The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-03
Let the Truth Be Told.


his letter to the Greenville News
touching the census embroglio, il
true, and emphatically true. Char
lesion, so far as her Representative:
in the House are concerned, or any
expression of her people is concerned
is in no way responsible for the fail
ure to provide for making the emu
meration required by the Constitu
ton and the codifed law.
The cry of sup country and ''loW
country in this matter is gross
piece OF unscrupulous demagogism
There is no truth in it. The 10"
country, as General McCrady truth
fully claims, is not cbargeable as s
section with avoiding the commands
of the Constitution in this matter tc
serve its own political aggrandize-
ment. Every bill framed for the
purpose was framed by low coun-
tryman, and among the most earnest
advocates for obeyirg the Constitu-
tion to the letter and taking the emu
meration commanded were low coun-
trymen.
Nor was the Governor in any way
responsible for this dereliction. He
expressly recommended in his mess
age 10 the Legislature of '84 as fol-
lows:
"It is provided in Article 2, Section
4, that the enumeration of inhabi-
tants Of the State for the purpose Of
aepestioning the Representatives be
made in 1875 and in every tenth
year thereafter. This enumeration
should, therefore, be taken the next
year, and recommend that such ap-
preparation be made as may be ne
cessary for the purpose
This is as clear as language can
put it
Now, as to the earnest advocacy
Of low countrymcp in this behalf, we
remember well being in the House
when this matter was under discus
sion in 1884. The house seemed at
first demoralized with the idea Of the
heavy expense involved in taking an
elaborate census, and, if we mistake
not, refused to accept the bill report
ed towards that end, although that
bill held in contemplation the Fed
eral aid promised. But finally a less
expensive bill, looking to an expend
iture of something like twenty thou
sand dollars, was passed. We re-
member Mr.. McCrady's earnest
speech advocating an obedience to
the Constitution, cost what it may.
He said there was no other way to
have regular government. With |
him it was not question of will, but
one Of solemn obligation. What did |
the constitution require? He then
read the provision and said no ration
al mind could fail to see that it re-
ouired an enumeration to be made in
1885. What did the oaths of mem
bers obligate them to do? He t.en
read the oath and said he felt the
binding obligations of that oath, and
he was free to say that he would pre-
fer that Charleston should be repre-
sented by small delegation that all
would admit to be legitimately hers,
under the organic law, than to have
a large delegation the legitimacy Of
which was questioned. He was sure
the small delegation under such cir
eumstances would exercise a better
and larger influence. Mr.. Hutson,
of Hampton and other low country
men followed in the same line of
thought.
But when the House passed the
census bill in 1884, it was killed in
the Senate. When Senator Mauldin,
of Greenville called it up, Senator
Maxwell from Abbeville moved to
strike out the enacting clause. Itis
true Senator Smythe from Charleston
opposed tie bill, belitthng the Con-
stitutional requirement, which, he
said, might be construed any way the
members might choose to take it, and
that the census would cost Z great
deal to little or no purpose-,o give
one or two counties in the State
little more representation than they
now had. The bill was met in the
same way by other Senators oppos- l
ing it. Senator Moody, for one, dis {
covering the astounding fact that the {