The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-10-23
.goli:ti,eal..
Letter from Governor Orr to the
President.
.sSs,es. xEcUTIvEs EsDEpARTMENT,
- = colnnnhia g e. Sent. so 1861 =.

II
Columbia, S. O., Sept. so 1867. -
10. HIS Ercelleacy Andrep .Johason,
. PfesiS!eat;o of the, United States:
sssiir2I. have the honor to forward for
soBr censideratio General Orders, No.
80 issued BY Gen. E. R. S. Candy from
/. the HEADQUARTERS of the Second Military
: district; dated the 18th inst, and commu-
HiE;ted to me On the goth inst.
Itswili be- perceived. that by this general
3 81 order uaI citizens assessed for taxes, and
who shall have paid taxes for the current
year, and who arequalifed and nave been
orsmay be registered as voters are q1all,
!: fed to serve asjurors; and that ut shall
be a sufficient ground Of challenge TO the
) competency ofany person drawnas Juror
that he has not been duly registered as a
voter. Such right of chalcge may be ex-
arcised in behalf. Of sthe-peole of the ac-
cused. in a!l:criminal proceedings, and by
either party in all civil actions and pro-
eeedings:"' ss ,ss,...,.5. ~ So.
aus will observe. that this order con-
:. stitut,.s as CON petents Jurors all persons
who have paid taxes and registered, and
excludes all persons who have been ad.
judaed 10 be disfranchised under the Mili-
tary Reconstruction Acis. These Acts
have not been construed. according to the
usual legal principle of enlargng the
4 privileges or franchises of thecilizen; but
= .b,lsthef contrary, With strictncss which
has excluded, from registration many
WHOSE diSfi4,nchisement was doubtful and
very roat,F who under a fair interpreta-
tson OF tie Act, should have been entitled
to;5rryeqistraton. In. addition to all district
sofficers, such as clerks, slicrtIs, tax .colec-
tors aud assessors, registers IN equity,
:: o,l ,l9istrates ands5constables there have,
been excluded Ssmiiitia officers, -comu,is-
sione1xi of. roads, As,scommissioners OF pubic
shuildinas; commissioners Of free schools,
81 81. commissioners of: the. poor, and commis-
t:sionels to prove ll,esecurltlcson the ponos
of public officers: These. various boards
4sre appointed sby resolution OF the Legs,
l;;turei, except the Commissioners OF the
= Poor; syyl 10 are elected by the people
: syliens appointed orzelected they are re-
puired TO serve two years. or pay q flne OF
4. S5Dss they takesno o oath to perform their
tl,,t;es.$ and receive no compensation for
rncirl services These classes, together
1 with magistrates, constab!es, district OH
:. :, cers.. res aud members of the Lcglsa-
lure. .a5nstitnte a very large number OF
the cf6izens ofssrtie State VINO have been
excluded from rcs,istration.; and the TACT
Rat tInep have filled these various otlces
. and positions il eTidence Of their general
Z, inte,ligeace. ss.ss. sss So, ss.ei..-,
Ifeearried into execution, this general
-or,ler3win more completely unsettle TIE
s l:sws rsl;rting,t to persons and property than
all the CT er. orders that have yet been
:. issued by tic military authorities in this
district Tie Legislature of the State, at
its session ia December. $50, imposed a
2 tax Of 81 per lfcad npon all male persons
Z between the ages oftwenty-one and fifty,
residing in this; State on the 1st day OF
February: 1867. except those incapable OF
earning asupport from. being MANNED or
J. any eo.thor cause All .c0lorcd males are
this liableto pay taxes; ;'a!ldesye many Of
then have failed to do SO. W nat have
been tile relative proportionof whites and
blacks who have failed to pay lin the re-
spentive districts l have not now the
:; means of stating; but the proportion OF
colered persons is nuch greater tnan OF
whites.
sTo show the. ruinous results, however,
that .vyiii follow frernsthis order,,if it is
allowed to be executed, bog leave to call
your attention to the matter of registra-
: lion. in this State. :;
There are white majorties in but SIX
: districts. In two districts the numbers
are about equal In each of the remain
y in, twenty.lhree districts Of the State
there being altogether thirty-one-the
registration shows colorcd majority. In
Charleston the colored majority is 1872,
the registered whites being 1886, and the
blacks s, ,09s. OF the whites us were
unable to sign5their names; OF the colored,
1886. In Charleston and Columbia Il
: larger 3numbers5o the latter class OF per-
sons can read and write: than in any
: tothersporfion of the State, u very much
larger number, because they have had til.
: .cilities before and since emancipation OF
obtaining some education not enjoyed by
their class in all the rural region of the
State, to which / shall advert more par
tieuiarly hereafter In organizing jury
in Charleston, therefore, assuming that all
have paid their taxes, this portion would
give nearly eight colored jurors to four
Whites, and FIVE of these eight would not
be able to sign their names. In Beaufort,
Georgetown, Colleton, Berkely and other
districts, the showing is: even worse
Partial returns from Beaufort indicate
that there are 9; $50 eolored, and but sixty
five white votes registered. This pro-
portion would furnish but one white man
to every fourth jury. Of the colored
voters registered in the rural districts |
estimate that not more than FIVE per cent.
of the whole number are able to read and
writessand very many of them have not
intelligence enough to count one hundre1; co.
In Georgetown District there are 4l0