The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-05-14

+dered signal service in the Demo
cratic cause and in favor OF MI
Polk's election to the Presidency
He acquitted himself in the Legis
latnre to the entire satisfaction 9
his friends and constituents, and a
the next election he was again sen
to the General Assembly. He en-
tered actively into the debates Q
these two sessions, . his principa
speeches being on the, subject 9
free school reform, giving the cleo
ttion of Presidential electors to tn
people, State aid in the construction
of the Greenville and Columbia
the Charlotte and South Carolina
and the Wilmington and Manches
ter Railroads, .andsnn various sub
|iects connected with. the Fedora
relations of the State. In 1845 h
formed a law partnership with j
P. Reed, ESQ.,, afterwards the sole
|itor of the western circuit, and thu
records Of the courts show .tha
nearly one-half Of all the busiines! ussiin1yes'!
lin the county courts of law ahe
equity was transacted by this firm
In 1S48 Mr.. Orr became candi
date. for Congress-. His opponent
was a lawyer of talent and great
professional ability and with con
siderable. experience in politica
affairs, having served some fifteen
years in both branches Of the State
Legislature. Both were Democrats
and the contest was an exciting
one, both the aspirants devoting
nearly their whole time to it for
six months. preceding the election,
which took place in October, 184S.
When the votes were counted 1t
was found that Mr.. Orr had beaten
his opponent by about seven hun
dred votes, and he took his seat in
December, 1S49, as a member OF
the Thirty-frst Congress. lie was
opposed to the settlement of the
sectional questions which then agi-
tated Congress on the basis Of what
was denominated the compromise.
He held that the settlement did in
Justice to his section; that one or
the other side was cheated. in the
organization of the territorial gov
ernments of Utah and New Mexico,
the North asserting that Mexican
law excluded slavery, and the South
holding the opposite opinion that
Congress had no constitutional
power to buy part of a sovereign
State and place the population
thereof under a territorial govern:
ment; that if the land belonged to
Texas, the government had not
the right to buy; while, if it be-
longed to the United States, it was
wholly, indefensible to take, Sl0,-
from the public treasury to
pay for that which was already
their property; and, lastly, "that
California was admitted with exces-
sive territory withoutan enumera,
ton of her citizens. having formed
her constitution without, the au:
thority Of Congress, and against
all the prece dents existing in the
previous history of the government.
The principal speech he made at
this session was on The slavery
agitation, in which he discussed
very elaborately the tendency and
ultimate end of agitation, if it were
not arrested, and also presented his
views why California should not be
admitted into the Union before she
had passed d territorial pupilage.
lie, therefore,, voted against all the
of compromise, except
the fugitive slave law: .
When he returned home in
March,, 1951,a jat2the close OF the
Short session, the State of South
Carolina had called a constitutional
convention, and delegates thereto
had been elected, a large majority
of whom were pledged to vote for
the secession:of, this State from the
Union on account of the injustice
of the compromise. Mr.. Orr ad.
vised originally against the call OF
the convention, as he was unwilling
that South Carolina should incur
all the hazardsinvolved in secession
unless she had the cooperation OF
her sister States of the South. The
constitution of the State provided
for calling a convention when two
thirds Of both branches of the
Legislature concurred therein, and
when the convention was called the
"separate State actionists" had not
quite tWHo-thirds, rather more than
q third Of the members being in
favor of providing simply for the
election Of Southern. Congress, as
recommended by the then recent
Nashville Convention, and opposed
to isolatiDg South Carolina from
the South, Neither party couIaa
carry their measure, and the two
were blended into orc bill entitled
an Act to provide for the appoint
ment Of deputies to- a Southern
Congress and to- call a convention
of tie people Of the State" This
bill was passed, the minority having
, l. f.,p fhn call Of