned thirty members, the parish
cs six members each. and the upper
districts four, six and ten ,eprcsenta.
tivcs, in proportion to their l,ornla-
lion, property and territory. The
Legislature consisted of two hundred
and two members, under the Cous;i.
tuition .of 1776. Thee was only one
H3u<e. no Senate provided for. This
Iconstitdtiou was, however, tcnipo..a-
ry,a aul established only until the dill.
fercncrs with the mother country
coNfs be a'ij"sted. SIs,
Il TITS II was tfflJngtt a1Tisablc
to change the constitution of South
Carroll; aud crca'c two Houses H.
stea ot;onc, ava Legislative body
LII this constitution it WAS provided
that each parish and District SHOULD
have one Senator aud six Rrprcscn-
tatiycs. The city Of Charleston still
having thirty members and two Sen.
eators, and the district Of Ninety-six,
and some other large districts, hav.
ing ten Representatives, anl one Sen.
.ator each. There being tl,irty,fivc
Senators, aud two hundic,l and two
Representatives. Eighty Of these
Representatives were from the upper
country, and ten or fifteen of the
SENATORS. This was, at that time,
fair. and Just rcprcs .ntation of the
people and property Of South Carroll.
ma. There was no disposition shown
on the part Of the lower country, at
chat time, to m 1nopolizc the political
power of the State. 1t was in their
hands, but they partiti ned it out
rfairly and justly.
After the termination Of the Rcvo-
ilntionary war, and the adoption Of
THE Federal Constitution. The situa.
stion and circumstances Of South Car.
a8olina had so changed that it became
necessary to form new State Con-
stitution, adapted to the then existing
state Of the country. In 1890 this
Vas done. The basis of representa-.
s,tinn was changed. The House Of
Representatives was reduced in num-
dor, from two hundred and two, to
saone hundred and twcnty.four, the
present number. The Senate was
increascd to thirty-ninc. The upper
country had 6fty-four members and
nineteen Senators, and the lower
country, designated as the lower di-
vision. had seventy members of the
House and twenty Senators. This,
likewise, was fair apportionmcnt Of
sthe representation at that time.
{ Z sdhthe course of fourteen years we
fnds the people changing their Con
,stitution three times in South Caro-
lima, and each time literally extend
ing the basis Of representation in the
upper country, as it grew in wealth
and population. We heard no talk
then OF compromises between the
lower and upper country, which were
40 be like the laws fthe Medes and
Rersians, unchanged and unchangca-
Bic. On the contrary, the constitu-
.tion of 1870 provides for its own
change and alteration in any add
every particular, the basis ofrcpre-
scntation inclndcl. No member of
the State Convention, who assisted in
framing that instrument, supposed
for moment that Ills work was to
last always. He knew it would rel
quire alteration as the wealth and
population Of the State changed
The upper country was rapidly set
tling, anl increasing in wealth and
prosperity,