Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-12-06

The few free negroes within the borders of
South Carolina, appear to be an irritating eye
sore to our legislation. The humanity OF our
legislators is repealed at the idea of selling them
into slavery; yet the lazy and thriftless charac-
ter of this portion of the population incapacitste
them for either the enjoyment or the improve
been sent up, requesting legislation in regard to
them and referred to the 'Committee on Color
ed Population" A bill has been offered by the
Committee, and has had it's first reading, per-
hitting free persons of color to select their own
masters and 90 into slavery. Meanwhile two
or three of this class have of their own accord
petitioned the Legislature at this session, that
they may enter into slavery. A bill in reference
to slaves is before the Legislature, to make their
"~passes'' more restrictive, and to keep them at
home.
The subjects which are absorbing most of the
legislation at the capital, are those which grow
out of our Federal Relations. The General
Assembly are taking it for granted, that the
people in Convention will withdraw the State
from the Union; and, accordingly, they are
making every preparation to place it in a con-
dition of complete defence, and to establish in due
form its nationality. The Committee on Militia
ry has been burdened with resolutions and en-
q~uiries, and instructions to report by bill or
otherwise-such as whether it is e1pedient to
establish a naval depot on the waters Of Port
Royal ; q coast-police an Ordance Bureau and
q Board of Ordance how best to fortify the va
rious bays, inlets, e~stuaries and other exposed
portions of our coast the appropriation OF
$500, 900 for arming the State how best to
raise and equip a volunteer force Of ten thous'
and men, and whether officers should "rise" BY
regular graduation, or be elected by those whom
they command and other things of like charac'
ter. Mr.. Duncan Allen, of Barnwell, introduced
in the Senate on Monday, q bill to provide two
submerged propeller steamers, for harbor de-
fence; also, o bill to establish the foreign diplo.
macy of South Carolina.
HON. r. BARNwELL RHETT.
This distinguished gentleman, well known for
years on account of his persistent advocacy Of
State Rights doctrines, is of course in favor Of
prompt and unconditional secession. He thinks,
farther, that three things should be sternly in
sisted upon in the formation of a Southern Con
federacy. First, all the members should be
slave holding States second, the powers of taxa
ton should be limited to the purposes of revenue,
and not extended to protection ; and third, S.
Carolina, should never surrender the forts and
fortresses along her coast to any power en- earth
NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE.
We have been permitted to see a private let
ter from a gentleman in the North Carolina Sen
ate, in which high hopes are expressed Of the
faction" of the good old North State. The wri
ter says that a majority there heartily endorse
the Governors Message; that many take even
higher grounds of resistance; and that the news
received at Raleigh from all parts of the State
indicates that the people are in advance Of the
politicians.
The first number of The State Journal, q
semi. weekly and weekly paper, printed in the
old office of the Democratic Press, at the capital,
and merged into that paper, brings us the pro-
oeedings of the Legislature up to II o'clock last
Friday. Mr.. Curtis H. Brogden has been elect.
ed Comptroller General Rufus H. Page, Score.
tsry of State; and Calvin H. Wiley, Superior.
dent of Common Schools. Various sets of reso
~lutions have been read on Federal Relations,
and referred to that Committee. Their genera
purport is in favor of a Convention of oil the
States, Northern and Southern and demanding
a repeal of the personal liberty bills, as a con
dition of remaining in the Union. Different reso
lutions were brought forward, but laid on the
table, to demand of Congress North Cardinals
portion of the public lands. Two or three me
MORALS, consisting Of strong secession resolu.
tons, were presented from the eastern portion
of the State. The members from the western
part of the State seem to be almost entirely pre-
occupied with bills to establish Mining Com.
panies, and other things to d~evelope the I'M
told wealth hidden in the bowels of their noun
tains. The proceedings, however, so far possess
in the main a merely local or personal interest; as
the Legislature has been in session only a few
days.
We expect and hope that The friends of "ac
tom are rallying in serried column this week,
for an immediate Convention of the people,
Delay only piles mountains in our pathway
The proposals made for a Convention of all the
peoples of the Union, and for a repeal of enact
ments against the Fugitive Slave Law, are rid.
iculously useless as we'll as untimely sugges.
tons. They lull; they put US to sleep. They
divide the South. The pervading wish of the
popular mind at the South seems to be secession
and a Southern Copfederacy; and all the slave.
holding States should at once choose between
this and the Union. All other issues are irrele
want and suicidal. We believe the old North
State will 90 with the South.
THE McKENNA-WILL CASE.
We learn that the McKenna-will case, which
for the past year, has strongly exercised the
people of Lancaster, has been compromised
Mrs. McKenua, the widow, will receive one
fourth of the estate and the remaining three
fourths will he divided equally between the