Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-10-13
2alisteilamecil1.
Notes Of a Southern Trip.

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Notes Of a Southern Trip.
TT We cannot refrain from giving oul
readers, the following deeply interesting
letter from the Boston Adccrtiser, ever
at the EXCLUSION of the usua. storv Thi.
letter written from the capital Of the
State leading u the rebellion, giving as it
does, the views Of its leading, erratil pol
iticians, must beintere:tiag to al.
GoLUMnIA. Sept. 23.
The action Of the State Convention il
respect to the ordinance Of accession and
the abolition Of slaYery--thc only two
questions Of direct concern in national
pohties-has already been detailed. 1t
remains ROW to speak Of the more im-
por'ant matteGs OF indirect national i'm
por,amcc, bat ot, paramount State impor-
tance.
There has l9a2 been st.irc between the
two sections locally known as the up
country" and the "low-country." just
how it originated, an! By what ieaoasics
it has been led, probably no one coul
satisfactorily explain to an outsider. y
loz N gentlemen have volunteorel to ex-
plain the whole matter to me; but the
profound remark of the German justice
Of the peace. who was trying a case OF
petty larceny, exactly indicates my CON
elition. The prosecution had eoHc,ulel =:
~ ow, den, sacldlemcns, | stops de court;
She understand all apout the case, but il
le oder man he talk, she viii know noting
OF it, So long as L listened only to
country men. thought pretty well
understood the matter; but, having heard
both parties. am satisfied that really
know very little about it. That there is
such iIl-blood is patent enough. Il hate
the saints of Now England in reference
to national affairs, and hate the saints
of the low-couniry in State atiiirs, said
one Of the up.country men to me yester-
day. The low country has over-ridden
us long enough" said one Of the dele
gates land no wwe've drawn the sword and
and away the scabbard, and we are going
to have II settlement" The feeling of
the up-country against the other section
five years ago was scarcely less than the
State feeling against the general govern
ment. The up-conntry now charges the
low-couutry with having brought on the
war-"dSnnionw was born in the parishes
is the public remark Of one delegate
From the scconi day Of the session it
was apparent that the up-country was i'll
stern earnest lor Il change.
The parish system Of representation in
the upper house OF the General Assembly
ha, lon. been fruitful source Of this bad
tee,ins between the upper and the lower
sections Of the State. Its origin dates
vita the formation Of the original eonsti-
tuition. Theoretically the senatorial re.
Practically this was the case only in the
upper and back portions Of the State
The seacoast districts were divided into
parishes, and each parish w4s eGtitsea to
a senator, even Il it contained no more
than one hundred voters. Therefore, as
somc Of the di tricts were divided into
several parishes, few districts on the
Colcton, AMI Beau
fort, for instance they did not have
an actual majority in the Senate, at least
were strong enough to control the vote OF
;hat body. aud that they did SO eoDtrol
it, and generally for their own benefit. is
beyond question. Forty or fifty years
ago when nearly ali the wealth and popu-
lation were in the sea-coast districts, this
parish system constituted check on the
tendencies of the up-copptry which, il
not founded in any right. at least did not
operate to any serious disadvantage. For
the last twenty years or more, however,
it has been an oppressive burden on the
State. which it seemed impossible to get
rid of; for it could not be renched except
through an amendment to the Gonsttu-
ton. and a convention for that purpose
could only be called BY the Legislature,
and legislatures SO yirtuous that they
readily vote themselves and their eonsttp-
ents out Of poWer are not numerops--in
South Carolina at least. 4 convention,
therefore, called by other authority than
the Legislature, and without restriction
as to the questions upon which it should
act, was, to the upreountry, partial CON-
peusatiou for the overthrow Of the con-
iederacy. The issue of the elections
there. If issue it can be called when ev-
ervbody favored it, was "death to the
parishes" The only hope for them was