Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1865-11-03

perative duty Of the Clerk to call the 70
of the members of the Southern State.
} whose credentials have been exhibited
him, and shown that they were regularl
elected. He has no more right, unde
this Act, to exclude the members elec
from South Carolina than he has to OK
clude those'from Massachusetts. The Fed
eral authorities have maintained that th
Union never was. dissolved, and that tn
Southern States have always been, and still
are members of that Union. In July
1862, Congress passed an Act prescribing
a!2 oath of office for all persons to TAX,
who we're elected or appointed TO any of
flee Of honor or profit under the, Govern
ment OF the United States. This oath re-
qulrcs the party to swear'th that he has nov
or borne arms against the United States
! that he has never held or sought Office un
der any power inimical to- the United
States; that he has given no aid, counse
or countenance to persons in hostility &c
the United States; and that lie has no,
yieided voluntary support to any author
lty hostile to the United States. Ii this
oath is to be applied to members of Con.
gress, it will, OF course, exclude all from
South Carolina. 1t may, with truth, be
said, that no man in South Carolina can
take 1t without committing perjury. But
the Constitution Of tho United States pre-.
| scrlbes an oath for members Of Confess
to take, aud they cannot be required to
take any other oath constitutional!y. There
may have been some show of proprety for
exacting this oath when it was enacted.
Gaf,, Al,
States ard the Unised States; but there
can te none now, unless it be for the pur-
pose of excluding the Southern people
from all office within their respective
States, and still holding those States in
military subsection. I know that this is
not the policy of the President, and can.
not believe that it will be the avowed Dol.
icy CT the Federal Congress. If the Sou
thern members are present wheu the roll is
called by States, they will take a part in
the organization Of the House, anu NAV
vote against the oath being rendered to the
members when they are sworn.
The Convention divided the State into
four Congressional Districts, which YOU
will respect and recognize as election Dis
trlcts. 1t will be- our duty, also, at some
convenient and proper time, during your
extra session, to elect two United States
Senators, to represent the State Of South
Carolina in the Senate Of the United
States. There are now two vac,nvies in
that body from Sou,h Garoliua. In The
organization of the SenS OF the United
States into three c.>see, The Senators :ro,n
South Carolina were drawn in the second
and third classes. The second class scat
for Sonth Carolina became vacant on the
third OF March, 1865, aud your election to
bill that vacancy will be for six yeats from
that date. The third class seat became
vacant on the third Of March, 1851, and
yonr election will .be for the unexpired
term of that vacancy, which will be till
third Of March, 1867.
The subject Of finance is one Of e4eat
embarrassment and serious difficulty mt
this time in South Caro!ina. and viii re.
qu're great wisdom and sagacity in your
legislation. The people are in a most des.
titute condition, without money, and with
out the n cams Of paying their taxes
Their gold and silver were exported du-
rlng the war as species of commerce.
The State banks are all broken, and their
bills have ceased TO circulate. The Com.
federate money, with which the country
was inundated, is utterly worthless. The
Federal currency is inaccessible to our peo,
pie. Their cotton has been DESTROYED, aud
their provisions consumed by The armies,
and they have nothing to procure money.
with. Under these circumstances, it would
be we'll for you to consider whether or not
1t is possible to defray the necessary ex.
penses OF the State by issuing and selling
State bonds, SO as to avoid levying any tax
during the ensuing year. The present in
debtedness OF the State is net large, and
her credit ought to be such as to secye
the sale of her bonds at fair prices: If you
conclude to raise money in this way, YOU
ought to include the payment of the di-
rect tax, and which South Carolina now
owes the Unisd States, and which her
citizens will soon be called upon to paw.
1t is important that the courts of Justice
in this State should. be :, once more fulIv
opened, civil law: restored and properly
administered. This cannot be done;tiiI
you 'fill The several vacsncies on the bench !.
You will have to elect a. Chief Justice Of
the State. two law Judges ahd one Chan.
ooIoA' Spe''pS our courts, ana the ad-
fninistration Of civil justice once more,
would have nsost salutary influence on
society, and do more ,thsp anything else to
preserve the peace and quiet Of the State.
We have been. living without law long
enough, and have suffered enough from
]awless violence. =,
:: The Act to prevent the collection Of
debts, known as the stay law, wss wholly
unnecessary at the time it was passed, bu,
10 now q matter of .ptims necessity to the
community. This ACT sh6dld be contin.
ned, with permission, however, to COLES,
1the interest on debts diis. There are maps
widows and minor children whoss sois
subsistence depends on the payment of in
tefest due thein on their estates. s.,
:Tha Reorganization 81 the, fuiliiis.is ,
Il e 1T q