The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-06-01
constitutional ConVentsoR.''
Some "reminiscences.

ernor has called the Legislature TO-
eesher to redistrict the State, the
following bit of history may prove
suggestive. In the Constitutional
Convention Of 1858 an Ordinance
was reported by q committee to
divide the State into four Congress
sional Districts. In the course OF
Che DISCUSSION over a proposed
amendment to the committees re-
port, B. F. Randolph said: cit
would not be WISE for me, nor DO l
think it necessary, to give the res-
sons why the committee arranged
the districts as they are. The mat
ter is known to you all" ". J.
Whipper said: Il was upon that
committee. There is in the ar
rangement a majority of loyal 7o'
sers in every Congressional District
If the change is made proposed by
the amendment you give the Fourth
Congressional District a disloysl
majority of sixteen hundred. If that
is the desire Of this body, or those
who favor the amendment, then
make it; but if you wish to preserve a
loyal msjority in each Congressional
District, adopt the Ordinance asst
came from the committee" G. G.
Bowen said: sWhen it is evident,
by the proposed amendment to
deliver into the hands of the oppo-
site party one member Of Congress-
I must say I protest" A. Bryce:
s'lYho is the opposite partye" c.
C. Bowen: Il know Of but two
parties in South Csrolina-the Re-
publican and the Democratic party.
I think it is due to the people OF
the State at large to adopt the
committees report We have no
business to jeopsrdize the interests
Of any class of loyal voters in the
territory over which they have con-
troll"
The Committees report was, OF
course, adopted.
We have been looking over for
the past few days the proceedings
of the Constitutional Convention OF
1858. We had never read them
before. No true South Carolinian
can read these proceedings, see the
spirit that animated the trainers of
The present Constitution, and recall
the characters Of its leading mem,
bers without 8 blush for the State
and q desire to bury the whole
thing out of sight forever. But it
is not about such things We propose
to write now. We simply desire to
gather up 3 few "reminiscences
The Convention was called by
Act Of Congress, and was held in
Charleston from Jan. Il to March
II, 1868. DR.. A. G. Mackey, OF
Charleston, was President.
One is struck by the number OF
preachers among the delegates
not fewer than 25 Of the 12A. Sew
eral Of the preachers gave up their
pulpits for the then more lucrative
profession of politics; among these
Reys. B. F. Whittemore, B. F. Ran
dolph, F. L. Cardozo, J. NJ. Run.
ion, W. N. Thomas and J. d.
Rainey.
After looking over the names OF
so many preacher-members, the
objection made to the election OF a
Chaplain, by F. J. Noses Jr., ap
peared quite reasonable; but in
the light OF subsequent events it
looks Ike irony. When the motion
was made to elect q Chaplain, Moses
said: ut is incumbent on US to
have as much respect for the Treas
ury as possible. What necessity is
there to put our hands into the
Treasury of the State and pull out
more money than is necessary, when
we have gentlemen here who are no
doubt willing 70 give their services
free of charge" 2"
There was pretty strong feel
ing in the Convention to incorpo'
rate in The Constitution an educa-
tional qualification for voters to
take effect after eight or ten years
an6 resolution was offered requir'
ing as a qualification for a juror
that he should be able to read and
write legibly.
The Republicans who are clamor-
ing against the registration law
should be reminded that White
more offered 8 resolution providing
for registration Law similar in
most respects to the present one,
and recurring every man to vote in