Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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COLUMBIA Saturday Morning, February 3,1866. Constitutional Amendments. The amendments of the Constitu? tion of the United States, the Bich mond Dispatch says, seem to Le re? garded by the dominant party in this country as the panacea for every evil which afflicts our social or political system. Is the "rebel debt" to be killed? Amend the Constitution. Is slavery to be forever abolished? Amend the Constitution. Are the negroes to be admitted to all the rights of suffrage everywhere? Let the Constitution be amended. In short, whatever the radicals want done, or do riot want done, they pro? pose to accomplish by amendment of the Constitution. They are like quacks who practice with a single species of patent medicine for the cure of all diseases; and whether a purge or emetic be required, they will in all cases administer the same dose, without diagnosis or prognosis. Under the manipulations of political charlatans, who prescribe an amend? ing plaster for everything, the great charter of American rights and liber? ty will soon resemble an old vessel covered with barnacles, a rock en? veloped in moss, a fallen tree full of mushrooms, or a cow shingled over with ticks. It is proposed to tinker the Constitution as if it were an old coffee pot, and to cobble it like an old worn-out boot or shoe. New patches, it seems, are constantly need? ed upon this old garment. Too much new wine put into this old bottle, we fear, will prove injurious to its inte? grity, and we are looking forward to a period when the Constitution will not be able to stand the treatment to which it has been subjected. "We fear it will break down, smash up and go to pieces, under the weight of all proposed amendments. No good can come of this reckless and frequent invasion of the sanctity of an instrument, from which pollut? ing hands should be excluded as much as possible. Too much tampering with the constitutional safeguards of a people's freedom is dangerous, and jeopardizes their rights and happi? ness. Tho war has already strained the timbers of the Constitution hea? vily, and has given rise to interpreta? tions and the exercise of powers, which no one ever dreamed the Con? stitution admitted of before. It was hoped that, with the return of peace, the error? woidd have been perceived and the damages repaired. The shock and violence of war are less to be f eared than the sap and mine of peace? ful amendment. We have copied the above from the Dispatch in our editorial column, as an article deserving the grave consi? deration of all our readers. SKATING AND SLEIGHING.-For seve? ral days past the New Yorkers have been enjoying delightful skating and sleighing. On Saturday and Sunday the Central Park lakes were thronged with thousands of skaters, while all tho roads leading from the city pre? sented a gay scene from the great number of sleighs. The Herald states that on Sunday, the 28th nit., there were no less than 100,000 persons in the park. There is also fine skating and sleighing at Boston. THE FENIANS.-The address of the Irish Bepnblic, dated at Dublin, has been published. It says that "the work of preparation in Ireland is done. We know our strength. We are not grappling in the dark. A point has been reached from which we see the goal clearly. We call upon you to aid the Irish Army of independence, which will soon stand or fall with its faceto the enemy. We ask a loan, which shall be paid within six months after the establishment of Irish independence." Tho address is endorsed by a card from O'Mahoney, urging prompt ac? tion by the Fenian Brotherhood. The grim death is expected in New York tho lastof March. It has already attacked the West Indies, and advices published from Guadaloupe state that the cholera is making such havoc there that it is feared the whole popu? lation will be swept away. Many citizens of New York are preparing to take their families into the country as soon as the winter is over. One of the principal causes of trou? ble in this country, at present, is the unfortunate tendency which some people have of interfering with other people's business. Letter from Governor Orr. We extract the following from the New York News: Governor. On-, of South Carolina, under date of January 19, 1866, ad? dressed a long letter to the President, in relation to the sea island lauds, from which the following extract? are made: In the lower part of the State, scarcely a contract has been, or can be, made. The delay in carrying out your instructions of last October positively, which bas continued from General * Howard's visit to Captain Ketchum's return, within the past few days, renders the freedmen, as a body, incredulous of any restoration. They have in many places quietly but firmly refused to accept auy terms; but, I regret to say, that within the last few days they have in some instances resorted to