Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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COLUMBIA. Saturday Morning, March 9, 1867. The Military Districts. We have been several times asked when the new reconstruction bill took effect, and if military rule was at once established. The idea that the Act, from the moment of its passage, in? vests the military officials now sta? tioned at the South with greater pow? ers than they now possess, is utterly erroneous, and for the following rea? sons: First, thc officials who aro to be clothed with supreme authority in each of the "five districts/' are yet to be appointed and assigned tu duty by the President. As the command? er-in-chief of the army, the Presi? dent, if he shall deem it judicious to enforce an Act which he has demon? strated to be grossly inconsistent, will very soon, no doubt, comply with its provisions, by proceeding to put it in operation. He will make the bill a text of an elaborate "general order'' from the War Department, which will contain more careful and explicit rules and regulations of en? forcement. Of course, thc manner in which this bill will bc enforced will depend very much upon thc character of these rules and regulations; for as the President is clothed with absolute authority in this matter, he will not leave it in thc power of five military despots, and their subordinates, to place many different interpretations and instructions upon the new Act. The preparation of this code of rules and regulations, with its in? structions, must occupy some time. As the Act sweeps away the statutes * and organic law of ten States, wc can? not suppose that the President will turn five brigadiers and an indefinite number of subordinate officials loose upon us, without controlling their actions by a thoroughly digested "General Order." As their constitu? tional commander-in-chief, he will be held responsible, for all their acts, and vre have reason to believe that he will exercise great discretion in in? vesting them with the monstrous .and unusual powers with which they are clothed by the Act. We have deemed the matter of suf? ficient importance to announce the fact that thc nev.' law does not, per se, invest officers of the army now stationed at the South with one par? ticle more power than they now have. As the Act is a military law, thc ju? diciary are not expected to enforce any of its provisions, and it is a dead letter until the President, as com? mander-in-chief of the army, gives it vitality by assigning the commandants of districts to their respective posts. Xo officer of inferior rank to the Pre? sident will take the slighest official cognizance of the Act until he is or? dered to do so by Iiis commander-in chief. As wc saiii yesterday, time alone will solve the problem of our difficulties. IMPEACHMENT.-Thc report of the committee is very short. Ii. was made simply to get the evidence taken poi upon record for use by the next Congress. Here is thc only im? portant sentence in it: "The committee not having fully investigated all the charges prepared against the President of the United States, it is deemed inexpedient to submit any conclusion beyond the statement that sufficient testimony has been brought to its notice to jus? tify and demand a further prosecu? tion of the investigation." Which Mr. Rogers, as the mi? nority ot* the committee, answers as follows: "I have carefully examined all thc evidence in the case, and do report that there is not one particle of evi? dence to sustain any of the charges which the House charged the com? mittee to investigate, and that the case is wholly without a particle of evidence upon which impeachment could be founded, and that with all the effort that has been made, and the mass of evidence that has been taken, the case is entirely bald of proof. He furthermore reports that the most of the testimony that has been taken is of a secondary (hear-say) character, and such as would not be admitted in a court of justice." Afire took place iu Beaufort on Tuesday last, iu which seven build? ings were destroyed; among them J. G. Thompson &Co., Hubbard's Pho? tographic Gallery, and the printing office of thc New South. A negro made his appearance in East Machias Village, Me., the other day, and was quite a curiosity to the young people, runny of whom never saw a colored mau and brother before. Tlie Lon* of th? Andalusia. From the detailed statement of the j loss of the steamship Andalusia, we j publish the report of Captain "West, j which embraces all thc chief inci ! dents. The fate of the ill-fated vessel ! is peculiarly interesting to our peo ] plc, as she had on board, as freight, j valable and generous donations to the firemen of Columbia. Thc fol I lowing is Captain West's account of ? the disaster: i We left New York in tuc steamer I Andalusia, at 3.10 p. m., on Satur? day, March 2, 1867, with nine cabin I passengers, a crew consisting of j thirty-eight persons, and a very large general cargo. On Saturday night j and Sunday, we had a strong wind i from X. IS. toX., with rain and heavy I sea. On Sunday evening, at 7 p. m., j whilst