The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1865-09-28
DAILY NEW S,
CHARLESTON.
THURSDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER %. 1865

THE CONVENTION OF the People OF this State, at
Columbia, is approaching tho completion OF its
labors and has made many radical alterations IN
tho relations and structure of tho State. The
Ordinance of Secession has boon repealed; slavery
has been abolished; property qualification for the
Senate has boon rovokod; foreigners, after two
years residence, without citizenship may vote;
tho principle Of taxation, according to value, has
been adopted; representation is to be upon the
basis of whto population; the Governor is to be
elected by the people and serve for four years;
district is to have moro than twelve Representa-
tiycs and zach district is to have but Senator,
and Charleston is to have three.
Those changes arc 80 radical and rapid that
people arc too much bewildered by them to prop
erly estimate thoir effecs. Tho first two were an
ticipated, and though of enormous import, were 80
considered, that thoy occasion little concern. The
Stato is again in the Union, if no difficulties shall
bo intorposed by other parties, and the labor sys-
tenn of our State and our relation to our coored
population changed.
Against the abandonment of property qualii-
cation for the Senate, little need be said 1t did
no harm. No man was over kept out of tho Sem
ate fit to be there by such restriction, and it was,
therefore, concession merely to an agrarian SEN
timent which may or may not exist in sufficient
while it did no harm it cannot be said it did much
good. If it kept no good man out, it kept no bad
ono; and except that it fact and that in con-
stitutions facts had better stand until there is q
necessity they should be altered, tho change is
not important.
The right of foreigners to vote after residence
of three years. without citizenship, is entirely re-
pugnant to tho conservative spirit OF the State, as
it was before the war; but that spirit Is now so
broken, this additional blow will do little damage
while in the present condition of affairs it may be
of great advantage. We want labor, and we want
larger white population, and this will be somo
inducement- least it is the removal of an inn
piedmont which might have existedto the full opc-
ration of such other inducements as may be offer
ed, and as such our people will accept it.
The principle Of taxation in accordance with the
actual value of property rather than the arbitrary
standard long established in this State, is right,
and will be relief to the people of this city, whero
the evil has been most severely felt.
The principle of representation, on the basis of
white population, may have seemed necessary. 1t
may have seemed hard to admit that the white
man of Beaufort or Georgetown should be more
considered than the same number from Edgofield or
Anderson; Or if the negroes in those districts are
counted in representation, it may have seemed
uaTu 10 GACluuc tlelu HOm tuc pollS l>u9 We 1Cal
it will work badly. There must be conflicts of in
teress between the sections, if not, at least of
policy. In that event the seaboard districts ought
to have representation to sustain them; and it
were better for the negroes they should have the
representation without the vote, than that they
should not have it at all. Nor will it render our
action less Objectionable to the authority which
assumes to set in judgment us, and in consider
alton of whose Judgment some of our actions
would seem to have been taken. 1t is objected
now that the negro will be socially districtcd, and
still be made to bear burthcns without anything to
say about them. But it will be worse if he shall be
dstricted terrtorialy also, and the which i'm
poses the law will not be by to share it.
The election of Governor by the people would
not seem to be matter of vital interest. It is
garded a just concession to the Democratic
spirit Of the State, and, such, is commendable,
OF course; but in giving the Governor four years
torn there would seem to be o kind of t-off, to
take away some Of the force of the original cour-
tesy and to leave it doubtful whether democracy
Is gratified or not
To guard still further against tho possibility
that power shall ever pass from the hands of tho
upper districts, which now for the time have
acquired the chance to WELD it, it is provided that
no district shall have moro than twelve Represen-
tatiyes, matter what may be its population; and
Charleston, therefore, though she can have no
representation but of her white population, can
not have more than just that number to which
the most populous upper district is entitled, no
matter what even that white population may be;
but that she may not be put entirely out of humor,
she is allowed two Senators extra, who while they
may appear to compensate the loss of Representa-
lives in the lower house, have no real influence
on Legislative action
The action Of the Convention, so far, indicates
the theory that slavery will be less distributed hero
after; that emigrants will come, and will come,
rather to the upper districts; that they will tend
to drive in the negroes to the lower and that such
lower districts, so charged with negroes, should
have no power to control the action of the State.
This theory is, perhaps, true. In the nature OF
things, perhaps, there is tendency to segrega-
ton; and it may naturally happen that the negroes
will be in one section of the State and the white
people in the other; but doubt if this would be
the best for us, whether the State should holm
to bring it about;-the best for those it might be
from whom the negro should be drawn, but not
for those to whom he comes And especially not
BEST IT, in that isolated condition, they shall have
no power of sef-direction, but must rely upon the
gooa sonse or good feeling Of another section fol
inc measures necessary to their safety and well
Delng. This will be the same drama over agair
wnich mas just come to such bloody close in the
Union.
Nor would it be well for the negro. He has NJ
IN nrn