The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1866-11-30
GOVERNORS MESSAGE, No. 1
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
COLUMBIA, S. c., Nov. p, 1866.
<v..I1,.,o,, of tbo SoD1fo

Gentlemen of the Senate,
and House Of Representatives:
Your annual assembling at the seat
Of government has heretofore been the
occasion of congratulation by the Ex-
cutive, upon the continued happiness
prosperity and improvement of tho
commonwealth. I regret that no such
greeting can be extended to you on the
present occasion. We no longer hear
the clash of arms, nor the tread of hos,
tile armies, and our people have escaped
the scourge Of that terrible disease,
which reyels in the shocking carnival
of death. Whilst the general health
has not been so good, the yirulence and
1dalignty of disease have been mltlga-
ted, and a comparatively small fatality
has visited the sick room. For these
blessings, our thanks are due the great
Ruler Of the Universe. In the depths OF
humiliation and contrition, let US invoke
Him to avert the evils that are upon us
Ito stay the hand Of our prosecutors
to turn away the wrath, and bring to
nought the connsels Of those whowould
oppress and destroy US, and to restore
to Q us the happiness and prosperity
of former years.
The toll of the husbandman has
brought him scanty return from l'is
felds-the grain crop is alarmingly
small-the cotton in many portions OF
the State will not suffice to furnish tho
the means of supplying provisions our
population, white and colored, are
abandoning their old homes and coun-
.try, and arc emigrating to strange
places, where they canfnd bread. With
loss oflabor, our farms must dilapidate,
ourfelds remain untitled, our granaries
continue empty, and our progress in
developing the resources of the State
must be arrested. The failure. Of the
earth to make generous return to the
toll of the husbandman, causes the
goods of the merchant to rest unsold
on his shelves-and keeps the tool of
the mechanic idle-the learning of the
professional man useless. The political
condition of the countryside intoler-
4apce of our conquerors proscrip-
ton to which we are subjected, by those
who should be our loving brothers,
and who WELD the the -dastinies- of t'''a
great nation-thcse evils inUimidate
capital, paralyze enterprise, disorgan-
nize labor, and destroy hope and conf
dence. The enormous tax on cotton
discourages production, and aggggravates
the financial embarrassment Of the peo-
pie. .
Never, therefore, in the history Of
the State, has a Legislature assembled
under less favorable auspices, to provide
for the wants of an impoverished and
'disheartened constituency.
But these extraordinary cmbarrass-
ments must be met with wisdom,
patience and courage, with energy and
hope, and manly resolve to subdue
and overcome them. We must keep
our population here-we must provide
for their present necessitios-we must
stimulate our white population to go
earnestly to work, and let them sec
that labor is honorable and idlcncss
reprehensible. Entering new year
with this fixed determination, our fields
will be better cultivated, and the next
harvest time will find our garncrs well
filed with the products of the soil.
The. staple crops will be more abundant,
and financial embarrassments of the
people will, by consequence, be greatly
relieved. Let us cherish hope and
practice such industry as shall merit
the ful6lment Of these antieipations.
T therefore proceed to make such
Recommendations as will, in my judge
ment, promote the interest of our
common constituency.
;,,I DISTRICT COURTS.
The third Article of the Constitution
of this State. in the third paragraph of
the first Section, directs that ''the Gen
,eral Assembly shall, as soon as posi-
BILE, establish, for each district in the
State, an inferior Court or Courts, to
be styled the District Court the Judge
whereof shall be resident Of the Dist
rict, while in Office shall be elected
by the General Assembly for four years
and shall be re-eligible-which Court
shall have jurisdiction of all causes
wherein one or both of the parties are
persons Of color, and of all criminal ca
ses, wherein the accused is person of
color; and the General Assembly is
empowered to extend the jurisdiction
of the said Court to other subjects" It
is unfortunate that this clause was in
serted in the Constitution. The first
paragraph Of the Section declares, that
Sthe judicial power shall bo vested in
such superior aad anterior Courts of
Law and Equity as the General Assem-,
bly, shall, from time to time, direct and
establish y and this sufficiently compre-
hensive to authorize the establishment
IF INV infarior Court which the wisdom