we were at sen, 1 heard an un ! usual noise on deck, and I left the ; cabin to see what was the matter, i When I got on deck, the engineers and firemen were coming out ?.hu en? gine room hatch, crying fire! fire! The smoke was coming out at the same. I ascertained from the chief engineer, who had just come out of the engine room, that the fire was forward of the boiler. The hose was pointed down thu hatch, and several men were working the pumps, when tlie Hames burst out up the hatches and around the .smoke-stack. This was less than five minutes after the fire was discovered. I then ordered the sails clewed np, and laid aback, and thc ship headed for the steamer Manhattan, which was about three ! miles on our port bow. The officers > j on the Manhattan must have disco I vered the fire the moment it hurst j out, for whilst we were taking in i sails, I saw her lights coming towards i us. We were going ahead at least ! seven knots. The fire and smoke bad driven every one out of the engine ' room before the engine could be j stopped. I then ordered the safety : valve lifted, which was done by the j chief engineer and his first assistant ?? by taking an oar and lifting the safety ' valve lover. The oar was held until ! it burnt in two; and then hawsers j were towed over the side, in hopes j that they would foul the propeller. ! Finding the fire could not be kept j under, i ordered the first officer to i take charge of the starboard after 1 boat; second mate starboard forward, i and purser, port after boat. 1 gave ? them orders not to permit thc boats to be lowered until the ship's headway I was stopped. The two lady passen j gers were taken out of the cabin; one ; 1 gave in charge of Mr. Norton, the I first officer, and the other I kept with 1 me, with four other passengers. ; In a few moments after giving I these orders, the second officer re j turned to me and informed mc that the starboard forward boat was gone, (having been cut adrift.) After get I ting on board the steamer Mauhat I tan, we found that the boat had been ? cut adrift at the time the .->aiis wore ; being clued up, by two men and a ! mess boy-only the boy was saved. The port after boat was lowered : down bow first, before the ship was . topped, and it was swamped. The : purser, second assistant engineer, one j passenger and two firemen were : washed out ot' the boat f.ad lost. The patent lowering apparatus, on thc port forward boat, broke at the ' after end, which caused three passen? gers, the New York pilot and one i other person to be thrown out of the : boat and lost overboard. They were 1 put in the boat with a lady passenger i and her son ready for lowering, when j the ship's headway was stopped. ' After the ship stopped, the boat was j lowered in the water; her bow was : stove in and she filled with water. I ! had the boat bailed out by the chief i engineer and one of the cooks. I gave orders to thc second officer to i mild a ; raft, which was done wijh the water ! casks, soars and the doors of tho pilot" ' and other houses. The raft was launched and lay alongside of the ? ship. The first officer lowered his i boat as soon as tho ship stopped. The '.? lady passenger was put in the port I forward boat, with nine others, at 110.30 p. m. 1 got in the boat and ; pulled around the ship, to see if any ; one was hanging to the ship. Just before leaving the ship. I heard the Manhattan's whistle close to us. When we got on thc weather side of the Andalusia, we saw one of the : Manhattan's boats going to the ship; I we spoke them, a id informed then i there were several on board. Finally, we pulled for the ?T>v ".mt-, tan; our boat being half full of I water, with two men bailing her out ! with buckets, thc bow was stove in, ? and, by the providence of God, we . reached the Manhattan. Thc sea and ; wind in the last two hours had abated, , or the boat would not have lived, i When we arrived on board the Manhattan, we found the other boats j had been picked up-the first officer's j boat, the starboard forward boat, ! with a boy in, and the port after \ boat, with four firemen, (the rest j having been washed out.) Ono of ? tho men hud a death grasp of the ! cleats. The chief officer of the Man ] hattan, Mr. McCrca, to whom too much praise cannot be given, slung j himself in bowline, wont in the ! sinking boat, and slung thc mau and j got him on board. Tho above facts I was informed of after I got on board tlie ship. The first fifteen minutes after the fire broke out, the men were I panic-stricken, and all those that I were lost were lost in that time, ex j cept those that m were lost by the ? patent lowering apparatus giving away iu the port forward boat. We succeeded iu abatiug the excitement and got the men auder control, and they behaved very well after that time. As we left the Andalusia, the mainmast and smokestack fell. Be? fore the Manhattan left the wreck, she was enveloped in dames, and in I half au hour after it was shut in a j thick fog. The passengers, officers j I and crew lost everything but what j I they had on. I take this opportunity ? of thanking Captain Charles Collins, ! his officers and all belongil g to the! ? Manhattan, for their great kindness I to us from the time ol' our arrival on j ! board the hospitable stearne:- Mau ! hattan. ; I -T"*Z-. The Atlanta ACM? Era contains the j following from the pen of an eminent I jurist of Georgia, on a matti".' of I great interest at this time: it is believed our people do not \ generally understand who are affected . i by the Constitutional amendmeut and ; excluded from office, and front the j ballot-box by the late bill. The following persons are ex- j ! eluded: 1st. All persons wno, before tue j war, wore members of Congress, or : officers oi the United States, and 1 after engaged in the rebellion. 