The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-01-16
: The Reeonstruction Convention,

yesterday lounged in the. vicinity OF
| what was once celebrated 2 as the
| Charleston Club House, enjoyed the
luxury OF new sensation, for there
must have been brought home tto, his
mind end heart evidences of the
t'great change wrought by war, more
startling than any event thai has yet
occurred. With grief and misfor-
tune--with ruined homeSteads and
desolated fields-with people once
proud and happy, now suffering from
q lack of even the necessaries of life
with military domination. and the
excuses of a population ~ invested
with privileges. the use of, which, so
far. has not been rightly learned
with all these he was familiar; but
for the first time in his life, there
came home To him veatarday The ter
rible truth that South Carolina-the
State of his birth and the home Of
his fathers-has passed into other
hands, and that strangers have
usurped the places Of her statesmen.
The classic edifice, where in times
gone by, so many were wont to as
semble in the interchange OF that
rare hospitality for which Charleston
was famous, the handsome grounds
and ornamental shrubbery alone re-
main to remind us of the honored as
soclatlons connected with the spot.
Hundreds of those who frequented
its spacious halls have "gone down
to graves in bloody shrouds," and
the trees on hundred battle fields
sing their requiem. The building it.
self has passed into other hands, and
is now owned by j. p. NJ. Epping.
the United States Marshal for the
District of South Carolina, by whom
it was rented to the military authori-
ties, for the use of the Convention,
for the sum OF $1,000. To adapt it
to the exigencies of the occasion, the
large hall on the second floor has
been divided in twain by wooden
rail. Outside of this, and connected
with the main entrance, are arranged
benches for the hoi poHoi, capable of
accommodating say $50 spectators.
Inside of the rail are comfortable
chairs for the accommodation of the
delegates.
Fully an hour before the meeting
OF the Convention, negroes began to
gather from all sections of the CITY,
to look upon the novel spectacle.
They lined the sidewalk opposite,
loafing lazily in the sunshine. They
rambled idly through the handsome
grounds, and talked of politics and
equal rights. Finally they thronged
into the hall and packed the place
devoted to their convenience until it
resembled gigantic box of snrdines.
With not little interest did they
criticise the delegates of both colors,
as one by one these dropped in pre-
paratory to commencing the business
of the day, and the amount of re-
spect bestowed upon these represen-
tatives of their people, especially
such as were nttired in tho most ele-
giant style of the tailor's art, was not
more manifested by ndmiring looks
than n general silence and good order
In proper consOnance with the solem-
nifty OF the occasion. In this motley
crowd probably not moro than q half
dozen white men were to be seen.
OF the 12O delegates elected, only
81 were present. a goodly proper
tion of these were whites; large
number mnlattocs; many, pure ne
groes. And it is noteworthy fact,
that. with but few exceptions, the
intelligence indicated physiognomi-
cally, was distributed quite as gener-
ously among the colored representa-
tives, rs among thci" pale-faced col
leagues. All had evidently been
provided by the Union Leagues, or
from some other source, with means
to make a presentable appearance,
and i'll point of raiment the Conven-
tion is respectable looking body
and, certainly, in striking contrast to
the crowd of spectators, who looked
very much as if they had been emp
tied from stupendous rag-bag.
At ten minutes past 12 O'clock,
Timothy Hurley, (white,) delegate
from Berkeley District, mounted the
rostrnm, and in the following Ian
Guage called the Convention to order:
"All persons who are not members of
the Convention will please retire he
hind the bar. L do not mean the
spiritual bar, but the wooden bar,
with the exception of members of
tho press, who have pressed them
selves in here"
On motion Of Mr.. Jnmes NT Rnt