The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-11-23
Division Movement

ht Ppoiic meeting held in Aiken on
Tuesday, the 18th Of November, to take
: INTO consideration the propriety and;practl.
eability OF dividing BarnwelI and other
large Districts, on motion of Jas. Pefvis,
Esq, Dr.. j. 6. Rowe, was called to the Chair,
;and E. j. G. Wood, DR.. B..A. Rodrigues
and F. L. Walker were appointed SecFeta,
ries. ~
The Chairman then explained the object
of the meeting in a few brief and pertinent
remarks, when on motion Of Captain Gideon
Evans, It was ,,-
Resoluea, That Committee of twenty.
one be appointed by the Chair to prepare
and report business for the consideration of
the meeting, wliereupon the Chairman nam
cd the following gentlemen, as constituting
the. said Committee; Captain S, S. Evans.
John Greer, DR.. E G. TooIe, J. T. Wise
'EDr: J. G. w. Mcdonald, Col. ]. Marsh,
Milledge Hawkerson, Abner w. Atkinson,
Benz. Hard, w. Woodard, Sr., NJ. r. Mar.
shall, Geo. Robinson Matheney, Allen Frank
lin,:A. Hatcher, J. D.. Plunkett, Drayton
CAN'T, r. Steedman, John Courtney, FKen-
nedy and James Kitchen.
Tile Committee then retired, and after a
brief absence made the following report
through their Chairman. &
Your committee would call the attention
OF the meeting, to the present disproportion-
ate representation Of the Parishes aud the
Districts proper; or in the common par.
lance of the day of the Low and Up-coun-
try; and would call attention to few sta.
tistical facts drawn from recent official ro.
turns. @
The Parish Districts are six in number,
VIZ: Beaufort Collc,on, Charleston (inclu-
ding the city, 1corgetown, sumpter, and
Vran,geburg. The remaining % judicial
districts, constitute what is generally called
the Up:-country or Districts proper.
The whole tax-paying territory Of the
Parish Districts is only s,l32 square miles {:
while that of the Up-country is 1888
square miles; or more than twice rs much
as that of the parishes.
lhe white population Of the parish dis
tStrlcts in 1850, was but 5s,65I; whilst that
OF the Up.country was 221,734.
;Basing the calculation rs to the property
OF the sections, upon the last federal census,
ana The last annual report of the Compt-
roller-Geueral, and with reference to the five
9tems OF lands, implements and machinery,
1--we stock, slaves and town lots, including
the city of Charleston, and estimating shves
at $500 per head, the wealth Of the two
sections stands as follows:
Parlshes. ........ $l32,O44,762
GP.count,y' l96,Ol3,688
= The number Of slaves upon which taxes
were paid last year is as follows:
= iar'shes' l6O,753
UP-country.a. -. 22I.s47
The six Parish Districts above named
have twenty three Senators in the Legisla-
ture, while the Up-country have but the
same number therefore every 353 square
miles OF taxrPaying territory in the Parishes
has Senator, whereas only one Senator is
allowed to ever sos square miles of such
territory in the Up-country. Again, every
$3.50; white inhabitants of the Parishes
have Senator; whereas only one Sena-
tor ls assigned to every 964O white inhab-
itants Of the Districts proper. Furthermore
every S5,741,076 of property in the Parish
cs IS represented by Senator; whereas
only one Senator is permitted to every ss,-
OS7,55lsof the Districts. So likewise every
$3.50 slaves in the Parishes have Senator:
whereas only one Senator is given to every
9645 slaves Of the Up-country.
Edgefeld and Barnwell have more than
300 square miles Of tax.paying territory,
and allowing a proper margin for vacant
lands, for defective surveys, for uundr re-
turns by some freeholders, and for no re-
turns at all by others, to avoid payment of
taxes, It is believed that these Districts con-
tain at least $4,000 square miles of surface.
. The White population of Edgefeld and
Barnwell, was 2s,5l2 in the year 1850:
and the aggregate property .ofathe two Dis
tricts is 500, ,s2s,o7e, according to the last
federal Census, and the last annual report
OF the Comptroller General of this State,
estimated upon thessbasis before indicated.
Edgeield and Barnwell likewise paid taxes
in the year 1854, for 36,O02 slaves.
These two districts could be divided, so rs
TO form two new districts, and give either Of
the four districts over sO0ssquare miles Of
territory; over 1000 white Inhabitants and
over 81, 100000 of property which is more
territory, more white population and more
wealth than each of half the present j Judicial
Districts in the State.
Edgefeld and Barnwell then, have far,
more than sufficient territory, wealth popu.
latlon or slaves, than would entitle them to.
four Senators, according to the ratio of Sens
atcrln representation in the Parishes. +.
There may be some slight errors in tbssa.
estimates, but your committee feel confident
that they Will@not materially change the
result and your committee insist: that the
five items embraced in The above caictlas