Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-05-28


crumble into dust ........ ....
Misfellaneans @eaaing.
( SPEECH OF HON. JAMES BECK.
4 The remonstrance of the Central Executive
Committee of South Carolina, against the recep-
ton of the Constitution, recently adopted in this
State, was presented in the House of Representa-
tives by Hon. James B. Beck, of Kentucky.
The following n sn extract from his speech on that
occasion: ... ...... ...
''Take the case of South Carolina for example,
and I can only state few prominent points. Of
the men composing that Constitutional Conven-
ton, 70 were negroes, and about so white men.
OF the men composing the present Legislature OF
that State, seventy-one are colored and ffty-four
white One item of taxation alone in that State,
the taxation for the support Of free schools, a.
mounts to 81 100000. 1t is provided that the
white race shall never have any public school ex-
cusively for themselves; that the white and the
black children, male and female, shall be play
mates and schoolmates together; that if the white
citizens do not send their boys and their girls to
the schools attended by the negroes they shall suf
fer such penalties as negro Legislature may see
fit to impose. Who are the men thus imposing
these conditions upon the people of that State
AS have already said, they have no interest in
the affairs of the State no interest in its property,
no interest in its taxation, and compose no part Of
its intelligence, wealth, or respectability. While
they are spending millions of the property Of other
people, they do not themselves bear one dollar Of
the burden. I hold in my hand and propose to
read an abstract, to which, I trust, members will
give their attention, and then let them say whether
these are men fit to make Constitutions for, or i'm
pose laws upon people.
The following statement exhibits an analysis OF
the taxes paid by the members of the Convention
and of the Legislature recently elected in South
Carolina, according to the tax returns in the Comp
trolers Office:
The total amount paid by members of the Legis-
lature, $7OO.63; of this amount, six members pay
$39l so; leaving balance paid by all other men,
bers $3O9.0l. Executions were issued for $l4O 76
of this balance; whether or not paid is not ascer-
tained. The total amount paid by the members
of the Constitutional Convention, $S7954; of this
amount, one member "a conservative Denocrat)
pays $50SS5; and three members pay $2l0. So
$7le,35; balance paid by all other members,
$l6O19. Executions for s77.75 Of this balance
whether or not paid, not ascertained
I have the full lists of the members of both these
bodies, giving their names the Districts they rep
resent their color and the taxes assessed to each,
which intended to publish with my remarks, but
they would occupy too much space. l will retain
them at my desk, where they can be examined by
any member who desires to do so. Fifty-six of the
negro delegates of the Convention are not even on
the assessors books. With three or four excep-
tons, the others only pay poll tax, and in few
instances tax on dog-very likely asleep killer
and the white delegates are in the same condition.
Twenty-three of their number were unknown even
to the assessor. Poll tax is not charged against
them, and most Of the others pay mere nominal
tax; and the same may be said in regard to the
State Senators and members of the Legislature,
as the detailed list in my possession shows These
lists are at the service of members so that the
curacy of the statements make may be tested.
What is here shown in reference to South Caro-
lima is but sample of all. lam informed, by the
best men in Alabama that oil the white men in
the State who voted for the Constitution have not
property enough in it to enable them to execute
the bond required by law for the State Treasurer.
These South Carolina papers were prepared for
the purpose pflaying them before this House, and
to show what manner of men they were who made
this Constitution for that people, and to show how
impossible it is for this House, or any member Of
lit, Republican or Democrat, to 60 before his own
constituency and justify the imposing upon the
people of South Carolina such Constitution as
that, thus forced upon them by adventurers who
hate them, and by degraded and ignorant negroes,
who knew nothing of what they were doing.
There we're very few free negroes in South Caro-
lima before the war nearly all were slaves, as you
know There is not one ina hundred Of them who
can read or write and yet, under the Constitution
of South Carolina, they are not only majority Of
the electors, but they have elected men Of their
own race and color to FIJI three fourths of the Offices
in the State. Over seventy of them are in the
State Legislature, and doubtless, the other State
Offices are held by them in like proportion. Intel
ligence and virtue are crushed out by Ignorance
and vice. The proud race to which we all belong,
and of whose civilization We are proud, is tram
pied in the dust by the debased African. Taxa
ton without representation for the white man. and
representation without taxation for the negro, is
the rule now in South Carolina.
"shades of the mighty, can It he
That this 10 oil that remains OF thee {"
Under that Constitution the negro magistrate
may, for any offences negro Legislature may cre-
ate, fine white men any sum not exceeding SlOO,
and imprison him not exceeding thirty days. and
repeat it as often as he pleases. Speaking disre'
spectfuny of the race, color, or integrity of the
magistrate refusing to send his children to school
with negroes, refusing to sleep in the same bed
with him-anything may be made the prete1t for
arbitrary fine and imprisonment. more conven-
lent mode of depopulating the State of South Car
olina of her white race, could not well be devised.
The Legislature has power to maintain stand
ing army in time of peace. This and the militia
provision will enable a sufficient number of profit
gate negroes to be maintained as soldiers at the ex
pense of the white taxpayers, to keep the white
race in perfect subection, and to eat out their sub
stance
The whole spirit of the proposed Constitution is
shown in section eight of article eight, which reads
thus:
''SEc. 8. The General Assembly shall never
pass any law that will deprive any of the citizens
of this State of the right of suffrage, except Tor
L..,.- n,,,Jo, r,hbar,, or duolinp whereof the