2d All persons who, prior to thc war, wen; executive, legislative or ju? dicial officers of tile ?State, and took ! the like oath, and engaged in thc re? bel'ion. This embraces Govern* ?rs, members of the L?gislature, and judicial officers, from a judge of tho Supreme Court down io a justice of the peace, who, at any time, held the office and took thc oath and afterwards engaged in the rebellion. Who, then, are no: excluded? 1st. No one is excluded because he hold an office under the Confederate State- from President down, if he does not fail within one of the ox : eluded classes above specified. Tho simple fact that he was a Confederate Senator or a Confederate ( i enera i. or that he took an oath to support the i Constitution .if thc Confederate : States, iloos not exclude him. 2d. No State or County officer is I excluded on account of his having ! held the office and taken the oath and 1 engaged in the rebellion, if la- were ? not an executive, legislative or judi i cial officer; therefore, neither a law? yer, sheriff, clerk, tax collector, re ; ceiver, County treasurer, coroner, ! .surveyor, constable or road conunis . sioner is excluded. : 3d. As no man under twenty-one j yeavs of age, when thc war began, , held any such office as disqualified, ; and none of them took the oath to ! RU priori tlie Constitution of the United ; States during the war, and as the war i commenced nearly six years ago, no ' man in Georgia under twenty-seven ! years of age can be excluded. I 4th. Militia officers are not x I eluded. ! 5th. The whole mass of our people . who fall within mme of the excluded ? classes above mentioned, are free j from the disqualification, and may ' vote and hold any office in the State without regard to the part they took MAHYI.\N:> RADICALS.-At the radi I cal State Convention in Baltimore, I on Wednesday, the following, among ! other resolutions, was adopted: "Resolved, That we request the Republican members of the State Senate to prepare au amendment to : said bill, basing repr?sentation upon 1 population, and submitting the ques ! tions of a convention to ail the male citizens of the State, and providing for a m w State Government on the basis of impartial manhood suffrage; I and that we shall insist that any ! change in the Constitution shall be made upon this basis, and that no : State Government now erected with? out impartial manhood suffrage ought ,i to. be considered republican; and thai iu the event of the passage of the oppressive and anti-republican : bill nov. before the Legislature, we i will appeal to Congress to provide ! for the assembling of a convention in this State on the basis of the recon? struction bill, and to organize a loyal ? State Government, with impartial I ?ufirage." i It will "ne seen that it is thus at? tempted to compel thu Legislature oi Maryland to cull a convention upon j the basis of the Sherman bill. And ! so it will be iu this State, should om I Legislature neglect to call a conven j tion. The choice is between a con ! vention to 'be called by the propel ' authorities and one to be got up ami ' engineered by Hunnicntt. [Richmond Dispatch. -? ? ? > Nu LAND i ou BEBELS.-To the hill amendatory of the Act of June 21, j 1866, for the disposal of public lamb j in actual homestead settlements in j Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ar ! kansas and Florida, the House ol Representatives, on Thursday, added j an amendment excluding those whe j had voluntarily given aid and com j fort to the rebellion, but not those ; who had afterward enlisted iu thc 1 Federal army and been honorably '; discharged therefrom. ! THE FLAG OE OUI: UNION.-There was once a llag of the (Inion; but (now ten of the "pretended States' j have been converted into five mili I tary districts, and it is not an easv matter to-day to dehne tho Hag which ; Congress would recognize as tlu embie:!1 of our Government. j 400 persons in New York make r profession of car thieving. Local Itoine. Thc Kev. A. G. Stacy, A. M., Pre? sident of Mecklenburg Female Col? lege, at Charlotte, X. C., is now in the city, and may be seen this fore? noon, at Nickcrsou's. We learn that Mr. ll. C. Shiver had about $9,000 worth of goods on board thc Andalusia-but they were fully covered by insurance. Thc order was immediately duplicated by tele? graph. Notwithstanding this ca? sualty, a large stock of new goods will be found on Mr. S's shelves. THE FIREMEN'S BANQUET.