The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-29
SOUTH CAROLINA CONVENTION
1t Will Adjourn Sine Die on
Tuesday Next,
After Having Been in Session Since Sop
TENDER 1O-The New Constitution VIII
be Different From Its Predecessor, the
Most Important Change Being the
Suffrage Artioie-How a Negro MA
Jority Of 10000 Was Overcome.

COLUMBIA, S. O., Nov. 2s.-South
Carolina's constitutional convention will
ad iourn 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 onstitution
which Is in the hands OF a committees.
The body a been In session contin-
uously, with the exception of q ten DAVIS
recess, since the 10th of September. The
new constitution will be different in
many respects from the one 1t will SUI
percede..
The most importsn Mt change will be In
the suffrage article. In round numbers
there are lao, 600 adult male negroes and
1000 0 adult male whites in South Car
DINA. The present constitution of South
Carolina was adopted in 1865 and was
framed by q convention composed mostly
OF recently liberated slavos and domi-
mated by Northerners VINO came into the
State at the close of the war.
1t was patterned after those OF Masss-
chusetts and Ohio The greatest OBJ.
lection to it wos against the suffrage
article, which bestowed the franchise
on all male citizens Of the age of 81
years and upwards, not leboring under
snih oibdOilltleo uhuSu. Some or
tho most intelligent negro members of
the convention OF 1868 were opposed to
universal suffrage, and wanted an edu-
%cational qualification imposed, which
would have prevented a vast majority
of the members of their own race from
voting.
The present constitution provides for
q natural negro majority OF 40, 600,
which has been overcome by an ingen-
ious registration law and the ballot box
law, which required each officer to be
voted for in q separate box, the voter
being compelled to select the proper
box. The leading men of the State
have always recognized hat there WAS
q possibility of one or the other, or both
OF them, being overturned in the federal
ourts.
This possibility induced them to
advocate the calling of a convention for
the purpose of fra ming a constitution per-
hitting such qualification of the suffrage
az would ensure maintenance OF white
gu premacy. There WAS great objection
to the calling Of the convention from
tho illerate whites and their friends.
There are about Is. 600 illiterate white
adult males in this State.
The convention could never have been
called had not most explicit promises
been given that these men would be
taken care of. How TO cut down the
negro majority and preserve the vote
OF the white man, and do 1t in such q
wey as to run the gauntlet of the
FEDERAL courts, was the difficult problem
which engaged the attention OF the coz
yention. in which there are only six
negroes. Senator Tillman, Who led the
fight for the calling of the convention,
was made chairman of the suffrage
committee.
The suffrage article OF the new con-
%stitution provides for an alternative ed
Vocational or property qualification for
voters Any man b can read or write,
or who pays ia es on $500 worth of prop.
erty, has the right to vote. Had the
convention stopped there the illiterate
whites would have been di%sfranchlsed.
They are provided for in q clause
which Gays that any one who can not
vote under either a property or educa-
tional qualification shall be given the
right to vote for life, If he can under
stand a section OF the constitution when
read to him by the registration officer.
This understanding clause 10 only to be
operative for two years.
All males attaining their majority ST
ie: 1898 must comply with the educa-
tional or property qualification In order
to be allowed to vote. This clause was
fought vigorously, though un~success-
fully, and Is regarded with dissatisfac.
ton by q large proportion OF the citi-
zens Of the State. Doubt is expressed
as to whether it will stand the test of
review by the Federal courts.
Under tho old constitution there was
q two mill tax on property and q one
dollar poll tax for the benefit Of the
public schools of the State; the new
constitution retains the dollar poll tax
and increases the educational property
tax to three mills. In addition tho new
constitution says the profits of the liquor
dispensAry n the ~penitentiary and the
lands and escheated estates shall be
turned into the public school funds.
The new constitution increases the
number OF justices of the supreme court
from three to o and provides that
when the supreme court dissgrees on a
case involving an Interpretation of the
constitution all OF the circuit Judges
shall be called in to sit with the su-
preme court in a rehearing OF the case.
Throughout the history of South Caro-
lima there has never been q law allow.
ing divorces In this State, though its
constitutions have been silent on that
subject.
In the frs. days of the convention a
clause was put In the constitution for
bidding 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 reouir
ing recognition OF divorces granted in
other States, where the marriage cere-
monY WAS not performed In this State