The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-10-30
Constitutional Convention.
Work Done During the Past
Week.
COLUMBIA, October %. 1895.

COLUMBIA, October 90, 1895.
The Constitutional Convention is
now well under way While there is
an abundance of debate it is all per-
tinent to the issues under discussion
The good feeling among the members
continues and everyone is being
more and more impressed with the
Importance of the work in hand.
For almost FIVE days without much
interruption the Convention con-
sidered what conditions should be
imposed upon new counties that
were to be created and what protec-
tion should be given the old counties
as we'll as the matter of township gov
ernment, which it was promised
would do more towards self govern
ment and the making of an indepen-
dent spirit than anything else that
could be done. While the fight was
intense on the matter of new counties
both sides seem to be very we'll salts
fed with the results One thing is
quite certain the creation Of new
counties will not be as easy a matter
as it has been supposed to be- The
special champions for small counties
were the two Tillmans-Senator B R
and his brother George D and the
opposition was !e! by members of the
Abbeville delegation.
The restrictions in forming new
counties are first. two-thirds of the
qualified voters in each of the sec
tons of an old comfy to be -incor-
porated in new county must peti
ton the Governor to order an cleo
ton. Then the election is held and
two-thirds of the voters in each of the
sections proposed to be cut off from
an old county must vote for a con-
solidation with other sections Of coun-
ties to go into new county.
The primary conditions are that a
new county must have one one hun
dred and twenty-fourtn part Of the
whole population of the State: tax
able property assessed at 81. 800, 900,
and contain not less than 400 square
miles.
In making new county no old
county is to be SO cut as to leave it
with less than 500 square miles, less
than 100000 of property. nor less
than $4,000 inhabitants. Perhaps
the most vital condition imposed is
that no old county shall be cut with
in eight miles of its county seat.
Provision is made that by a two
thirds vote and compliance with the
other provisions of the article that
the township may go from one coun.
ty to another, provided it takes it's
share of the county debt.
There are sections which provide
for the amalgamation of counties and
the remova! of county seats by two
thirds vote.
After two days argument the Con-
vention decided that the General
Assembly may provide for system
of township government. This was
not at all satisfactory TO the friends
of township government but it was
accepted as the acorn from which a
good system may grow. 1t was in
this debate that Mr.. Geo. D. TiIIman
made one of the finest arguments in
favor of township governments that
has ever been heard
When the Convention finished
with the county matter an effort was
made tu take up the homestead ques-
ton but Senator Tilllnan wanted to
make start on the suffrage bill.
Up 10 this time. however, there has
been nothing more than speaking
and that has been by the colored rep
resen.atives who are urging with al
the eloQuence and facts they have
that there is no need to further de-
grade the negroes, that they are
reaceab'e and law abiding, that they
do not want Office and there never
was neg:o rule in the State, that
whatever wrong there was in radical
days was inspired and carried out by
whites, that the negroes made good
soldiers and defended Southern
homes aud there was no excuse for
disfranchisirg them. Their speeches
have all been good and the only pre-
pared speeches that have yet been
delivered in the Convention. The
colored members urged that the plaa
as proposed would practically dis
franchise all poor and illiteratc per-
sons and that it was to bring about a
return to serfdom Some Of them
said that it would be fought in the
courts, in Congress and in every
available place to the bitter end and
that in tie end the American people
wonld be appealed TO and that as
right must prevail that the pro.