The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1865-08-24
To the People of Fairfield District.

pear iahCe vi 0oV. ERRY s PROCLAMATION
appointing the day for the election of
members to the State Convention, nv
name, with others, was submitted to YOU
rs nominees for the Convention. Con.
slderlng that the names of very worthy
gentleman presented to you, admitted Of
sufficiently extensive range of choice,
and not desiringto engagein personal
canvass, | thought it advisable respect.
fully to withdraw my name from the list
OF candidates. Since then 1 find my
name again presented for your suffragesl
This, coupled with the fact that severa.
ofthe gentlemen whose names were sub.
mitted for the position have declined,
has induced me to think that under these
circumstances my best course would be
to announce, that while l am not dis.
posed to seek seat in the Convention,
by engaging in a personal canvass, yet if
you should think proper to elect me, I
will cheerfally serve you to the best of
my ability.
| think it proper also to accompany
this statement with brief exposition OF
what think the Convention ought to
do Y@ a
In the interview between the Presi.
dent of the United States and the Com.
mittee of the citizens of Charleston, 1t
was stated by the President that before
the State could be restored to her politi
cal rights, it was necessary that the peo.
pie of South Carolina should amend
their Constitution so rs to provide for
the abolition Of slavery. ] consider,
that situated as we are. this announce.
ment renders it imperative on the Con.
vention to o'abolish slavery. In going
into the Convention / should make up
my mind to this measure aSE .ff'
1t is scarcely necessary for me TO say
to you, that in coming to this conclu.
sion, / yield only to what consider an
overruling necessity, and in no degree
to what my ideas of social and political
policy would prompt under ordinary cir.
cums,aaces. Asthere is, so far as am
informed, universal concurrence of
public opinion on this point, 1 think it
unnecessary to say anything further up.
on it. eas.
Another subject on which it will be ne.
cessary for the Convention to act is the
basis Of representation in the State Leg.
islature. I think it will be necessary to
make some important modification of the
existing system. AS the Constitution
now stande each Parish in the low coun.
try is entitled to one Senator in our
State Senate. The abolition Of slavery,
involving such an immense loss of pro.
perty in the low country, has disarrang.
ed this system, and destroyed the mo.
tive for alluring it. Under the peculiar
circumstances in which they are now
placed, I believe our fellow citizens of
the Parishes, with that intelligence and
patriotism for which they are distin.
guished, will cheerfully acquiesce in the
necessity which puts an end to what is
special and peculiar in their right ofrep
resentation, andthey themselves viii de.
sire TO zee the power ofthe State deposit
ed in that section whereit will be safest,
which,is whefe>their own raceiss in the
greatest ascendancyA w
In reference to theloflice Of Governor,
I think more important functions should
be assigned to this officer than, those he
now processes. AS the Constitution
now stands the only important power
which the 'Governor possesses is the par.
doning power. He ought, / think, to
have the power. by and with the advice
of the Senate, to appoint many OF the
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