The new South. (Port Royal, S.C.) 1862-1867, May 13, 1865, Image 2
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