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J0 THE NEW SOUTH. J H. SEARS, Editor and Proprietor. | PORT ROYAL, SATURDAY, MAY 13, 18G5. A Convention?Recount ruction, &c. Our neighbor of the Charleston Courier takes the initiative in the matter of getting the disorganized elements of the body politic of South Carolina into some j kind of seemly shape. An article in that paper of May 1st advocates" the idea that i " leading and influential men'' should hold a Convention for the "adjustment of National difficulties on the basis laid diwn by the Unit )d States Government,' and that the gathering shonld be com-! posed exclusively of citizens. Then in j the issue of May 5th the subject is again : referred to under the head of " Reconstruction," and the "solid men" are, urged to take action in the premises. Ac-, companving is a communication a column aft a half long, written by a citizen in a Christian spirit, yet having tlje peculiarity of being apologetic in its character, as though the author was afraid of offending those with whom he claimed association. Being in South Carolina ourselves, we have a word to say on the subject, and, in the absence of any "basis laid down by the United Stains Government" shall express our views freely, lha people of South Carolina either arc or are not conquered. If conquered they in the position to receive terms, not dietato them ?and, it should be the policy of the , ?.?t and best Government on earth " not j to deal unfairly with them, and no one supposes for a moment it will. Rut, it * ?? ? A-V?/kl1\! n ilvn ^ iU AAA Atff ftAMA 11A 1CIJ UUU lUCOV VlMLViir , should eoiue up with an unwritten sheet I ?all their prejudices and predilections | cast aside?and ask that they should have x the liberty of instituting a civil govern-uient sueh as any community North is living under, and if granted, be thankful that the road is opened towards the; eventual withdrawal of military rule, i This thing of adopting a conciliatory | process^ pre-supposes that the Govern- J meut has been guilty of inflicting upon them, an undeserved injury?an admis-! sion that no truly loyal man can ever; tkinlrA f~ in til A AAVkl an tin pAHAltmA UJ(Ukv? wria iuv v^uirni ^?uiu vaiuuun, ( as the hot-bod of rebellion, bad she suf-1 fc-red a thousand fold more, would not have been adequately punisho 1 for her i eomplioity in, the great crime of precipitating a happy country into a bloody and , hideous civil war. Union men, if auy _ there .are in South Carolina, 'whether so originally, or convinced by the bavouet. vAn have no hesitation now, ia coining lorward and putting civil government in motion, in such a shape as to shut out forever all element* calculated to excite fnture discord. If there are 110 Union men among leading, influential and solid citizens, then the wheels of government miftt be fjr*t started by another cIms of people exclusively, who we know are loyal, and who will uphold the honor and dignity of the now regenerated flag. Let meetings le called, and let all, f^om the highest fo the lowest, attend if they will. Let discussions ensue, and if, . perchance, the suggestions of a Pickin- n iSi a" aoy 'ofh^rs^uaiole in^n of color. 1 i X should meet with favor iu opposition to i those of the influential and solid class, i adopt them and act under them. The { people who have been lately disenthralled 1 have a deep interest in this thing of re- 1 construction. And we would not for a 1 moment exclude military men, although 1 we should deprecate the idea of overaw-! 1 ing a primary assembly by their presence : i in large numbers. It must be recollected < that a great many men of the North are J < seriously considering the propriety of < making their homes in the Sonth, espec- < lally soldiers, and their motives may oe 1 of the very best character, in participating 1 in these meetings. In short, let the as- ' semblages be of Ihe people, every one feeling conscious of his manhood and * determined, in the new career of the State, that his voice shall be potential, at 1 least to the extent of his individuality, 1 and that his own honest convictions shall ( not be smothered by the dominance of a * privileged class. Begin right and the ' result will be all that the most ardent ' lover of . free institutions could desire. I Begin wrong aud the work of reconstruc- * tion will be going on for years, amid ; bickerings and heart-burnings and a semi- ( military intervention. Things may not, * work in entire harmony at first: but, j those who create the discord?those who 1 fail to accept the inevitable cheerfully,j because of their