violence, burn? ing down ' dwellings, destroying bridges, entrenching themselves in their quarters and refusing either to contract or to give way to th^ose who will. And in these cases, it is proper to say, that the contracts offered them have been approved by the United I States authorities as liberal and just. This is not unnatural, for as long as the freedman has reason to believe i that the Government will give bim a I homestead of forty acres, he will not voluntarily -work for wages. It can j not, I think, be denied that the action of the Freedman's Bureau in this State has largely contributed to this unfortunate result. "Without entei ing into the minute detail of its ad? ministration, I am constrained to say that there is, to my mind, sufficient evidence of an unwillingness to co? operate cordially with the policy of the Government. Certificates of title have been in some cases granted to persons filling none of the conditions even of Gen. Sherman's order, and have been given to chance visitors to the islands for lands, not only for themselves, but for their friends who had never been away from their homes in the interior. Great delay has been interposed in the execution of the forms necessary to restoration, and the bureau has, indeed, gone far to defeat the very object of your orders, for it has decided that where a freed? man refuses to contract on any terms, however just, that in such case there can be no mutually satisfactory ar? rangement, and his refusal acts as a bar to restoration. In addition to this, the whole of the Parish of St. Helena, and a great portion of St. Luke's, comprising the body of the estates which, in intrinsic value, in their former amount of product, cannot be sur? passed by an equal extent of country in any State of the Union, have been appropriated by the Government under the provisions of the direct Tax Act. These lands are occupied by freedmen; some under the pre? tence of allotment; some under pre? tence of purchase; some under pre? tence of Gen. Sherman's order, and most under no pretence at all The Tax Commissioners charged with the execution of these acts have mani? fested these sympathies as the agents of the Freedman's Bureau, and this whole section of country is held out as not only a home of the refugees, but is a land of promise for every in? dolent freedman in the State. Finally, a bill has been reported to Congress, and is now under discus? sion, by which the titles granted under General Sherman's field orders are to be confirmed for three years. I do not think, therefore, that I am risking either an extreme or doubtful opinion when I say that the chief cause of all our difficulty, in finding a solution of this question of labor, proceeds from the action of the Go? vernment encouraging the belief that the sea coast region of South Caro? lina is to be confiscated for the pur? pose of establishing a system of inde? pendent colonization for the freed? men. If this is not so, then the in? terests of this State require that this impression, so generally prevailing, should be authoritatively denied, and that those who, for purposes of per? sonal interest or of political agitation, are endeavoring to prolong and to exaggerate our present embarrass? ment, should be deprived of so effect? ive a means of mischief. Can any reason be found why the planter on the coast, who was driven from his home in 1861 or 1862, should now have Iris lands appropriated for dis? tribution, while his fellow-citizens of the middle or upper districts, whose estates have been untouched, whose industry has been undisturbed, but has participated as fully and heartily in the war, shall be confirmed in pos? session of his. The policy of which, as a representative of the State, I complain is the partial and unjust confiscation of the property of a small portion of citizens, including a large number of unoffending widows and orphans, to be given in the same spirit of injustice in which it is taken, to persons having no claim for special consideration at your hands. The mere introduction of the bill for con? firming these titles has bad an imme? diate and injurious effect. It has checked the energy which was begin? ning to manifest itself; suspended the contracts which were in process; arrested the spirit with which the planters were preparing to go to work hopefully and heartily, and stopped at once the investment of all North? ern capital which was beginning to find profitable employment in South? ern fields. Now, if tho occupation of these lands in the hands in which General Sherman's order placed them is confirmed also, and ^very day will make it worse, one of two'things will follow-either this section of the State will nearly be abandoned to its fate, and its miserable population, dwindling away from disease, and wont and crime, will, after a few mis? chievous vagabondage, disappear from the land, or by fraud or force they will be repelled. But if these lands are restored, their