The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-11-29
IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Resume Of the Work Of the State
Constitutional Convention.
THE NEW ARTroLE ON SUFFRAGE
n Is So Constructed That II May Not Kan
the GAUNTLET OF tho Federal Courts n
brought to . Tcst-To Increase this
School Fund.

~ n 80 S0nnttucASA Ahat ~ may N"e haH :
the Gauntlet OF tho Federal Courts If
brought to . Tcst-To Increase this
School Fund.
COLUMBIA, Nov. 20, South Cardinals
constitutional convention will adjourn
sine die next Tuesday. All the work Of
the convention has now been completed :
except that Of final revision of the changes
made In the constitution which Is In the
haEds Of committee The body has been
in session continuously, with the excep-.
tion Of q ten days recess, since Sept 10.
The new constitution will be different
IN many respects from the one IL will
supersede. The most important change
will be in the suffrage article In round
anumbcrs there are 10000 adult male
snegroessand 100000 adult male whites In
South Carolina. The present constitution
of South Carolina was adopted in 1868, and
was framed by conventioA composed
mostly Of recently liberated slaves and
dominated by northerners who came into
the state at the close of the war. 1t was
patterned after those Of Massachusetts,
and Ohio
The greatest objection TO 1t was against
the suffrage article, which bestowed tho
franchise On all male citizens Of the age OF
81 years and upwards not 1aboring under
certain disabilities named. Some Of tho
most intelligent negro members Of the
convention of 1858 were opposed to nniver-
sal suffrage, and wanted an educational
qualification imposed, which would have
prevented a vast majority of the members
of their own race from voting,
The present constitution provides nat
ural negro majority Of $4,000, which has
been overcome by an ingenious Registrar
ton law and the box ballot law, which re-
quirsd each officer to be voted for in a sep
arate box, tho voter being compelled to Sc
lect the proper box. The leading men of
the state have always recognized that there
was a possibility Of one or the other or
both of them being overturned In the fed
eral conrts. This possibility induced them
to advocate the calling of a convention for
the purpose Of framing constitution per-
mitting such qualification of tho suffrage
as would insure tho maintenance Of whito
supremacy.
There was great objection to the calling
OF the convention from the illiterate
whites and their friends. There are about
1900 iIliterate white adult males in this
state. The convention could never have
been called had not promises been given
that these mon would be taken care Of.
How to cut down tho negro majority and
preserve the vote of the white men, and do
1t In such way as to run the gauntlet OF
the federal courts was the difficult prob
lem which engaged the attention of tho
convention, in which there are only six
negroes.
Senator Tiilman, who led the nght for
the calling of the convention, was made
chairman Of the suffrage committee. Tho
suffrage article OF the new constitution
provides for an alternative educational or
property qualification for voters. Any man
who can read or write, or who pays taxes
on $500 worth of property, has the right to
vote. Had the convention stopped there,
the illiterate whites would have been dis
franchised. They are provided for in q
clause which says that anyone who can
not vote under either property or edu-
cational qualification shall be given vote
for life If he can understand = section of
the constitution when read TO him by the
registration officer. This understanding
clause is only to DO operativefor two years.
All males attaining their majority after
1888 must comply with the educational or
property qualification in order to vote.
Under the old constitution there was a
two mill tax on property and a 81 poll tax,
for the benefit of the public schools of the
state. The new constitution retains the 81
poll tax and increases the educational
property tax to three mills. In addition
the new constitution says the profits OF the
liquor dispensary and the penitentiary
and the proceeds from the sales Of aban-
dened lands and escheated estates shall be
turned into the public school funds.
Throughout the history of South Caro-
| lima there has never been law allowing
divorces in this state, though its constitu-
| lions have been silent on that subject. In
tho first days of the convention a clause
was put In the constitution forbidding
granting divorces by any of the courts Of
| this state and q proposition That divorces
| granted in other states be recognized in
this was voted down. Last week, however,
Senator Tillman secured the adoption OF a
clause requiring recognition of divorces
granted In other states where the mar
riage ceremony was not performed in this
( state, and one of the parties was not at
that time citizen OF resident of this stats
l