Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-29
From the Yorkville Enquirer Of 1875.
INSTALLMENT /.
Causes of the Revolution.

INSTALLMENT l.
Causes of the Revolution.
Whatever honor may be attached to
those infant colonies which deliberate
ly threw off the British yoke and de-
clared themselves free and independ-
ent no small share of that honor Is
due to South Carolina. In the prelim-
mary events which eliminated in an
open rupture with the mother country
she led the way. 1t was, as we will see
in the sequel. the misfortune or her
leading men often to be far ahead or
the age in which they lived. Really
the government Of South Carolina
was never anything but republic.
The Fundamental Constitutions drawn
up by the philosopher, Locke. ana
adopted by the original proprietors,
never were put in force over the peo-
pie for whom they were designed as
power Of government. The proprle-
tors were forced to change and remod-
ell those constitutions, as much from
the nature of the country.
South Carolina was In 1870, an un-
broken forest; and those who came
from Europe to make their home In
that unbroken forest, longed for free
dom, and freedom they would have.
From the very first they quarreled with
the proprietors, and in a short time
the proprietors cast them off with the
angry declaration that they did not In
tend to feed the colonists when there
was no longer any reasonable expecta-
ton Of being compensated. Thus they
were turned out into the wilds or the
New World to work for themselves or
starve. With an energy which put
failure out of the question they went
to work. They depended upon them
selves. Necessity forced them to think
and plan for their physical existence
and for their social and political equal
ity with the nations Of the earth.
Thus, whilst the early settlers OF South
Carolina cut down the forest and
drained the swamps and planted and
cultivated Indian corn, they sowed
broadcast the seeds Of genuine re-
publicanism. In 1929. by bold effort
they freed themselves from the yoke
of the original proprietors and placed
themselves under the protection and
government of England, but with
greater privileges and more liberty
than British subjects in England.
From the first day that the colonists
set their feet on the banks Of the Kia-
wah, they were jealous Of their rights
and every event in their history had
direct tendency to make them watch
their chartered rights with sleepless
vigilance. In 1862, Governor Thomas
Boone sent a message to the general
assembly in which he stated certain
objections to the election law OF 172l,
and recommended that the enactment OF
"a new law was absolutely necessary.
Boone acknowledged that zeal to pro-
mote the "prerogatives OF the crown
had induced him to make this recon-
mendation. When the message OF the
governor was received 1t was imme-
diatey placed in the hands OF COM
mittee. One the 23rd Of March, just
four days after the date Of the mes
sage, the committee made it's report,
and on the next day the report was
considered and the following reply sent
to Governor Boone:
May 1t please your Excellency, this
House having fully considered the
election act now in force, and not
knowing or having heard of any bad
consequences from the method there
by directed, for issuing, and execut-
ing writs of election, are OF opinion
that 1t Is not necessary, at this tlme'
to alter that law in any respect.
In September Of the same year
Christopher Gadsden was duly elected
a member of the assembly from st.
Paups Parish. Governor Boone not
only refused to administer the oath OF
Office in the case of Gadsden, but also
dissolved the assembly. He was deter
mined to force the representatives OF
the people into measures; but he had
men to deal with who could neither be
wheedled nor bullied into measures.
Governor Boone's avowed reason for
not admitting Gadsden as a member OF
the assembly, was because the church
wardens, who under the law, were the
managers of the election, had not been
sworn. 1t was proved that this was
not the case, and the assembly deter
mined to admit Gadsden to his seat In
spite of Governor Boones objection.
This gave Boone a pretext for dis
solving the assembly, Shortly after
ward another assembly was chosen
and Christopher Gadsden was again
elected This greatly irritated Boone,
and the new assembly was not slow in
manifesting it's disapprobation Of the
governors course with regard to the
previous assembly. A series of resolu-
tions were passed, the purport of which
was that the assembly itself and not
the governor, is the judge Of the legal
90 &c hprQ'