capabilities, tho certain remuneration of success? ful cultivation, the fact that the freed? men are accustomed to the soil, mode of culture, and habits of employer, will secure to such freedmen success? ful contracts and the most liberal wages. The planters who can return, : aad the foreign capital which will j occupy the places of those who can? not, will by energy soon recover | these places, and the country will reap j the benefits. This letter of Governor On* was brought to Washington by'a special messenger, who was too late, how? ever, to influence the action of the Senate on the action of the Freed? man's Bureau bill relating to the sea islands. Arrest In Charleston. We learn from the Courier, of yes- j terday, that on Tuesday morning last, j an accomplice, of a robbery com- I mitted on the Lorenzo Bank, oi Ohio, J was detected in Charleston on last Monday morning. The officers en? gaged were Messrs. Levy and Davis. The Couriw says that the officers, on receiving their information, im? mediately instituted a search and succeeded in tracing the object of their search to a house in Wentworth street, South side, near Butledge. Here he was living in splendid style, having taken a twelve month lease of the building, at the rate of $700 per annum, the rent payable monthly in gold coin. The mistress of the house hails from Philadelphia, and it is said accompanied the prisoner on his trip here. He had also several female boarders, who, he said, were concert singers. On the arrival of the officers at the house, Monday morning, they observed a carriage iii waiting. The officers thereupon drew back a short distance and awaited the denoue? ment. As thc carriage, after leaving the door, was passing the officers, the latter hailed the driver with an order to halt. Officer Levy, on reaching the carriage, said to the inmate, "your name is Bobertson." "No," was the reply, "my name is Moul? ton." "Ah!" said the officer, "just the man we want- driver, drive to the guard house. " The prisoner was then taken to the guard house, where he has been secured until the departure of the sheriff of the county, and president of the bank, for the place where the robbery was committed. Governor Orr has already signed the requisition turning the prisoner over into the hands of the proper au? thorities. What Has Congress Done. The New York Herald thus sums up what Congress has done since its meeting in December last: Two months of the present session of Congress having expired, the ques? tion naturally recurs, what progress has been made by the two Houses in the heavy schedule of work before them touching the reconstruction of our domestic and foreign affairs. We can only answer that we lxave had any quantity of speeches, resolutions, bills, constitutional amendments, &c., submitted in each House, but that the practical results, so far, have been very small. One bill has been passed into a law-that providing against the cattle disease by prohibiting the introduction into the United States of European cattle. The House has passed a bill by a two-thirds vote extending the right of suffrage with? out restriction to the blacks of the District of Columbia, and the Senate by a similar vote has passed a bill enlarging the powers of the Freed? men's Bureau, and beyond these achievements and the reconstruction powers accorded the joint committee of fifteen, otherwise known as the Committee of Public Safety, we have nothing in the way of business to report. Yet there is the constitu? tional amendment reported from that committee, and which, for a week past, has been under discussion in the House. This amendment, exclud? ing from the basis of Federal repre? sentation the whole race with regard to which any State may deny or abridge the right of suffrage, will, we guess, be referred back to the com? mittee to-morrow. The District negro suffrage bil], meantime, will probably come up in the Senate ; and thus, upon this bill, that amendment, or some? thing else concerning the rights ol the negro, all other subjects of Con? gressional legislation may be super ceded for a month or two to come. -?-*?<>-? THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.-The Birmingham (England) Post says: "Birmingham is again to have the credit of manufacturing the wire for the new Atlantic cable, and Mr. James Horsfall has commenced the work. The company intend to pick up the cable already partly laid, com? plete it, and their engineers entertain no doubt whatever of being able to do so; and the new cable is intended for a second line of telegraph, tho directors feeling convinced that ono medium of communication between England and America will be alto? gether insufficient for the commer? cial requirements of the two conti? nents. Both cables will be complete next spring." t j WaihlBgton New? and Ramon. i The unconditional Union men from the South, who are sojourning i in Washington, and who delight in 1 the designation of "Hard-pan Recon stractionists," have prepared the fol? lowing specifications as an epitome of their construction of the Constitu? tion, and had the same printed for circulation -Muong Congressmen: 1. The ei._iusive power of Congress over the subject of citizenship and naturalization. 