The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1868-01-18
From the Charleston Mercury.
THE NEGRO CONVENTION.
TUESDAY.1.lTH..

;,5 A TUESDAY 1ITH..l .nd
According to announcements the great rinscd,
strcakcd and stiipcd convention, called To-
yctherto provides new Constitution for lhc
once great State OF South Carolina, assembled
in, and thereby desccratsI tho Charleston
Club House, a building erected by n society of
Charleston. gentlemen, ion the enjoyment of
each others company id atho pursuit oftrloas-
urc. n -tl r. .iil ,if;" ts'!I
AT ton ninstcs past twelve o clock, r. fIur-
ley, white, delegate from n,Bcrkeloy District,
called the convention to toiorder, and requested
the spectators to withdraw without the bar
except the representatives of the pr So who
were requested to press themselves around the
tables prepared lor them" The plain delegate
from Icl Kelly thus brought the convention to
order, and established indiSputahe claim to
be- regarded as the funny man or harlequin uf
the body. -
Thomas j. iiuhertzon, white delegate from
Rivhlanl, Was then unanimously chosen tenn
porary tharMnii, and w. j. .nlcknney, Of
OrnSchurg, requested to act MS secretary pro
tom. i.3,. .i,r Hflo ~ r.
The soc: etury rrn tcm.i;hcn read tho c:I.l
Coz tic assembling I'll the convention md c;,llc,!
the list III ,la.-.rtcs. @-'
d. A. r-,,c"vrc, white, oc.cya,c ,Ivll
I!":iin::N'i: thea moved that a committee be
Srpohityl on pt:r;a:,cnt organization. whose
duty it would he to report tie ulmcs of yuita-
bic persons to ill the offices the convcmtion
This ano;ion gave rise to great discussion
1t was finally agreed that the chair should
appoint committee on certificates Of idcmtiG-
cation, who should report who were entitled to
seats in the convention. '''
B. Odc Duncan, white, delegate from New
berry, wished the while matter postponed un-
til Thursday at - o'clock to give tihio r,r il,,,
members to become acquainted with each other,
and form correct opinions to who were fit
persons to act as officers Of the convcntion
He was of opinion tAat ercut deal Of thc sue
cess and inf ucncc Of the l,ody would depend
upon tho administration of'thc president of thc
conventions, md he wintcd ample time given
to the members to make Il wise choice
l.. IL. langley, delegate from Beaufort, but
q WOOL y-hcadcd Negro from tho North, here
suggested that the convention was not in
condition to organize, rs there was no telling
whether the members who" answered their
names were the real members or not, and he
thought that the members ought to be idcnt-
fed in somc way. This led to more protraccd
discussion, during which n great variety Of
opinions creexpresscd.' and number Of mo-
tions made and amendments offered. niitl
The committee havin. retired, it was moved
that Tie convention take recess for twenty
minutes This was voted down amid much
laughter as if it was very funny; There boing
nothing else to do a member suggested that
the chairman pro. tenn entertain the convention
with a speech during the absence of the com
nttcc. The chairman not conserving to this
pastimc, various suggestions wore made for di-
fcrcnt members to speak, but none accepted
lied by some irregularity and great want Of
dignity?
The secretary pro. tenn, evidently dcsirous of
preventing the convention from exposing itself
to further rdiculc, moved that the convention
take u recess for three quarters Of an hour, and
for the information oil tho ignorant, he OK
planned that three quarters of an hour meant
forty five minutes. This motion was al>o voted
down amid shouts Of laughter, as if it was the
extreme Of Wit, to keep tho members in the
room.
At length to the great relief Of those wish
ipg to leave the hall, messenger from the
Committee on Credentials appeared, and in
formed the chairman that the Committee
wished tho presence Of all tho mcmbcrs in the
commi;too..rocnl, except he chairman and sccre-
tary pro. tol', tF
This created an actual, though no. formal,
recess Of alout half ~ hour, after which the
Committee aud other Notwithstanding aud
rcsuming their seats, B. O4ol Duncan, as
chpirmau OF the committees made q verbal re-