Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-10-13
SOUTH CAROLINA.

THE South Carolina Convention has also
agreed upon its offer and adjourned. As
we showed last week, the keynote for its
deliberations, struck by the Provisional
Governor Perry, was the Dred Scott decis-
ion.
The Convention repealed the ordinance OF
secession by vote of l05 to 3. 1t declared
by 9S to that as slavery had been abolished
by the action ofthe United States authorities
1t should never be re-established in the State
and directed a commission to submit code
to the Legislature for the protection of the
colored population. 1t popularizcd some OF
the former purely arlstocratic provisions of
the Constitution resolved that the white
population only should be the basis of rep
resentatlon; and appointed a committee to
go to Washington and intercede for ,Jeffer-
son Davis, Mr. Magrath, and Mr. Trenholm.
90 TAR as apperrs 1t did not repudiate the
rebel debt nor provide for a popular ratiti-
cation of its action.
The South Carolina Convention, by merely
repeating the act of secession, neither denies
the right OF secession nor the authority OF
the Convention of 1860. 1t simply declares
that 1t Is now expedient to reconsider and
reverse legitimate action 1t repeals the
ordinance as Legislature repeals law which
IL was perfectly competent to pass. 1t will
not however be forgotten that the act of
nullIhcatlou IN 1888 was repealed; but the
repeal did not prevent the ordinance of Sc
cesslon IN 1860. lt was not meant to do so
South Carolina then reserved her right to
nuliify as she now reserves her right to Sc
cede. In the present Convention Mr.. Ham
mond, son of the late Senator offered the
opportunity ofrenouncing the ground upon
which the rebellion was justified by propos-
ing a series of resolutions, one of which ex-
pressly acknowledged that sovereignty. a
unit, absolute and indivisible, which in all
nations must exist somewhere, resides in the
American people, and It's authorized repre-
sentatlyes, within the limits of the organic
law-the CONSTITUTIONS the Federal Gov
ernment. The resolution went to the com
mittee and did not return.
Like the Alabama Convention. that of
South Carolina declared all political power
to be inherent In the people and then based
the government upon o minority of the
population. The spirit of the Convention
may be inferred from the speeches and Mes
sage OF Coy. Perry and the remarks made
by the leading members as well as by its au-
thentlc acts. Even that part of the popula-
ton winch IS declared to be vested with po-
litical power is not allowed to pronounce
upon the proposed Constitution.
is this an acceptance of the results of the
WARP Is there any evidence here that
South Carolina, formally or informally, YER
bally or inferentially, renounces the theory
which has distracted this country for more
than generation and finally eliminated in
terrible civil war? Does she take the least
pledge not to renew the attempt; and how
ever futile the supposition Of a renewal may
now seem, is it not for that reason all the
more important that at this time all shadow
oflegal pretense for secession shall be utterly
removed? Shall not the people of the Uni
ted States-and not certain class IN South
Carolina-who are now to decide this ques-
ton decide plainly and indisputally ly and for
ever, that while the right of revolution for