2. The power of Congress to give effect, by the enactment and enforee I ment of laws, to all the protective ' provisions of the Constitution, and to make the principle of protection ? practically co-extensive with citizen ] ship. 3. Tho positive constitutional in I terdict upon the power of Congress, I and upon the Legislatures of the ! different Stater., to subvert or. impair ] the natural or personal rights ennme I rated or implied in the Constitution. 4. The power of Congress to com. j pel the enforcement and maintenance i of republican government in every State, making the enumeration ol personal and natural rights and thc protective features of the Constitu tion tho definition and test of what is republican government; and further, in order to establish and maintair such local republican government ir every State, to prescribe, in cose o) necessity, the rule of suffrage or cjuali fication of voters. The applications filed for clerk ships at the Treasury Departmeiv have now reached 22,000, and every day augments the number. It is i singular commentary upon this strif< for office, that no class of persons ii this country are so notoriously put tc it to live on their incomes as tin clerks in Washington. Congress i incessantly importuned for their re lief; many resign from sheer inability -to live here, and yet the pressure fo: clerkships is unprecedented. Somj of the most indefatigabl workers against reconstruction ?ire t< be found among the subordinate of ficers of the Freedmen's Bureau ii the South. They ar* yet only suppl; members of Congress Avith data fo speeches, and do not confine them selves to the channels prescribed Iv the regulations in their transmission This proceedore flanks Gen. Howard whose innate honesty would promp him to suppress many of the exagge rated?yarns if they came through th office of the bureau. In several dis tricts, they control a newspaper o two, and they manufacture publi sentiment, which comes to congres sional dead-head subscribers throng] the mails as the expression of a fre and independent press, is dove-tailei into speeches, and of course hus it weight with the uninitiated. Th New Orleans Tribune, a paper of thi class, bound hand and foot to th Conway clique," is regularly furnishe to radical members of Congress fe the above named purpose. Sine Gen. Fullerton's visit to the Louis: ana district, and his correction < corruptions there, there has bee considerable discussion and some i feeling among the officers of th Bureau in that district especially and many of their little secrets hill come out. It is evident that, no withstanding Gen. Howard's offer; to prevent it, the Bureau has come 1 be quite a political machine. Uno ficial news from officers of the Bi reau and Southern newspaper e: tracts quoted in congressional speechi should be taken with a grain of Kalt THE PEABODY GIFT TO TUE LOX DC Poor..-The first report of tho tm tees of the Peabody fund has be? given to the world. It appears th: this munificent gift to tho poor > London was accompanied by a stip lation that it should be so employ? as to render it reproductive, so til not the present only but futuregen rations might *hare in its benefit It was therefore decided, after di consideration, to expend the fund the erection of model lodging lions on a large scale, in which the real deserving poor might be enabled obtain a decent home at a low price than that which they common pay fer the most wretched accoinm dation-a boon which few can fail appreciate. The result has been th the trustees have erected model lod ing houses in Spitalfields, to accoi modate 200 persons; at Islington f 650, and at Shadwell for the sar number, while at Bermondsey ai Chelsea erections of the same kii on a similar extensive scale are progress; The amount of good th accomplished it is not easy to ov< estimate, while the plan adopted li the advantage over ordinary chant bl*? schemes of not lowering the se respect of those who receive its bei: fits.-Liverpool Courier. The Jackson (Miss.) Clarion, of t 19th ult, says: "It is no longer a secret that o able Senators are remaining in Was ington city at the earnest solicit?t! of tho President, who is desirous seeing the Southern States once mc represented in tho hails of Congre: Judge Sharkey would have return lome long since but for the assuras of the President that he would be c mitted, and h.f earnest desire to ha bis assistance in his efforts to justice to the Southern people." ? - ? - .a. . The Nashville and Chattanoo Railroad has begun a suit against late President for $100,00 chining in permitting the Confederate t vernment to use the road und its nt chinery during the war. BEAUTIFUL- SENTIMENT.