prejudices?will be the sufferers and those only. The popular mind will soon reign supreme, order will c be restored and the machinery of gov- s eminent will move smoothly. Of course ^ there will be some who will brood over a the halcyon days of manacle and whip, and weep bitter tears because degeneracy j has seized upon the land, consigning gentle blood ignobly to oblivion. Others j will see the matter differently; recogniz- j ing in the inauguration of Free Labor, a j rapidly developing people, increased pro- ? deletions of the soi!, and a trne sentiment I ^ of loyalty much to be thankful for as ' c the result of the great conflict. ! j We ore led to this train of thongfet .by c the seeming determination of our Charles- 1 ton cotemporary to confine the convention c and re-consimction movements to a cer- 1 tain class in the community?a class that; r has been accustomed t<> t!?e hair-splitting j r conhist.ri#*s of Calhoun and Ebett and 1? Barnwell and Aiken?a class which, at j least, pandered to and accepted doctiites; bringing them to grief. No! let Hhf, ^ people engage in this matter,! and if pie-: j bei.iu flesh and blood shall jostle the t hangbty patrician, let the latter, if so j * mfnded, fold the rob.; of his dignity al ont ( him and stand apart, "wrapped in the ( solitude of hi* originality," while the; I world proves on resist! esslv to the anisic . j of an ennobling Humanity. A Iiooi k i.'omk to cjkief.--Sometime f i f r?go ft gentleman at Charleston made uflidavit before Cftpt. Pratt, Provost Mar-, v shal of the Xortlieru District of this I Department, that lie had met in the c streets of that city one M. C. Latnritte, r Sergeaut-at-Arms of the United States r Senate, at the breaking out of the rebel- t lion. This notable, it appears, had f disposed of certain ftimitnro and carpet- t iug in the Senate Chamber, and, appro- v priating the money, left for the South. A reward of $.1,000 dollars was offered for hi* arrest, and when interrogated by , ^ someone on this point, supposing lie ? was among those of his own kidn?v. he 1 f ? * ? i admitted the fact. 1'ncler the snpervi- j. i?n of Captain Pratt, a careful watch of! a the f< V?.,' < cations was jnstitufvl. an 1 it. ti \ ? |? - - -- w , >,*! ini^ II r ri I ? rajr 11 ff&s soon discovered thi.t he was engaged n " roping in " soldiers and others to a gambling hell?in fact, was doing a very brisk business. He was arrested and (vhen asked for his pass, the document kvas non est, and he gave as a reason that lie had come to the city as one of Gen. Sherman's advance scouts,?a lie, ol eotirse. He was then sent to the Headquarters of the Provost Marshal General at this place, to be examined, punished befitting! y for gambling, and forwarded to Brig.-Gen. J. B. Fry, at Washing ton, to run tun gauntlet unuer me double charge additional, of being a spy uid a thief. Whereupon, on Tuesday, as the good steamer Fulton was about to leave for K#w York, a double file of soldiers, with reversed arms, traversed our town and proceeded out upon the wharf, lugubriously. In their rear marched this doleal but vicious looking customer with his readjust half shaved and a placard on lis back inscribed <:A Gambleb." And iringing up the procession was the music ?the drum and fife, flinging to the vinds the monotonous hut plaintive air >f the "Krgue's March "?and, speaking or its distinguished guest, unremittingly Poor old sol?dirr! Poor old sol?dier! I'm the man who swindled you out Of all your hard-earned money? I'm going North with my head luilf-shaved. Wishing I had'nt done ye! ?TiiK Tax Commission-bus have increased the amount received for taxes, ince the occupation of Charleston, from >20,000 (mentioned in our last issue) to ibout $30,030. In Charleston and vicinity, the time alowed by the act, expired the 6tli of May -since which time 10 per cent, interest, s edded to the tax from the first of July, .832,?that being the date of the Presilenfs proclamation declaring certain jtates aud parts of States insurrectionary lislricts. Section 9 of the amendment >f the act cf Match 3d, 1865, k.ivs : "That >oarda of tax commissioners shall give ine notice, liy advertisements, of salts of anda to be madj by them, by authority >f law, as the Commissioners of Internal Sevenne, under the direction of the Seeetary of the Treasury, shall orderjmd.divct/ . _ rho MilituryTnx Fund?J"usf too toBenufort. Editors New Sorra Your article of ast weefc giving an account of the manner in which the oncvptr cent military or Viae Kaan onnrArmat CMrrnr.-icte fo "j-r" ,' ?"?*?