Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-04-06

| dignant on account OF the treatment
which he had received at the hands OF
the proprietors, he was determined to
to the utmost limit. He was eminent
ly qualified besides, for heading a
| Democratic party. He had for many
years been secretary of the Island OF
In which to conduct popular assem-
biies.
The governor knew nothing of what
was going on. His plantation was
four miles from Charles Town. Here
he was all this time no doubt fretting
about the past and planning for the fu-
ture. On the night of the 9th Of No
vember, 1919, a committee was ap-
pointed to wait upon him and inform
him of the present condition of things
| and make certain propositions to him.
On the next day, November 2Sth, a
letter, signed by A. Skrine, George Lo-
ga 1 and William Slakeway, was prepar-
ed and sent to the governor. In this
letter, the signers in behalf Of the in
habitants, expressed their love and es-
teom for the governor, and asked him
| to assume the office Of governor Of the
colony in the name of George the
First Until they would hear from his
| majesty. The letter was conveyed to
| the governor at his plantation, but the
committee left Charles Town before the
governor arrived. It seems that the
committee on due reflection, hesitated
about holding an interview with the
governor Why they. hesitated We are
eft to conjecture. This fact was al
most the only circumstance which gave
the governor any hopes Of regaining
his authority over the people.
Trott now "counseled mild meas
ures. He saw that there was no
place for force. Governor Johnson
aware of Trotts influence with the
proprietors. readily fell in with. the
views of the chief justice, and LET
| 'hlngs drift. Meetings were common
amongst the people, and various con-
| situations were held and inf1ammatory
speeches made, until the meeting OF
the newly elected assembly, about the
10th Of December. The movement
had, by this time, become emphatically
Democratic. The assembly could act
boldly. for the people were ready to
sustain them in their acts. The gov
ernor as usual. sent them his message
informing them that he and his coun-
ell, which, formed the upper house
were ready to join with them in their
transaction Of business. The assembly
replied to this message by going In a
body to the governor, and through Ar
| thu Middleton as spokesman, declared
to the governor that they recognized
| him as their governor since he had
been acknowledged by the king; but
as for the newly appointed council,
they regarded them as an illegally ap-
pointed set Of officers and would have
nothing to do with them. Governor
Johnson was now placed In a fearful
dilimma If he acted in conceit with
the council the assembly would hove
nothing to do with him and II he act
ed in concert with the assembly, he
would virtually discard the proprietors.
The assembly soon discovered that
| they occupied an awkward position.
| They had been elected by writs issued
by individuals. whom they publicly de-
c'arcd exercised no legal authority In
tho co'ony. To relieve themselves from
this inconsistency, they changed their
name and declared that they were not
a legislative body, II the usual sense
Of that word, but a convention Of the
people. They proceeded to undo what
the proprietOrs had done, and even to
leclare that no one who had held Of
fee under the proprietors should be re-
cOgnized any longer as an officer In the
co'o~y. The illegality of the council
was argued because there was more
| than one deputy for each proprietor
and one of these was foreigner, hav-
ing never become a naturaliZed citizen
of England. 1t was also claimed that
even in accordance with the late in
Structio7s of the proprietors, the as
sembly was not dissolved. The In
structions required six Of the twelve
deputies to act in order to form q
quorum. In this case a less number
| had signed the order. and one Of these
served as stimulus to the hesitating
amongst the people, and a support to
those who were II doubt respecting the
course adopted by the popular leaders.
A resolution was passed. in which 1t
was. In no ambiguous language, de-
clared that the proprietors had forfeit
ed thoir charter. An address was pre-
| pared, asking Governor Johnson to
take the government of the colony into
| his hands IN the name Of the king
| Johnson hesitatcd but sent a message
to the assembly. i'm which he said that
| he and his council desired conference
with the convention. The convention
| Gor this was the name by which the
assembly called itselD refused to re-
cCive any message, or to transact any
business whatever. with the governor
i'm conjunction with his council Gov
| ornOr Johnson then, in his own name,
invited the convention to hold a co l.
ference with him. To this the conven-
ton ass nted. On presenting them
selves to the governor his excellency
delivered long speech, II which he
used variety of arguments to arrest
the revolutionary spirit Of the conven-
ton and people. He demanded that
the convention should say expressly,
whether or not they designed freeing
themselves from the government OF the
proprietors He also demanded, since
they said that the proprietors had vio-
lated the colonial charter, that they
specify I'm what particulars and when 1t
had been violated. The governor ar
gued that In the event 1t was discover
ed that the proprietors had forfeited
their charter and it was declared by
the British authorities to be null and
void that all the previous acts Of the
| nronrjetors would he abroyated. That