The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-09-18

lord and tenant when the title to the
land is not in dispute and such other
matters as the General Assembly may
designate: Provided, that this Court
shall not have jurisdiction in actions
involving the title to real estate.
Section 8. That sufficient number
of committing magistrates may be ap-
pointed by the Governor in each for
the convenience of the citizens in hav-
ing criminals apprehended and COM
mitted for trial.
Section 9. The General Assembly
shall provide by general law for Or
ganizing new counties, locating the
county seats temporarily and chang
ing county lines. But no new county
shall be formed unless it shall contain
within the limits thereof property OF
the valuation $2,000,000, as shown by
last preceding tax returns, and not
then unless the remaining portion of
the old county or counties shall each
contain property of at least So, 600, 900
of assessable valuation by the last as
sessment; and no county shall be Or
ganized, nor shall any organized coun-
ty be so reduced as to contain less than
one-sixtieth part of the inhabitants of
the whole State, both to he determined
by the last national or State census,
and in case any portion of an organized
county or counties il stricken off to
form q new county shall assume and
be holden for an equitable proportion
of the Indebtedness of county or coun-
ties so reduced. No county shall be
devided unless majority of the quail
fed electors of the territory proposed
to be cut off shall vote in favor Of
such division.
Section 10. No new county shall be
formed of less than five hundred square
miles; nor shall any organized county
be reduced in area below five hundred
square miles and no county lines shall
be run nearer any existing Court
House than ten miles.
Mr.. D. S. Henderson, of Aiken,
comes to the Convention with num-
ber of prepared resolutions, which
will be the most important among all
the resolutions to be submitted to that
body.
To-day he offered the following re-
solutions:
A NEW JURY SYSTEM
by which the numbers of jurymen and
their votes are to be changed:
Be it resolved and ordained by the
people of the State of South Carolina
in Convention assembled and by the
authority of the same, That the follow
ing provisions shall constitute Section
of Article-of the Constitution of
this State:
In the Court of General Sessions
there shall be grand jury and such
petit or trial juries as the General As
sembly shall direct; the grand jury
shall consist of eighteen members,
twelve of whom must agree on a mat
ter before it can be submitted to the
Court. Each petit or trial jury in the
General Sessions shall consist of twelve
men, all of whom must agree to a YER
dict or it shall not be binding. =
In the Court of Common Pleas the
iuries shall each consist of twelve men
and a verdict shalr be good if agreed
to by nine members thereof.
The term of the grand juries shall
be for one year and the General AS
sembly shall provide that at least one
third of the members of the outgoing
grand jury shall be members of the in.
coming grand jury: Each juror must
be a voter qualified under the proyi-
sions of this Constitution, between the
ages of 81 and IS years and men OF
good moral character. ~
THE MATTER OF DIVORCE
by which the door to plural marriage
is left slightly ajar.
Be it resolved and ordained by the
people of the State of South Carolina,
in Convention assembled, and BY the
authority of the same, That the follow
ing provision shall constitute Section
of Article-of the Constitution OF
this State:
Divorces from the bonds of rnatri.
mony shall not be allowed bat by the
Judgment of a Court rendered upon
the verdict of a jury, and no divorce
shall be granted except for adultery,
and the guilty party shall not be per-
mitted to marry again. .
This, Mr.. Henderson thinks, will
suit the demand of Carolina for all
time.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
Be it resolved and ordained by the
people of the State of South Carolina
in Convention assembled and by the
authority of the same, That the follow,
ing provisions shall constitute Section
of Article-of the Constitution OF
this State:
Section /. In all elections held by
the people in incorporated cities, towns
and villages of the State for officers
thereof electors shall vote by ballot
and every male inhabitant of such
cities, towns or village 81 years of age
and upwards, except idiots, insane
persons and paupers, and who shall
have been a resident OF, the State fol-
twelve months and of the city, town
or village in which he offers to vote
for six months, and of the voting pre-,
cinct or ward for one month, and who
has never been convicted of treason,
murder, robbery, duelling, bribery,
burglary, arson, obtaining money OF
goods under false pretence, perjury,
larceny, embezzlement, forgery OF
bigamy, and who shall be able to read
any article of this G Constitution, or any
section of the Statutes of this State,
and who can write his own name, or
who, in his own right, shall be possess
ed Of taxahla ,aronertv in such city,