* he fact that a* the merchants of Jleaubrt have pr.i I a proportion of the tax heir town ought not to he excluded in its liebnrsement. Among the things neod>d here is a new hose carriage. We have >onght and paid for an engine and hose, mt the old carriage used in "seoesli" inres is worn out. 0vr streets, too, vonld be the bettf r for a little mending. 3ut what we want more than all is a good errv boat to ply from lie infurt to Lalies Island. Can we not in fairness l share of the military tax fund to winch ve have added our mite ? J. G. T. You are right, J. G. T. The one-perent.-tax is a Department fund. We see to reason why the diflf rent Fusts should tot share in it?at least in proportion to he amount paid by each Post. Set the ~ A 1- 1 ^ 1. il !. A (jrnvuu i?i ttwrK iu mivi? iisih ui:iver fixed .as it should be and, no doubt, on will succeed. Remarkable Escape.?On Thursday >f bust week Mr. Henry A. Rogers, Mate f the r. S. ship Xf-ic Hampshire, while ,t General Quarters, by some mischance ell through the hatch, from the Spar leek to that of the Orlop ; the (list wee s twenty-five feet or more. Mr. Rogers ciped, however, with only a few flight rur-fc?. iMtaaywi... r -w? - -The Sch Islnnd\Hutel* A few weeks since we mentioned tluit arrangements were being maclo for tbe erection of a spacious and airy hotel, with the above name, at this, place. Since then, rapid advancement lias been made with the work, and the building will soon be read}' to receive guests. The site selected is very fine, being near the beach, on a good bluff, gome distance to the north-west of the U. S. A. Hospital, and on the comer of one of the broad avenues which are being laid out from the shore to the other side of the island. The hotel is set np from the ground several feet, in order to give a free circulation of air underneath?a matter of first importance in this climate. Tho front is eighty-six feet long, thirty-four feet wide, and thirty-four feet high, from lower floor to caves, abovo which is an attic, sixteen feet high to peak of roof. A wing extends along the avenue one hundred and six feet, of same height and width as the front building. It is divided into three stories, the lower of which is 11 j feet high and the upper two 10 feet each. Wide veratdas extend along each story of the entire front and wiag. The total length of these walks will be /jo leet A hue cupola and flag staff surmount the building which will, when painted and finished be one of the first objects to attract the attention of visitors on entering our harbor. The lower storv will be divided into a hall and office 24 by 34,?Dining-room 34 by 44,?and Gentlemen's Parlor,Reading Room, Bar, Baggage Room, Store Room, Barber's Room ?ta, of various dimentions. A Ladies' Parlor 34 bv IS is oh the fl'?or above. The upper stories will be mainly divided into sleeping rooms, the smallest of wlii'-h ! will be not far from 14 by 12 feet The Kitchen and Laundry are in well ventilated buildings in the rear of the hotel land entiie'.y .separated from it, thus i avoiding the rising of disagreeable odors O o O in the hotel building. There will be, iu all, about 80 rooiua The cooking, heating, washing, watercloset, drainage and other arrangements xviil be of the very latest and best styles. A ttiil.ard Room will soon be put up on the Avenue side not far from the ie iiend of the wing and Livery Stables will follow soon after. The furniture, bedding, and chamber, and table lin?n l a.v all been made cxi presslv for this bouse end are ready to | go in as soon as the carpenters and painter are away. i "To sav that this hotel lssrcatlv needed I here is not enough. It is indispensible. j The present hotel lias for a long time been crowded to such an extent thai large numbers have been compelled to seek accommodations on board steamers : or w herever they could find a place to lay i their heads. This is especially so for sevI eral days before the regular steamer : sails for the North when a rush is made from Charleston, Savannah and cthc-r * Posts of this Department. Last Tuesday three large steamers left this port for New York, and each was filled with |>as! sengers. fho Ska Island Hotel was projected ; and is being built and-fnrni<hed entirely i by Messrs. I lack ley & Bancroft, whol ! s sle furniture dealers of Boston, Mass. 1 Mr. J. P. M. Stetson, so favorably known ; for years hi conneetion with the Astor House of New York and who lias lately opened the Charleston Hotel, is to be the host of the Sea Island Hotel. ' Under such auspices it cannot fai to be, not on! ly a great accommodation to our new : city, but a perfect success to fill in any j way interested iu it. 4