The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-20

the ferric components Of the ink have
vanished and loft streak of iron
rust, while in the places whore the
fancy penman brandished his quill
around in great flourishes, the writ,
ing ink has eaten the paper out and
left u long burnt streak.
These old records show that early
Carolinians enjoyed pretty much the
same forms of self government that
we do, except for vexations and arbi
trary vetoes from the proprietors on
their Statutory laws, which it is hard
now to think Of freemon enduring.
Writs of election issued in the
name, @. g., of John, Earle of Bath,
Palatine," etc, and "Robt. Gibbes,
Esqr., High Sheriff." and we find us
one result Ralph lizard received "127
voates"-out Of the whole State of
South Carolina only TT votes! All,
friend, say not, Poor Ralph lizard!
for he led the vote at this 1893 cleo
tion, together with others, with his
honorable unanimous "l27 voates."
These were kind of itincrant as
semblies, meeting around at various
members houses, which, perhaps,
accounts in part for 30 many vurie
ties of good and bad ink, and the
fading out of few pages.
Perhaps comparatively few people
know to what an extent the State of
South Carolina has neglected prop.
erly to preserve it's early records.
While other States have published
theirs in handsome volumes, PRO.
claiming to the world all their great
history, we have actually neglected
to put into print single or page of
tho records Of The foundation and de-
velopment of one of the noblest,
most engaging, and, withal, impor-
tant colouies and States in America.
For my own part must confess that
had no conception of the true char
actor of the colony Of South Caro-
lima, nor of its early Statehood, un-
til | went to the original manuscript
sources. There has been much
grandiloquent, and eloquent, talk
about South Carolina's glorious his
tory; but no just or adequate view
has ever been given OF her rightful
place in American history. We re.
fuse to publish our records; our citi-
zens will not, and outsiders cannot
write our history; 80 that neither
our own citizens nor the country at
large know Of the noble history we
should cherish as our dearest birth
right. Gen. McCrady has done we'll
by the colony's first so years; valu-
able manuscripts have been gotten
from England, and army rolls com
piled. But there is great Klondike
| of treasure in the records of the COM
mons house and council from 1871
to beyond the Revolution that waits
to be made available for the histo.
rlans Of the whole country.
The records Of the commons house
of assembly and the council before
the Revolution, and of the legisla-
ture Of the State to about 1880 have
never been printed. These records
of which there is but one copy in
existence, arc in manuscript, the
writing of which is, in many in
stances, fading into illogibility. Per-
ADS it is not realized that whom
.. in many instances far advanced
process Of fading is complete, the
history Of our State will be lost for
ever. Perhaps our Legislature and
people do not know that for many
years several of these irreplacable,
unbuyable volumes have been lost,
and that any thief, any carelessness,
any accident might any day bring
the same fate to other volumes. The
State of Tennessee, with tenfold less
occasion, has years since appropriate
cd an annual sum of SIS, 600 to pay q
learned mans salary in part, and be
used to publish hist torical d ,cuments.
But in early history Tennessee is a
neophyte beside South Carolina.
Here thore were n great common
wealth, highly developed society