Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-08-31
The S. Carolina Law and the Louis.
lana Law,

Much has been said against the law Of South
Carolina and Louisiana, which shut out from
their limits the free-blacks from other States
and it is said that one Of the Senators from
Louisiana admitted that the laws of the State on
this subject were unconstitutional. However
this may be, The courts of those States uphold
tine laws as strictly constitutional, and the D.
States Courts have not decided Otherwise
There may be, and undoubtedly are, respectable
men in Connecticut, who think that the law
which we formerly had against blacks coming
hereior education WAS unconslituio ional but sill!
the Courts Of the State, whenever they came to
act on the subject, thought otherwise and decid-
ed otherwise. The same may be said Of other
statutes now in furcc here.
do not undertake to decide whether South
Carolina or Louisiana have transcribed their
constitutional cnactments or not-but this |
say, that the principle of their laws now COM
planned of MS to free blacks, is The same that
our own judicial tribunals have sanctioned, and
our own legislatures have sanctioned to the
fullest extent. The people and the col:r;s of
those States, justify their emactmenls prohibiting
free blacks from other States coming within
their jurisdiction: on The same grounds that we
in Connecticut justify Tie laws that are now in
our statute book which exclude from this State
any citizens of other States, whether black or
white. vino come to reside here. whenever. in
the opinion of The authorities of The town, ii
would he inexpedient 10 let such persons remain
among us. Our own law says on, the subject,
Is follows:
When any inhabtant of any State, District
or Territory Of the United States, this Stats ex-
ccptcd, shalt come 10 reside in any town in this
State, and shall not have gained u. legal settle
ment therein, the civi! authority, or The major
part of them, of such town, may, il they Judge
pr"per upon the APPLICATION of The seIrcimen,
by warrant under their IaQds, directed TO ciihar
constable Of said town, onlcr said person 10 Ee
conreyed TO The Stc'c .jrom whence lie came J;
and such constable on receiving such warrant
may execute the same ;a,l the expense thereof
being Iiquidaicd and allowed By the. .scru,mcn of
the town to which such constable Belongs, shall
be paid out OF the treasury Of such town"
live may complain of the States at the South
for making laws which exclude the blacks from
other States, what have we to say in defence of
our own enactmcnts, that TO this day operate
against both blacks and whites? We had a
further statute on the same subject, WHICH was
in force until within 4 comparatively short time
ago, (wthin twenty years:) which was as fol-
lows:
"lf any person, not an inhabtant of this
State shall return after such sending away as
a5.resad and abide in sid town E9m @4spss S
aforesaid, he shall be whipped on the naked
body ten stripes, and may again be sent away
aud dealt with as aforesaid, rs often rs there
shall be OCCASION" though the same act proyi-
dcd that it should not bc' construed to affect
apprentices under age, or servants bought for
timc.'
Our present code having dispensed with the
barbarous punishment OF whipping on the na.s-
ed body for crime-the whipping part Of the
section last quoted has been within few years
dispensed with but the principle retained is the
SAME.
Before, therefore, we being to amusc our,
selves by throwing stones ut our neighbours Will
dowS, We may rs well examine the material Of
which our own tencments are bult.-N,cw Hl-
ven REGISTER