The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1862-12-08
The Fate Of the Executive Council.

! Moses, OF Sumter, from the Joint Commit
Tee to abolish the Council estahli shed bv
the Convention, came up for consideration
in III. Senate, nn1 were passed by a very
decided majoity-the bill it we do not
mistake, not having vote against it, The
Senate has well responded 10 the demands
of the people, and We have no doubt that
the action the House will be- in the
same direction"
We copy frcm HE same paper the fol
lowing report Of the proceedings of ,he
house. on Wednesday last, upon the Bill
to abolish the Executive Council:
"On motion of Mr.. Mullins. IN. sn.,,nI
order Tor p. IN, WIS then taken up--a bin
from the Senate, to abolish the Executive,
Council.
Mr.. Duryea hoped tha, the bill would
immediately pass, and insisted on the yo,.
being now taken.
MIR. WhaIey moved tina, it be made n part
OF The special order for to day.
MIR. Duryca called for the ayes and noes
The Speaker ruled that all these papers
belonged to the same special order, and that
the question was, "shalI this bill be scft to
| The iiousc 7"
Mr. icadon moved to di>charge the .p.
cal order and make /, the special order.
with kindred matters, for the same hour.
lhe special order "as then taken up.
MIR tiutson withdrew his amendment of
yesterday, and offered the following:
Resolted, That it be referred to IN, Com.
m't'ee on Judiciary to inquire aud :,pcr, n,
lhr next session Of the General Assembly
whether or not it is cxpedien, 10 amend tn.
hrst section eleventh article or the tons,i.
stltuioh and It 80, in What particular: and
that they have leave 10 report b, bin or
otherwise.
Dir Campbell said he would discuss the
subject relevnntly. He said ,hat he did nn,
underrate the gravity OF the occasion, bu,
he would not discus, the sut ject in the fp
rensIc way /, has been. The subject could
be- divided into two parts-frsi AZ to the
rights vested in the Convection second as
TO the acts Of that Convention.
| FIRST, then, s TO its powers. Admi,tiur
that the Convention lad the POWER 70 de.
sf"y the Constitution. yet that course
would involve chem in manifest aL.urdi,v
Having finished their declared ,ork. the,
might then have proceeded 10 amend the
! Constitution. Blu, what did the, do,-
From December to April. they proceedrd
70 ieg'sl"te most unnecessarily. They pro.
mu'gated the new Constitution in AprIl,
and The very next day, grant that they had
hght TO begin to amend il, but that they
did ~, do. But with great tcrneri,y they
proceeded to legislate Even the enact
ment OF the Ordinance insturting this Cot.
vention was nothing more than All net of
bold legl,lation No matter who breaks
The la~, 1t IL u matter Of violation Of the
law. But this Convention had delegated
the power Of Legislation To this body, and
directly in the fnce Of that article Of tn.
Constitution. They proceeded to !rg.lstr.
Then this mere net Of Legislation was op.
posed To the Constitution THUS ". L.,.
Convention OF undue authority; uni second.
similar exercise Of undue authority on IN.
pErt Of the Council.
Mr. Z. then explained the authority Of th.
Convention. Til. Constitution Of ,74O Dc.
clares that the Const,iu,ion shaH nrrer be
changed bm blythe Genera! AssrnbIv Tn.
words have no room fer doubt, bu, i, hns
assumed that the Convention of IN. p,cpl.
could, notwithstanding the very exact words
OF The INSTRUMENT. alter the Constirution -
ihere has been settled conviction in the
minds OF the pcopc 10 this effect. ,houub
no Arguments can be brought forward TO
support IT. But, sir, the Con.ii'uton mean,
Just what It says, and the AUTHORS of i;
showed their wisdom bs thus snuctinp.-
They were aiser 10 their dsy and GENERA
''on Than the present day. If ihs under.
standing OF statue is contrary to th,
words oft The way to understand thi.
difficulty is TO inquire into all the uicum.
stances Ofits enaclmenis.
The first Convention that i, mentioned
10 history was convened in 1896, by Csnu,.
nj Oxiord, but that ~ss Convention a.,
mobiles and not Of the people Tne nest
MS that whIcH restored th,rles H. This
MAS voluntary Convention, consisting
Of The secluded member of Parliament and
peers. but they never claimed To b, a Con
'sn'ion Of the people. Next came ths,
great Con, ention which brought in the
Prince Of Orange; but il was u Convention
OF the Estates Of The Rea;m,-noi of H..
people. Lord Falkland said Of that Con,
venii"n: at has secured VA from the u,ur
Paiions Of the Stuarts; let us beware that
we are not ruled by an arbitrary aud law
less Government"
Tie said he was unw Hing to take his seat
without protesting against the way in which
Charleston had been treated by the Coun
Gil The citizens Of that place entered their
names upon paper, desiring the maintain.
ance Of the Constitution Then followed