The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1865-09-16
THE STATE CONVENTION.
MESSAGE
Governor Perry,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT SOUTH CAROLINA

| EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT SOUTH CAROLINA.
To The Members Of the State Convention
GENTLEMEN: You have been convened in obc-
dience to the Proclamation OF his Exccllcncy An
drew johnson, President of the United States, for
| the purpose of organizing State Government,
| whereby justice may be established, domestic
tranquility insured, and loyal citizens protected in
all their rights of life, liberty and property" AS
Provisional Governor of the State of South Caro-
lima, under whose orders you elected and have
assembled, it is proper that should address you
on the present OCCASION end assist you, if can,
in restoring our beloved State ''to her constitu-
tional relations to the Federal Government" and
| aid you by my suggestions in presenting "smch n
title South Carolina to the guarantee Of the United
States therefor, and her people to protection by
the United States, against invasion, insurrcction
and domestic violence"
Gently taken place in the Southern States, and the
terrific war which has swept over South Carolina,
zens of all civil government are too well known to
you, and too painful in their detail, for me to
bring them unnecessarily in review before YOU
Instead of dwelling the past and gricving over
its errors aud misfOrtunes, let us with manly for
titude, look to the future, and accommodate our
selves to tho circumstances which surround us,
and which cannot be changed or avoded.
The President Of the United States has mani
tested u generous and patriotic solcitude for the
restoration of the Southern States to all their civil
and political rights, under the Constitution and
Federal Union reconstructed as it was before the
secession of those States; and he will oppose the
Capitalization of power in Congress, and the in
fringement of the constitutional rights of the
States, with the same zeal, energy and power with
which he resisted the assumed right Of secession
on the part of the States. In order to accomplish
this re- union of the States, the President desires
that South Carolina, well all the other States
in rebellion, should accept, as inevitable and I'M
avoidable, the great final results of the war.
African slavery, which was cherished institu-
ton Of South Carolina from her earliest colonial
history, Patriarchal in its character, under which
the negro has multiplied aud increased with IA
pidity proving that he has been kindly cared for
and protected, is gone, dead forever never to be
revived, hoped for in the future Of this State.
tiles Of the United States have abolished slavery
in all the seeding States. The oath you have
solemnly taken to "abidc by and faithfully support
all laws and prociamations which have been made
during the existing rebellion, with reference to
the emancipation OF slaves, requires You, III good
faith, to abolish slavery in your now or amended
Constitution. Tho express terms on which your
pardons have been issued, stipulate that {ou shall
never again own OF employ slave labor. 1t ls like
wise altogether probable that the proposed amend
ment to the Federal Constitution, abolshing slave
and become part of the Constitution. Moreover,
it is impossible for South Carolina ever to regain
her civil rights and be restored to the Union till
she voluntarily abolishcs slavery and declares, by
an organic law, that neither "slayery or involun-
tary servitude, except as punishment FOR crime,
whereof the party shall have been duly convict
Sldu ipdlu cAlbJ Nllllu vi Giic
State. Until this is done, we shall be kept under
military rule and the negroes will be protected as
'tfrecdmen by the whole military force of the Uni
ted States. But know that you arc oil honorable
men, rs well as patriotic men, and will do your
duty faithfully to yourselves and your country,
however painful it may be-.
In making this unavoidable change in your Con-
stitution, abolishing slavery, and which will re-
uuire tho substitution of hired labor for that of
slave labor, it is to be hoped that none of those
evils will be experienced which some have antici-
,nfod Ry n Nyiap. inst and humane trcltmclt of
your freedmen" and women. you may attach them
to you as strongly in their new condition as they
see and feel their dependence on you, and know
that their interests require them to be true and
faithful to YOU 1t is toDe expected that 80 great
and sudden change as this in the condition Of the
dissatisfaction. This, however, will only be tenn
porary. Time and experience must bring order
and system. The freedman will soon find out
that he must work or perish. Legislation will ne
cessarily be required to regulate the relative du-
ties of the employer and employee.
It is very desirable that you should avail your;
popularizing the State Constitution in several
Particulars. It is the reproach Of South Carolina
abroad that her Constitution is less popular and
republican in its provisions than that of any other
state in the Union. And it is thought by many
that to this cause alone may be traced the origin
Of that discomfort and dissatisfaction with the
Federal Government which, after being nursed for
thirtythree or four years, ended in the secession
or rebellion OF thirteen or fourteen States. -
Tha basis of representation in the Senate OF this
State, as you know, is entirely arbitrary, ant
founded ON no just principles of property or popu
lation. At the time it was adopted-more thar
seventy-fye years ago-it was, no doubt, fair ant
equal But since that time the entire relative con
difion OF Election Districts has changed. The up
per country, at the adoption Of our State Constitu
ton in 1890, was comparatively but newly settled
had q sparse population and very little wealth
But since that time, this portion Of the State ha
increased in wealth and numbers in much create
ratio than the lower country, Hence it is that tn
Parish representation in the Senate ls uneqnB
and unjust. Twenty or thirty votes in one OF tn
Parishes whose population and taxation combin
ed enttlo it to only one member in the House g
the Senate that three thousand voters have i
Edgefield District, whose population and taxatio
entitle it to six members in the House. This
contrary to all republican principles Of politics
7 justice and equality.
In the early history ofSouth Carolina the repre-
, sentation in the Parishes was repeatedly change
> to eaualize it among the respective Election Dil
tricts. But all such changes have been obstinate
{ refused during tho last seventy-fye years. No,
that slavery is abolished, reformation in this RI
0 spect is imperative and must be adopted In g
Z basis Of representation in the House OF RepreseI
8 tatives, which is founded on population and tax
ti6n. Each Judicial District in the State shQul
o however, have q Senator, and the City OF Chafie
o ton two, in addition to ono from the District
2 Charleston. The other Senator's, II the preseI
: number be retained, may be given to tho large
8 districts in population and taxation, as Fraction
arc now represented in tho House Of Represent
o tives. The two great clements Of Representati'
= Governments are wealth and population, and thu
/ should be both equally represented, so that Il
f1a0io ofnf fof Of