The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-27
South Carolina Under The Proprietary Government
BRIEF REVIEW OF OF SOUTH CAROLINA DUR
PERIOD
ING THAT PERIOD

many thousands of miles away from
civilization. Until we have read this
history of their struggles with pow
erty, their deprivations, hardships and
the deadly and daily danger in which
they lived from the savage Indians by
whom they were surrounded, we can
not Justly estimate the courage, the
hardihood and the fortitude Of these
settlers in the trackless forest. Mr..
McCrady does them full justice in his
graphic portrayal Of their history.
He devotes much time and space
throughout his book to the purpose of
making clear how little the Lords
Proprietors comprehended the nature
of the errand upon which they had
sent these people to this new country.
They were filled with ideas and dreams
of the founding Of empires and the
amassing of untold wealth. Their i'm
aginations overleaped all obstacles,
and they lost sight of the labor and
time and money which were necessary
to accomplish the gigantic aims they
had in view. They have founded an
empire, the grandest in the world, and
the richest. But centuries Of time,
the sacrifice of thousands of lives and
the labor of millions Of men have been
necessary to achieve the result. To
show how little they understood the
nature of the business upon which
they had embarked, it is sufficient to
say, that before single emigrant had
beer sent out. before any settlements
had been made, or even an expedition
had been prepared, they had engaged
the philosopher. John Locke, to draft
for them for the government of the
colony, code of laws, which we're
known as the Fundamental constitu-
tion," which provided a system Of
government more elaborate and COM
plex than would have been suited to
the government Of an old, long set
tied, populous, and wealthy country.
Provision was made in Locke Consti-
tuition for Landed Aristocracy, to
consist Of Landgraves, Caciques and
Barons, each with his enormous allot
ment Of lands and his feudal powers.
These fundamental constitutions,
amended from time to time, the Lords
Proprietors, throughout the whole
period of their government Of the
colony, sought with all their might
and main to force on the people, who,
with all their might and main, resisted
the efforts, and upon having voice
in making the laws under which they
lived. The pertinacity Of the Pro
prietors in this particular was one Of
the very prime factors Of the discon-
tent which ultimately led to the over
throw Of their power.
Naturally all the men who came to
position and prominence and welded
an influence in the affairs of the colony
receive careful consideration at the
hands of the historian. His treat
ment of them, their actions. and con-
duet, his comprehension Of their sur
roundings, their environments and of
their motives, their lives and their
characters show him to be keen OBJ
server, a close reasoner and a fair and
just critic. I was particularly i'm
pressed with this in reading what he
says of Chief Justice Trott, who, by
the way, reminds one of what was said
Of Lord Bacon, s'the wisest, brightest
and meanest Of mankind" Trott
seems to have been scholar, an emf
nent lawyer, subtle theologian, a
politician and schemer, and an all
round old rascal. And yet he did a
great work for the colony. With inf
mite pains, labor and research, he
compiled and codi6ed such of the
Statute and Common Law of England
as was suited to the colony, and codi
fed the Statute Law of the colony
itself, and SO we'll was his work done,
that much was and may we'll be for
given to him for his short comings in
other respects, which may charitably
be ascribed, in part, to the influence
of the times in which he lived.
A prominent feature of the book,
and it was to be so expected from so
jealous churchman as is its author,
is that which deals with religion and
the various Churches in the colony.
By the terms of the charter freedom
of worship was established. By the
terms Of the Fundamental constitu-
tions' the Church Of England was
established in the Province. Out Of
this legal establishing of the Church