The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-11-20
Ole Mlattbn,au al,lo SolltIbton.
WEDA Az, NOV. 20. 1895
The South Carolina ReVolu-
ton.

the Tillmauites to submit to the peo-
pie the Constitution now being prepared
by the convention. What that Coosti-
tuition is likely to be, and what damage
TO the State is likely to resuls from II,
have already been explained 10 these
columns. Every citizen Of the repub-
lie ought to feel au intense and iudig-
nant interest in the work of evil that is
being wrought 10 South Carolina.
Already the United States Senate has
been affected BY the supremacy of the
Tillmanises. Irby aud Tillmau are
members of that chamber, and so long
as che party that is now framing State
Constitution remains in power South
Carolina will make no contribution
whatever to Federal legislation, unless
the majority of the members Of the two
Houses Of Congress shall sink to the
level of the men who are now trying to
disfranchise the black by knavisa iudi.
rection.
We can have no quarrel with an
honest attempt TO upiift the suffrage.
To whatever laws that are just 10 them
selves and are Justly administered. and
that are calculated to eliminate the
ignorant and the depraved vote, we cay
Godspeed. But the Tillmanites are
not DESTROYS of putting an end to
ignorant voting. If they should
make the suffrage of South Carolina
intelligent, they would thereby sign
their political death. When the edu-
Gated voters rule South Carolioa. Till
man will cease to be power He and
his kind are anxious to disfraochise the
ignorant blacks without disfranchising
the ignorant whites. Ii they have
their way it will net be the Law which
will determine who may or who may
not vote, but it will be a Tillmauite
election officer who will say whether
or nos the person seeking to vote pos
sesses an intelligent comprehension of
the Constitution. The convention, 10
other words, intends to establish the
rule of an oligarchy couposed Of the
worss elements Of the State, aod in
order to accomplish that object Tilma"-
ties are to say who of the ignorant shall
sad who of them shall not vote.
TIE letter which we have received
from South Carolina comments on
statement made by the Weekly as to
the result that is likely when the Co..
stitusion shall be presented to the peo-
pie for ratification. There are some
precedents in South Carolina sustain
ing the right of the convention to
adopt a Constitution. and to make it
the fundamental law of the State with
oat first submitting Tito the people.
The secession Constitution was adopted
by convention, aud was not submitted
to the people, and the same is true of
the Constitution adopted under the re-
construction government 10 1865.
These are evil precedeots But the
Constitution now IN force in South
Carolina was framed 10 1868 by coa-
ventioo. aud was afterwards adopted by
the people. The provision Of this Con
ssitction for its own amend meos is near
ly the same as that of the New York
Constitution which was 10 force i'm
msdiately preceding that which was
adopted last fall 1t is an open secret
that some of the lawyers of the con-
vention that framed our present funda-
mental Law believed that it was ques-
tion whether or not the convention had
the power to adopt the Constitution
finally, but no one dreamed of exercis.
ing such power In New York, and
in nearly all communities where written
CONSTITUTIONS are at the foundation of
government. the tradition that the Con-
stitusiou is the law made by the peo-
pie is so fully respected that nc prudent
public man would think Of violating it,
and 1t is quite probable that the courts
would intervene to prevent the over
throw of the tradition, and would hold
that the spirit of the Constitution is
that it must be adopted by the people
for the provision, both 10 South Caro-.
Ina aud New York, which authorizes
the calling Of convention simply
neglects to order the submission of the
result of its work to the popular vote
In the same section provision is made
for amendment by the Legislature, and
amendments SO mace must be submit
ted to the people. Why should not the
rule be the same 10 both instances
Whatever the courts may hold. how
ever, or whatever power the convention
may really possess BY reason of the
o5scurity of this section, it is contrary
to the spirit of American institutions.
and hostile to the free theory of reprb-
lican government under written Con-
ssitution, that the fundamental law shall
be enacted by representative BODY.