-A beauti? ful extract below is from the pen of Hom George S. Hilliard: "I confess that increasing years bring with them au increasing respect for men who do not succeed in life, as those words arc commonly used. Heaven is said to be a place for those who have not succeeded on earth; and it is sure that celestial grace does not thrive and bloom in the hot blaze of worldly prosperity. Ill success some? times arises from a superabundance of qualities, in themselves good from conscience too sensitive, a taste too fastidious, a self-forgetfulness too romantic, a modesty too retiring. I will not go so far as to say, with a living poet, that 'the world knows nothing of its men,* but there are forms of greatness, or at leant excel? lence, which 'die and make no sign;' there arc martyrs that miss the palm but not the stake; heroes without the laurel, and conquerors without the triumph." THEIR PLACES OK ABODE.-Business called us from bonn1, through the District, several days this week. Wo were struck with the number of neat, new cabins, that arc being put up all over the country. In several cases, we noticed evidences of neatness and economy in the arrangement of tho out-door matters. Thc little cabins arc the abodes of the freedmen, who, not satisfied to remain in the yards of their employ? ers, have "pitched their tents" for freedom in the forest. It was a sub? ject of remark to soo the ebony faces of "mamma" and the little ones greeting passers-by. Now, that they are thus settled, we trust that they properly appreciate home-that they will be honest, frugal, ami industrious. Such a course j will bind to them, hy ' 'hooks of steel, " ! friends of both races-those who can serve and protect them in the hour j of trial and dangar, Look well to j this !- Picken fi Co ur i fr. A Goon PROSPECT.-The Albany (Ga. ) J1 at riot says : "While there are as yet quite? a number of negroes wandering about the city, liable to be indicted as vagrants, the great majority in this section have made contracts for this year and have gone to work. One half or more, probably, have con? tracted for a portion of thc crop. They prefer this to payment in money as a general thing. This plan, if adhered to by the freedmen, and the next j season bc a good one for raising cot ton, large crops and handsome profits will be the result. If present inten- j tions are carried out, we have no j doubt there will be between one-half I and two-thirds the amount of cotton j raised thc present year that used to j be previous to the year 1861. There has been in Dougherty and adjoining | counties nearly as much small grain ! sown as was formerly, and the pros pects are, thus far, that a large crop j will be made." The New York Citizen says, that j those who grumble at paying four ; cents for daily and ten cents for I weekly papers here, would do well to notice what European papers cost. The London Timen costs $4:5 a year. The Daily News, Globe, Herald and Post, charge the same rate. The London Evening Mail is published three times a week at $25 a year. The London semi-weeklies $12. The French daily papers, large ones, are about the same price ?ts the London ; prints. Those about thc size of ours cost $20 and 625 a year. The German papers cost from $22 to $3G a year. The cost of paper and composition, and indeed everything connected with the make-up of a paper, is much less in Europe, than in this country, so that the American journals are even cheaper than would appear from tho disparity of prices. LIBEL SUIT WITHDRAWN.-The libel suit of A. T. Stewart, Esq., the great dry goods merchant of New York, against the editors of the Police Ga? zette, of that city, for a publication which he deemed derogatory to his character, and in which the name of an actress was used, has been with? drawn. The editors, it appears, made an explanation of the circumstances under which the article was publish? ed, and Mr. Stewart, like a sensible man, regarded it as satisfactory, and withdrew the suit. Thc Galveston Bulletin says there are two kinds of newspapers, which are equally unwise, and equally inju? rious to public sentiment. The first is that which misrepresents Southern sentiments and slanders Southern men. The second class is comprised of those papers who represent the negro as idle, lazy and vicious-who seek to sink him still lower in the general estimation, and at the same time to raise up a sentiment averse to Northern men. GENERAL EARLY.-A letter was re? ceived at Petersburg, Va., from a gentleman in Mexico, who announces the arrival in that country of Gene? ral Early. He rode on horseback, in disguise, from Lynchburg to Galves? ton, Texas, and thence took ship to Havana was wrecked, finally reached that city, and after a short stay sailed for Mexico. ... . -- . The people of London are trying to devise a plan to obviate the diffi? culty and dangers of the over-crowd? ed thoroughfares of their great city, ft is estimated that last year 221 per? sons were killed by vehicles on the streets. Xjocal Items. Advertisement*, to insure insertion, should be banded in by 4 o'clock p. tu. CASU.