Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-05-07
The New Constitution of South
Carolina.

The New Constitution of Soutl
Carolina, just adopted by an over
whelming majority, is an immense
stride in a new direction. Not new
for the Northern States, but new
to the people who for the first time
in life are permitted 10 vote on theil
Constitution. Into the Bill oi
Rights are introduced the most
emphatic declaration Of the invio-
liability of the Union, and the dec
laration that "this State shall for
ever remain member Of the Amer
lean Union, and all attempts to
dissolve said Union shall be resist.
ed with the whole of the power OF
the State" This is a bitter cup Of
itself to the old nullifers.
Strange to say, until General
Sickles issued his famous order No.
Z 10, Imprisonment for debt vas of
daily occurrence in South Carolina.
That order opened the prisons and
enabled men to return to their
homes who had not seen their fam
lilies for three, five and seven years.
The New Constitution changes all
this, and prohibits Imprisonment
/ for debt. Next to this in import
ance to the poor man is the home.
stead exemption feature of the
Constitution. 1t secures to the
head Of every family a homestead
to the value of fifteen hundred dol.
lars. Atpresent this is for the spe-
cial benefit of the whites rather
than the blacks. The new Judi
ciary system is much simpler than
the old one, reducing the expenses
at least one-third. The new sys-
tenn is simple, complete, inexpen-
sive and impartial. 1t provides for
a Supreme Court, with appellate
jurisdiction generally, and the usu-
al special original jurisdiction. -
Below this are the two Circuit
! Ceurts-the Common Pleas, witt
civil jurisdiction only, and the Gen
eral Sessions, with criminal juris
diction only; Judges Of Probate
and Justices of the Peace. Nothing
could well be simpler.
4 Another very important feature
is the guarantee Of universal suf-
frage. Every male citizen OF the
United States who is twenty-one,
and has been aresident Of the State
one year, is made an elector of the
State. Such persons alone are dis
franchised as shall be disfranchised
by Congress. Not one rebel is
Id:sfranchised by the Constitution,
and that in South Carolina, by a
Convention composed chiefly of
colored men who might have taken
sweet revenge on their former mas
ters. This is splendid magnanimi-
ty. The Democratic twaddle about
a "war of races" counts for little in
view of this.
The next, and equally character
/ istic feature of the Constitution is
the article on education. This is
generous, radical, comprehensive,
and the most gigantic stride that
any rebel State has yet taken. 1t
provides for system Of free pub
lie schools, supported by the State,
just as they are in Ohio 1t divides
the State into school districts, and
orders the maintenance of a school,
open to black and white, in each
district, for six months every year,
1t provides for a State Superinten-
dent of Education, and a State
Board of School Commissioners
for the establishment, within five
years, Of q State Normal School
/ and also for that of a State Agri.
cultural College as early as prac-
ticable. These last are not to be
established Immediately, owing to
the poverty of the people, but the
common school system goes into
immediate effect. The whole article
on education is carefully drawn and
shows that wise heads were at work
in the Convention which framed the
Constitution. 3
Such is the Constitution with
which South Carolina comes to
Congress and asks admission into
the sisterhood of States, 1t is a
Constitution of which she may well
be proud, and which in the great
principles Of justice to all men, puts
that State, in some things, in ad-
vance Of many Northern States
Cleveland Herald.