The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-01-15
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONVENTION.
FIRST DAY.

FIRST DAY.
AT ten minutes past twelveo'clock, Timothy
Hurley (white), delegate from Berkeley Dis
trict, mounted the rostrum, ard in the follow.
ing language called the conrention to order:
"All persons who are not members OF the CON
vention will please retire behnd the bar. do
not mean the spiritual bar but the wooden
bar. with the exception Of members OF the
nress. who have pressed themselves in here. >
On motion Of MIR. James NJ. Rutland, OF
Winrsboro', Colonel T. j. Robertson, OF Roh-
land. was elected temporary Chairman, and on
taking the Chair addressed the convention as
follows:
Gentlemen Of The Conoenion We, the dele
gates of the loyal people ofSouth Carolina, are
assembled here for the purpose Of restoring
our State to proper relations in the Federal
Union. It becomes us to frame constitution
both Just and liberal, which will guarantee
eoual rights to all, regardless Of race color, or
previous condition, and which will comply
with the Reconstruction ,cts OF Congress,
| thereby ensuring our speedy admission In the
| Union.
islation. l want this bod, to act promptly,
hsrmoniously and judiciowly, and in such Q
manner as will reflect crelit upon itself, and
secure the confidence Of the State it represents;
and hope, by your kind assistance, to speedl-
| ly organize this convention.
W. j. Mckinley, Of Orageburg (colored),
was chosen temporary Secreary.
By direction OF the chair The Secretary read
( General Orders No. 160, cmvening this body,
and called the roll Of delegaes.
Ninety-two responded to their names, and
the chair announced that quorum being
present, the convention WA ready to proceed
| to business.
BE. Whittemore (whit), OF Darlington,
moved that committee of even be appointed
by the chair to report the. names OF the perma-
nent officers Of the conventnn:
R. @. DeLarge (coored), d Charleston, sug-
gested that the next thing 70 be done was to
that committee on credentials was necessary
| to this end.
The chair stated that cetifsd copy Of Gen:
eral Orders No. 100 was competent evidence OF
election, and proper credentials.
B. o. Duncan (white), c Newberry-I do
not think the convention prepared to 60
into permanent Organization at the present
time. Many of the delegtes are here for
the first time. We don't know each other'
we don't know who are and rho are not men,
bers of the body, and if W. hold few eau
cusses we shall become bettr acquainted and
be in better condition toseeot competent
men for the responsible ofacs Of the conven-
| tion. This is an important qestion, and much
depends upon the choice mde OF chairman.
Commit fault here, and Trough an lncom-
petent presiding officer seure incompetent
committees, and these proceedings WILL pc
wrong from beginning to end and our parry III
| as an amendment that We pstpone tne WORK
of permanently organizing he conVentlon un-
til Thursday, at u o'clock NJ.
L. 8. Langley (colored), ofBeaufort-l thlnk
some further action should 10 taken with REL
erence to the identity OF nams and lndlviouais;; !;
Any one in this hall may answer for me, ana
the majority would not knU that he mao an
swered falsely. Until we hive been seyeraly
examined therefore, and know poslaVely tnaG :
the right men have answered to their names,
do not think we should 60 nto permanent
organization.
B. o. Duncan-I would ta;e occasion to add
that, in the Georgia Convention, man attend,
ed and answered several day to the name ol
an absent delegate before hewas d1scoVered.
T. Hurley-I Iise to poin OF oIdeT. G inere an
is no motion before the conHnton. Inc ques-
ton has not been stated by ne chair.
B. F. Randolph (colored), II Orangepnrg-i
would INQUIRE whether the amendment Is pro-
perly before the house.
The chair stated that the question was upon
the amendment of the delegae from NeWDerry
to the motion of the delegat' from Darlington,
namely, that the election Of permanent ofncers
of the convention be postponed until to-mor-
row, at IL o'clock.
G. G. Bowen (whitel, Of Charleston-;I, for
one, think that this convection should NOT
proceed one stop further untl we are satsneo a,,a
| that all the persons preselt have been duly
elected, and are present with the proper Gre E.
donials. would state th.t gentleman la n'
sitting here to-day with he certlfleate, e,oi ol
another individual in his p'ssesslon; so tna'
it is absolutely necessary tlRt we shall deter.
mine whether all these persons are rightly
here or not. To this end 1 move that the
question concerning the permanent organiza.
tion be laid upon the table until the credentials
of delegates can be examined
The motion was agreed to.
B. o. Duncan-I move thaia COMMITTEE on
Credentials be appointed blythe chair, to con
sist of five.
L. s. Langley (colored)- move to amend
by inserting the words certificates OF eiec-
tion" in lieu of the word Credentials"
The amendment was adopted.
B. F. Whittemore (white)-I would sugges
that there should be appointed on that com
mttee at least one delegate from each district
| Tho report can then he male prOmptlV. WI