The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-01-21

which will challenge the criticism and
commendation of the most intelli,
gent portion of the State.
Believing, as have said to you, thai
you have assembled here with fpro.
per motives; that the Constitution
framed by you will be the law under
which the people of South Carolina
will live for years to come, and oc.
cupying the position of Chief Execu-
tive OF the State, am here to give
to the members of your body the
benefit of whatever suggestions may
occur to my mind, provided that
can do so without seeming to in
trude. My earnest desire is that this
Convention shall adopt Constitu-
tion which shall meet with the cor
dial support and approval of the
white as well as the black race. If it
be just, wise and liberal, when the
question comes upon its adoption, I
shall certainly recommend my friends
to vote Tor if; if unwise or unjust,
shall be equally free to urge its re-
lection.
'aIt is proper TO say here, that in my
Judgment it was unfortunate that the
election of delegates to this Conven-
tion should have been influenced by
the politics of the day. Members
should have been chosen without re-
ference to their opinions upon ma
tional politics. It was .immaterial
whether they were conservatives, ra-
ideals or Democrats. The best men
of each District, without reference
to antecedents or to present political
opinions, ought to have been select
ed for the purpose of framing Con-
stitution. This was my advice to the
people of the State months ago. It
was q matter of little consequence
who was elected as Representatives of
the State in the Senate or House of
Representatives of the United States,
whether radical, moderate Repubi-
can or Democrat, as compared with
the important duty of framing
Constitution for q people which was
to last for years. The whites in the
State have abstained from going to
the polls, and the blacks mainly have
been controlled by the radical party.
Although thus elected, let the mem
bers of the Convention remember
that the Constitution which they
adopt for the people of South Caro-
Lima may, in all probability, be the
Constitution of the State for the next
twenty years-when radical, Repub-
lican and Democratic parties may
have passed away and others have
taken their place. Anything, there
fore, which savors of partizan pur-
pose, incorporate d in the Constitu-
tion, may, in q very few years, find
that it has out-lived its purpose, it's
supporters, and its proteges.
In framing Constitution, many
improvements may be made upon
the existing laws of the land, I'beg
very briefly to call your attention to
some Of them. If they are adopted,
in my judgment, when the question
is presented to the people of the
State to ratify or reject the Constitu-
tion. you will be able to command
in its favor q much larger vote than
was polled in the election of delegates
to the Convention.
First. Upon the question of the
elective franchise, I desire most ear
nestly to recommend that you incor-
porate no disability whatever in it;
that you allow every man in the State,
even those who have been disfran-
chised under the Constitutional
Amendment, to exercise the right of
suffrage, and of holding Office, with
the restrictions that no one shall exer-
else that franchise unless he may be
able to read and write, or has a pro-
perty qualification such as you NAV
determine.
In voting upon the ratification of
the Constitution you may adopt, all
registered voters will Of course be in
cluded, which will of course secure
its adoption. With the view of car
rying out fully the views of the Con
vention, the first Legislature to be
elected under the Constitution may
be elected by all male voters over
twenty-one years of age, but after
that time, if not before, I urgently
recommend that qualified suffrage,
to all classes and races, be provided
for in the Constitution. A man who
goes to the polls after January /,
1870, whether he be white or black,
who Is not able to read or write,
should be excluded from the priv.
leges Of voter.
Representing as you do, almost ex-
clusively the colored element OF
South Carolina, you are not invisi-
BILE to the fact, and to its legitimate
results, that very many of the voters
who have sent You here have NOT