Daily national Republican., 1865-10-02
The south Carolina Convention.


The South Carolina Convention has re-
solved that the Legislature ought to agree to
the constitutional amendment abolishing sla-
very at Its next session. to pay Its members
S. per day; has admitted q young Philadel-
phian, q newcomer, or exotic-as are his con-
stituents-delegate from Helena, notwithstand
ing some informalities in the election; and 1t
has authorized the Provisional Governor to ap.
point State agent at Washington, "whose
duty it shall be to ascertain from the Presi-
dent what is the condition Of the so-called
Abandoned Lands in this State, and how long
1t will be before the owners Of such lands are
restored to their property" " and generally, to
advance the interests Of all pardon applicants
from that State. Considerable effort was
made to confne his duties simply to the
abandoned lands matter. The continuance
and compensation Of the Office are To be fixed
by the Legislature.
In reporting the sixth days work, the cor
respondent of the New York Time, says:
The main business of the day, order No. ]
on the general calendar, was then taken up.
1t was the report OF the Committee on Ordi-
nances, recommending the passage Of an or
dinance declaring slavery abolished, &c. The
ordinance which they recommended was in
the following words:
"Slavery having actually been destroyed
by the military force Of the United States, it
is hereby declared that slavery no longer ex-
lists in the State Of South Carolina, but that
all persons heretofore held as slaves are free;
and il is further declared that slavery shall
not again be established in this State; pro-
vided, however, that the General Assembly
may adjudge involuntary servitude as pun
ishment for crime whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted"
The course Of debate was to reveal m ex-
treme sensitiveness on the part Of the dele
gates as to the terms in which the work
should be DONE and also to show that large
majority were determined that the ordinance
or clause of the constitution, should be proof
in itself that slavery was not voluntarily
abolished by the people of the State.
One delegate had already offered resolu-
tion declaring that the whole subject Of
slavery ought to be referred to the General
Assembly for adjudication, which resolution
, the Committee on General Business reported
upon unfavorably. II was conceded on all
hands, and by nearly every delegate that the
convention must act upon the subject. Yet
this did not prevent one, Mr.. L. W. r. Blair,
of Kershaw District, from making an effort
to stave of immediate action.
He offered an amendment to the commit.
tees report, referring the whole subject to
the Legislature, whose duty II shall be to
consult with the proper authorities Of the
United States and learn the intention Of the
Government in respect to the institution Of
slavery, and authority is hereby given to the
Legislature to take such action as seems con-
ducive to the best interests Of the State Of
South Carolina, and such action, when taken,
shall be final and conclusive, and the Legis-
lature shall have power to make laws appli-
cable to colored persons alone, and shall en-.
act such laws as are needful to prevent
negroes and persons Of color from engaging in
any business or pursuit but such as involve
manual labor, mining, road making, agricul-
ture, and the production of naval stores.
And Mr.. BLAIR declared that the people Of
the North were already clamoring for con-
cessions tohieh The South could meVer grant.
Every true son of South Carolina t0ouid die
rather than grant tie right Of outrage to the
negroes Of tie State. He was opposed to
making full surrender Of slavery till the
State had some guarantee that such surren.
der would bring full restoration Of political
rights to her people. Moreover, might it not
hereafter appear that some pocuniary com
pensation would be adjudged as due the South
for the destruction Of her slave property"
The sooner South Carolina sOughs of such
statesmen as Mr.. BLAIR the sooner will she
begin to prosper.
And here is the speech of Mr. ORR, who
seems to have more sense that all the editors
in the South put together and he has real
izing sense of the situation which does not
appear to have been vouchsafed to any other
South Carolirian orator:
Mr.. Orr said he would accept the report of
the committee, though he would have chosen
fewer words. The election of Mr.. Lincoln,
five years ago, was taken by the people of
the South as an evidence that the people of
the North were not disposed to allow them
what they believed to be their plain rights.
The State seeded We went out to save
slavery. Other States followed the example
of South Carolina. The Confederacy was
formed, and its constitution showed that the
saving Of slavery was the common purpose Of
all the Southern States. Slavery was made
the corner stone of the new government. The
result was silnt any man ought to have ex,
pected il was not reasonable to suppose the
North would aliDw disruption of the Fed
eral Union witheat war. The whole matter
was referred to that,tTihunaL 1t was de
cided against u.s. SnuH we try the issu'
again2 Who is so mad as to even dream VI
could be more successful than we have heer
already We failed first at the ballot. box
and now we have failed in the battle-f field
There is nothing for us now but to come for
ward and meet the new issue.
We must put 1t in the Constitution th9
slavery is dead and that we will never "A
tempt to reviyeit, Unless we do that we shal
have no Legislature. / don't presume ~
speak by authority-I only take cogniIanc,
Of the fact that the case has been tried in tn,
last possible tribunal, and has been decided
against Us, and see that we must now sub