The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-02-20
"t9 Of the Bill to Amend the, Patrol
Laws"

and below, and We give it place because
is the first veto message sent to the Gene
Assembly under the new Constitution.
ndcr the Constitution of 1871 the Cover
'r did not possess the veto power. AS the
cssage was received very late in the day
cccding the adjournment, 1T was not final
disposed of by the Senate:
STATE OF SouriI CAROLINA,
EXECUTIVE DErAnrMrNr,
CoLUMBIA, December TO- 1866.
r. President and Gentlemen Of The Senate:
cannot approve tho. .bill which origina-
in the Senate, entitled Gan Act to
mend the Patrol Laws" and the Constitu-'
III of this State makes it obligatory on me
r.turn it, with my objections, ITO that
ousc from which it shalt have originated"
An Ordinance was ratified by the State
invention on the 9th OF September last,
tutlcd IAN Ordinance to declare in force
claws heretofore in force in. this State,
I'd tic Acts, official, public aud private,
nc, and appointments and elections made,
ldcr authority OF the same" The second
ction declares ali laws, &C., Of this State
force which were OF force on the 18th of
eccrnber, 1861 The third section declares
AT all laws passed since that date are of
rec until repealed &c: PrOr6cG, hoWeuer,
hat all laws. resolutions, orders or rules
nbracci within terms Of this and tic pre-
ding section, which recognize the cXs-
nee of slavery, and regulate the relations
master and slave, and define and enforce
&c rights and duties growing thcreout, or
cafe and punish offences against snch
ghts. or against the public policy of tho
tate in reference to slavery, have become
10 further or future force or effect by,
mson Of the extinction Of slavery"
The Acts OF 1882 is entitled Gan Act to
duce all Acts and clauses of Acts in rela-
.on to the patrol of this State into one
lct, and to alter and amend the same" aud
vas intended solely to secure subjection
nd subordination OF the negro race Every
cction in the bill was intended to sustain
the public policy of the State in reference
slavery" aud the Convention, by..solemn
ordinance, has declared that laws for that
purpose, "havc become of no further or fu-
urc force" Is not. therefore, all the pro
visions of the Act of 1889, and amendments
thereto, as cffcctuaily repealed as the Act
Of l74O, or any other law recognizing or
regulating slavery? lfan Ordinance of n
Convention can repeal law, there would
seem to be little doubt that every enact
men, in this State as to patrol had been
cficctually swept from tho statute book.
alton, in repeating the eleventh, twelfth,
thirteenth and fifteenth sections Of the Act
of 1889, assumes that all the other sections
ut the Act are still in force,
The Cor stitutiOn of the State recognizes
the universal freedom of tho African race,
and prohibits their reinstatement. The
Ordinance of the Convention expressly re
peals all laws regulating the the institution,
and this assumption of the bill is entirely
inconsistent with both. Is not the provis.
ion in the fifth section Of the Act, which
authorizes the patrol to- fake up all slaves
found without the limits Of their owners
plantation, and give them moderate whip
ping, and III the sixth section authorizing
and requiring the patrol to cptcr into any
diSordcrly house, vessel or boat, suspected
Of harboring. tra!iicking or dealing with
JnSrocs, whether the same be occupied by
white persons, free negroes, mulattocs.
NEST izocs or' slaves and to correct all
slaves found there, and to report the free
negroes to n magistrate, and to retain the
products of traffic till inquired into, Just as
Inconsistent with the freedom Of the negro
as the'sections proposed'to be repealed by
this bill
am entirely satisfied that the whole Act,
for the reasons Stated is no longer law in
South Carolina, and am willing to raise a
question by now repeating some sections and
allowing others to remain.
ohjectto the second section of the bill,
because il undertakes, amongst othcrthings
10 Interfere with the private rights and
business Of tho citizen, when the public
safety does not require such interposillon
Thee tizcr, lent or sojourner, who hires
fifteen or more laborcrs, whether white
or colored, is most competent to determine
what supervision his laborcrs may require
If his laborcrs become troublesome to his
ncighbors by tumultuous or disorderly con-
duct, they may be indicted and punished.
If they rob and plunlcr, the law will avengc
the outrage on the individual and on so
cicty. ,"'
Now that freedom has been accorded to
the African race in our midst. duty and poll
cy alike Qdm6nish us to give him ali the
cuncomitants of what he regards 30 great
boor. Emancipation has changed our rc-
lations TO him m'most essentially. SO long as
he was a slave, though Ills moral training
was not neglected, it was our policy to pro.
hibit him from learning to read and write.
Now il is our policy to cnlighten and ec.
vate him, for it makes him more trustwor