The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-10-10
IT'LL DEATH
THEMDO PART. ::
MARRIAGE TIE IND!SSOLCBLE il
SOUTH CAROLINA.
SIr. III. Cowper Patton's Brilliant AT
cument Before the Constitutions.
Convention Against the Grant
ing or Recognition of Di-
vorcc for any Cause.

Constitutional Convention when II was
decided to grant or recognize nny
s> divorce il the State, viii be read with
ss pleasure ai! over Son:Ia Carolina:
s Mr.. President: The propositions
~ lpor this question now under consld>
ssst teration open up three roads from
(which we may nuke a choice. Il we
vnte for TIC amendment proposed by
tie delegate from Aiken We establish
divorces iu South Carolina if we
c;:opt the proposition OF the delegate
= frog. Orangcburg VIC forever prohibit
divorces: il we allow the committed \
recommendation to stand uuaDecndeG
10 one eau tell where We stand.
I sm aware that the section as re-
ported by the committee is IN the cx-
act language used upon the subject by
the rrrsent Constitution. In the case,
l:owt:er. to which the gentleman from
Charleston referred, where our Su-
~,,.rcmc Court held that foreign 'di-
v0rce. under the faces Of that case,
wee1I not he recognized in South Car
-o.:na, We had that section under cor
s.,i--at;on>, It Was strongly urged Ivy
cruising counsel, and telt the fcccc
o: ta, aru,,:aeHt, that while this Sec
son I'D not establish divorces III South
Caroiiua Il recognized the institution
.. and Was Il radical change IN the lo!1cy
ot the State. OF course | a. swered
ttat Ibis section was 1ae work ot nIlels
who Il. i'll coulrol OF the St>te IL 1858,
aud ,uut tie repeal OF ali divorce laws
- 1873 Was &u utter repudlanon OF
this i;l,a ,;uti an iudex to the rea! SEN
ti,ueut of var people. Now II we re-
e;.ct this section il will lend double
force aud weight to the argument that
NC should recognize foreign divorces
and VIII also encourage our Legls:a-
tnrc to establish q divorce system III
Ibis State.
It is clear, therefore, that the Sec
= ton rs reported by tie committee
sauuI3 uos stand. We should settle
tlris~;tiatt,r here and now. The two
amendments that have been offered
make the Issue sharp a2d cl;ar. Ii We
waat divorces J. Is BE ths.eAi = aAssI
1T rs s;S-sa and put an eud forever to
al doubt and speculation upon the
5sabjrct
Allow me to say, IN the first place,
that I an absolutely opposed to any
system Of divorce of what nature or
kind soev.r; and I beg to add that I
am thoroughly satisfied that the public
sentiment OF the State is equally clear
anil fixed upon this subject.
Ia tie first place the press Of the
State, the accurate reaectors as well
as moulIera OF public sentiment, IS al
most unanimously against divorce. OF
the daily papers only one, The State,
flvors divorce; and all of the weekly
papers that I am acquainted With, both
religion: and secular, are earnest in
their protest against the enactment Of
such l. law. The women Of our State
do not want it, and the pulpit lifts its
awfnl voice against law that tends to
weaken the obligation and destroy the
holy state ot matrimouy- solitary
remnant Of Eden's sacred pleasures.
In the next Iiace the sentiment OF
or PEOPLE has always opposed divorce.
Up to 1858, when the present Consti-
- tution, pleasantly referred to upon
this floor rs ''that radical rag was
forced upon our people by New Eng
la0I carpet. .baggers, each exhibiting
III himself the peculiar combination Of
the Puritan and the blackleg, back
ed hy the ignorant negro votes, they
hacked III turn by Federal bayouets-
say up to this time, so the nnfad-
ing honor Of South Carolina, III the
language OF the Supreme Court Of
Georgia speaking upon the subject, no
such thing as dissolving the holy bonds
OF matrimony had ever been known to
the people OF this State. And when a
few years later the intelligence Of the
State resumed its inevitable control,
rs if 20 emphasize the feeling Of our
people upon this question one of the
first acts Of the Legislature was to wipe
from the statute books this degrading
law Since that tine at each session
Of the General Assembly, with hardly
an exception, some member, nerved
by the hardship OF some isolated case,
has introduced law providing for q
divorce only to have it overwhelm-
inelv repudiated by the almost unani-
nous vote of that body.
II, therefore, any matter can be set
tied by the evi, :nce think I can
safely affirm that divorce laws have
ever been and are to-day strongly OBJ
noxious to the overwhelming senti-
ment of the people of South Carolina.
But, Mr.. President, the delegate from
Aiken {Mr. Henderson, says-an says
it as if he expected US to apologize for
denying it-that this is mere senti-
ment" Well, sir, and is sentiment a
thing to be ridiculed or disregarded?
What is sentiment, beg to inquire,
but the spontaneous products of those
noble impulses and feelings implanted
IN our bosoms by an all-wise Creator
for our guidance in this world and our
ultimate redemption IN the next:
Eradicate from the hearts q: the peo-
pie all social and moral sentiment and
leave then to the direction Of a cold
and calculating intellect, swaycd by
the promptipgs Of selfish AMI sinful
natures, and this world would speedily
aa sink to the level OF the bottonless pit
sspeath. SO that repeat it, sir, and
it as being matter OF the ut
in this discussion.