Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-04-10

he | D
rt,o;,t.d for consideration, mud the prospect Of b
! II, inr speeches from prominent gentlemen OF I
u, district attracted large and Intelligent Gu-
:; -nrc
On m. ton Of Mai J. K. Vance. Mr.. J. Ma.
r;nr Ia;tin-r in the absence OF the ciairiunn | G
If the former meeting, +. A. Connor, was cuAed l
teiho ciiair. - -.,.--,.-t
IT.. Chairman briefly stated. that tho object
{ + the present meeting wns tni,ear tho rsp"rt
# the dckgates 20 The Columbia. Csfvention. |
md to consult MS to the best mode Of carrying
ont the sGg..-stiors, and advancing tie objects
cf that Convention.
tion Ia Columbia, then read tho published re- I
,,ur, of the proceedings Of the Convention, and
made on earnest, able rfd eloquent speech in
.A.pport Of tho principles nRnouncsd by that
,.rly, and urged The necessity of earnest coop.
cintiou in carrying out it's purposes. That
Convention represented in very high degree
the virtue intelligence. public spirit aud pn,ri.
iis,o Of The State, and lis proceedings afforded
a rare exhibition Of temper aud discretion, OF
s.reue wisdom. fairisss. and imrartiality. In
This respect it differed very widely from the
L.s- Couve nuon in Charleston, and manifested /
rc,l,iHg Of that proscrrtivo spirit, that PARTY
1arrur aud rI.sS Legislation which character.
,sed ,se action OF tltnt latte. body. II proposed
I" extend to the blacks qualified suffrage. aud
rave .hen the Tuli assurance OF their par'cra-l
tiun il, bnL civil And political rights Wo shaiI !
els" and coge'.t arguments with which the |
e,,snk DE- pnin,,sra,e6 th the Prosperity Of the
cauutry md tie htrre.fs of tho two races de- |
nandcd the rejection of the proposed Constitu-
tion: 1t WIS ruin"us to the whites and equally
woukl cven,,,a:o in ruin 10 The blacks, aud was
designed nn:. c,ull len"Gt only few needy
e,lverturers and self Ii rcne5adcs. What ono
single pro,nise OF these Northern enissaries
had been rcdecmcd, Where was the land and
the mule will, tho hope Of which they had
:.eiudri The Llncks3 On the contrary their
rrr,npt nnI rrpucinus oiEcinis had haeced the
,,rlu,ied negro of his denr-bnught earnings, and
forced him 10 appeal for redress 10 his natural
protector the Southern whites The utcrcsts
If the two rnces TT The South were Identical,
and it wns folly TO- suppose that the runous
TAXATION imposed 10y the proposed Constitution
would full exclusively urea the whites. No
hCtcs end would ho exempt, and tho little
property tha, the blacks might acquire would
70 to sw ell the porkrts o some gratrfng polfti-
c,un who npprvpyiates his six or eleven dol.
ln,s per Gay. The speaker showed clearly the
,allacous aud lersive character Of the home
~-sd exemption, which was designed as sps
cious bait ~ tempt the nuwary. No official copy
cf the proposed Constitution had been publish
ell, and il no doubt contained errors. but suff-
ci.nt appeared upon its face to s.amp the op-
lr"s,ve character Of the instfunent-a Consti-
luton which had saddcd upon the State al
additional debt Of Slno0D0.
Ur,n the cn,clnaicn Of Mr. Burt's speech
on motion Mnj J. X. Vnnce a Committee Of
,h;rtern WAS appointed by tie chair to nomi-
lnte ticket FOR the State legislatures.
The ful!oEing gentlemen composed the Com
Mai. j. X. Vance, VIM. Ill., Esq, w. X
R,aks, Eco, Col G. L. Haskell. james H.
Wblcmuu, CYL Saml Donnad, J. ". Black
Mi r. 4. Griffin Rev. J. 7. Bonner. W. A.
Ace. ESQ, jus. w. Fraser, John e. CLiIes Jss
H. Rici,at,:son. ....
The Co!1n.,ce then retired. mid luring their
'eh. euce tie meeti,iu was addressed br Gen. Mc
Gowau. III one of III. best efforts. The sprec,
has been the nljccl Of universal commemorative
md hi. eloquent Thought and words, lis wither
jug invec;iye aud earnest appeals carried with
lin ,he svmi,at.,irs AMI applause OF his audience
lie presented an tlsbotate review of the pro
posed Constitution, aud exposed in detail it.
hc,cICgcn. Gus and mutually rerugnant proyis-
ions. ." -
LIE E:PUpISrEp TILE fAR6XrIEE OF TfiE PRO-
PasID CoSsrrrrrI"S. lie gave bIief narrative
If events, after the surrender of Ire Confeder
ute armies, which led to the Conv cntirn lately
assembled in Charleston. The r. construction
Acts of CUneress, ehfranchsnns some and dis
fran chfau, others, were admi.ted.t .tp he :" ont
sid. oi tie. Constitution = that they were, LIE
sides, G,tf1erubllcan and vengeful and onl,
!paHs-d as d a.unishnent, becarse the State re
fused to adopt the Constitutional Amendment n
the State old right To have done oil,ervis
~ouid hove been tu deserve the ekecration q
III niahkind. AS the Convention wns no
called l.y The State. 30 it was made up of u,a
t-rial, if not actually hostile, at least ignorYa.p
Of up.l indifferent to the best interests Of "
4>tns 6- ,,ners, adsebturers. cafret.banger.
AID caiee-serkcrs. Tho CONSTITUTION. 4. TO i,
rr:gin. is ;lrcitinate. hm'gfel ba.tar
hsnlHh..% lie sad iis provisibns " ere a. Oh
j-ctisnabIe as its origin; The whole machiper
If government was borrowed or abstracte
trrin large and prosperous eemmen wealtl,s, an
was entirely unsuitod to a small and impov
-ri-hed State II was like pigmy putting o
,he amor Of gisnt. The takes now opprees
iur-our impo er shxd people will I've quadrupie
tn keep up q hos. OF Observation-Disclosures
rf educution, school commissioners. DO.
lie anaiy Fed the different sections Of tn
C"ns,i|ution With cleaYnsss and earnestnes
especially the judiciary, the Education, all
ihe Frunchise articles. lie aaid five annu'
VERSIONS uf the Courts 5f cinihoE Pleas an
General Sessions would bankrupt the Stnt
and the election, by universal suffrage. of Jh
ticrs WHO had exclusive jurisdiction, civil an
rriniual, Of all cases under one hundred dol
lnrs, would brug upon the country The curse
c"rrupt elec'ionecring Judges and a swarm
I haIf educated riern,g reltifogers. lie sal
The effort had hern often made in the STATE I
mrply nns ard the Same system Of free schoo
l." all its parts, and had as often failed. I'll
y iferep! parts Of The State were as d ffere,
from each other as possible. and tho effort
su'jeel al to the same Procrustsen rule was
tE.e us it was INDUSTRIOUS. The stupendo,
school ngamrH itself would destroy all u
property aud crusli out the very vitals of Il
StAtc. lie said il was modes'ly asked that Il
PEOPLE 81 the State should make rhs' Uons,it
ton 1IiElR o1s. although il required the Leg
lature to pass the Constitutiopal Amendme
hifrnnuhisng her beat citizens, and rivetil
th, IL chains forever! Sf,ame upon suclI pr
crcjng! III was nakipg the State base i