-Our tenus for subscription, ad? vertising ami job work are oath. We bop? all parties will bear this in mind. "THE CODE." -The Acts passed by th? Legislature relative to the freedmen, for sale at this omeo. Price SO cent?; by mail 2? cents. MAH. ARRANGEMENTS.-Thc post office is open daily fro ir 9 a. ni. to 2 p. m. and from 5 to 6 p. m. The Northern mail is closed at 9 p. m.; Greenville 9 p. m.; South Carolina Railroad mails G p. m. THE BUK NINO OK COLUMBIA .-An inter? esting account of the "Hack and Destruc? tion of tbe City of Columbia, S. C.," baa just been issued, in pamphlet form, from tbe Phoenix steam power press. Orders can be filled to any extent. AND STILL ANOTHER. -Messrs. Townsend 6 Nor tb have received a lot of "Southern Almanacs,'' which, with other attractions, contain a correct fortune-teller. THE CHARLESTON COURIER.-W. 8. King, Esq., who ie connected with this old and sterling paper, passed through this city, yesterday, on his way to the up-country, on a business tour. We commend him to the kind consideration of our friends. Hean i n. Dm ?ne cc Schi mi er are the agenta for the Courier in this city. LUNCH.-Our readers are informed that a capital lunch will be served up at the "Rear House" this morning, free of ex? pense. Mr. Pollock has just opened a fresh supply of a new brand of ale, the "Ams dell," which is much liked. We are indebted j to him for a sample of the ale and a bowl j of delicious oyster soup. WEEKLY FAMILY PAPER.-On the 14th instant, we shall commence the publication of a family paper, entitled "The Weekly Gleaner-4 Home Companion." The paper will bc double the sizo of the Phoenix, and will contain thc cream of the news, miscel? laneous matter, editorials, stories, etc., in the daily and tri-weekly publications. Sub? scription price $4 |>er annum. Specimen copies sent on application. There will bo an interval of two weeks between the pub? lication of the first and second numbera. NEW ADVERTISEMENTS.-Attention is call? ed to the following advertisements, which are published this morning for tu?, first time: T. J. Gibson-Com Whiskey. J. T. Zealr-Notice to Debtors. J. S. Phillips-Merchant Tailor. Wm. Simons-Hands Wanted. John P. Brown-Plantation to Bent. L. C. Clarke-Bice, Flour and Hay. Jacob Bell-Citation Mariah Gonzales. Levin & Peixotto-Cotton Seed. W. A. Harris-Land Agent. Southern Ins. and Trust Co.-Instalm't. Home Ins. Co.-Instalment. D. J. Hane-Notice to Debtors. Kit-hard Caldwell-Corn, Oats and Hay. J. G. Gibbes-Corn, Hay and Meal. " " -Beal Estate, <kc. Durbec & Walter-Auction. A. B. Phillips-Vacant Lots. " " - House to Bent. The London Times says: "We have already stated that associations were being organized with a view of direct? ing a copious stream of emigration from Europe toward Mexico, as soon as the necessary concessions from the Government had been obtained. Dur? ing the month of November, there landed at Vera Cruz, from ships which left Havre, 290 colonists." THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS.-It is stated that letters from influential conservatives in the New England States are pouring into Washington, urging their Senators and Represen? tatives to avoid a rupture with the Executive, and to abide, as far as possible, by the policy he has seeu lit to mark out for the restoration ot the Union. The Nor'- Wester says the Hudson Bay Company forwarded to St. Paul 6,000 mink skins, contained in twelve ordinary sized boxes, probably the most valuable package of furs ever sent to St. Paul. They were sold at SO each, making a total of $54,000. The duty upon the skins was $1,200 in gold. The Imperial Exchequer of Mexico has received quite an addition, in the way of a legacy of 20,000,000 francs, that being the amount left to the Em? press Carlotta by the will of her father, the late King of the Belgians. With this money, Mr. and Mrs. Maxi? milian ought to be able to get out of Mexico in the most aristocratic style. ADMISSION OF TENNESSEE.-"Par? son" Brownlow has written a letter to Speaker Colfax, in favor of the ad? mission of the members of Congress from Tennessee. He says they are "loyal," and can take the oath. The "Parson," however, strongly objects to the admission of the members from any other of the late rebellious States. Mr. Lawrence Oliphant, whose name figures on the list of English subscribers to the Confederate loan, writes from Cincinnati, Ohio, to the London Times, repudiating all know? ledge of the transaction, and explain? ing that his name had been entered on the list without his knowledge or consent. The re-marriage of a young Hindoo widow has taken place in Bombay. As this is the first insti^ice of any properly celebrated marriage in the Presidency, the event has been a sub? ject of congratulation among the more liberal members of the Hindoo com? munity.