-Iii our issue of yesterday, we gave a brief account of the reception of the Com? mittee of the New York Firemen's Association, the welcomes extended und the responses made, Arc. After partaking of refreshments, on the afternoon of '.Lc arrival of tho com? mittee, the city authorities, the lire men and their guests dispersed, with the understanding that they, with others who had been invited, would assemble at Niekerson's Hotel, at 9 o'clock p. m.. to share- in tho feast which would bc prepared for them. The intervening time was beguiled in promenading and social intermin? gling. As the hour appointed for re? assembling approached, the band in attendance gave forth sweet strains in summons to the banquet. The table was officered by Alder? man McKenzie as President, and Capt. J. J. Mackey as vice-President. On tue left and right of thu presiding officer, sat Mr. M. H. Nathan, Chief of the Charleston Fire Department, and Capt. W. li. Stanley, President of the Palmetto. The festive board veas arranged with great taste, and abundantly supplied with substantials and luxuries, which preparation had Leen entrusted to that experienced caterer, Mr. T. S. Nickerson, who moved about with great agility, carrying his fair pro? portions with the nimbleness of ''swtet sixteen." Am.mg the invited guests, we were pleased to observe his Honor Judge Dawkins, (.rem Green, Commandant of the Post. M. H. Nathan, Esq., Chief of thc Fire Department of Charleston, Alderman Cosgrove, of Charleston, and a goodly number of our prominent citizens. After the fish, flesh, fowl, cte., had received full justice, tho cloth was removed, and then began thc "feast of reason and How of soul." Alderman McKenzie rose and, in a few happy and appropriate remarks, gave tho committee a hearty welcome io tin- city of Columbia, and, in con eluding, offered tho following senti? ment: Thc Firemen's Association of the (.'itv of New York-Though for the present laid aside from the practical working of a dre department, they stand, to-day, banded together, a time-bouored institution, practicing the divine principles of charity ami benevolence. Mr. Wilson, President of the A sso? ciation, replied by offering the thanks of the committee for thc hospitality ol' which they had been the reci? pients. The uext toast in order was Thc New York Fireman-He pos? sesses in his own person all that is noble and daring; his self-sacrifice in thc protection of property knows no bounds. This was responded to by Mr. Lamb, vice-President of the New I York Firemen's Association, in a brief but spicy manner. The following was next given: j Robert Wright, Esq.--The. efficient I Secretary of the New York Firemen's ' Association-We know ami esteem I his merits. Mr. Wright replied, thanking thc i audience for thc compliment paid ! him. j The President gave the following: l Our Host-T. S. Nickerson, Esq. ' A halo fellow well met; his fair pro j portions a guarantee of good living. To which Mr. Nickerson responded j felicitously. The next in order was M. H. Nathan-Tim efficient head of the Fire Department of Charles j ton; may his fair proportions never ! dwindle, nor his shadow grow les.-. To which Mr. Nathan replied, and ' gave the following: j The New York and Columbia Fire? men-True Democrats, who know nothing of social distinctions. Their j broth -rhood is as universal ns the I rava of the element they oppose. ' li . i'resident gave the next among j thc regular toasts: Tho President of tho New York j Firemen's Association-Long may he i retain tho position as hoad of one of the noblest institutions of thc day. Mr. Wilson, the President of the Association, replied m a happy man? ner, returning thanks for the com? pliment. Thc following was then given: Capt. W. B. Stanley, President of the Palmetto Fire Eugine Company . Chief of the Fire Department of this j city-Long tried, und never found ; wanting. j To which Capt. Stanley responded ;'iu his humorous style, and, in con i elusion, offered fae following: i The Fair Sex-The nest ol' fire ? men-they create thc flame, and ex- ? 1 tinguish it without loss to the nnder j writers. ' Tue President next read: The Judiciary of thc State ol' South ' Carolina-No spot or blemish tar? nishes its fair fame. His Honor Judge Dawkins respond ; ed iii a style which showed that the . austere judge could readily glide ? .. ,. j * from grave to gay. Mr. W. T. Walter gave The Now York Firemen's Associa? tion-They have quenched the lire of discord at the North, and have light? ed tim fire of love in the hearts of This was responded to hy Cant. J. : : W. Downing, of thc Firemen's Asso ! ciation, who gave, in concluding his , \ remarks, the following: Tlie Firemen of the North and the j : South-May their bonds of unity : ! never be broken, and may tito pre- i ? sent occasion bc but the forming of ; ! another link in the endless chain ol' j fraternity which, encircling our bro ! therhood, extends, like Jacob's lud- | . dm', far beyond the sight of mortal : vision, into that sacred arena where ! the devouring element is subdued by the living waters of a peaceful im? mortality. i Tue President gave ; Cien. Green -the Commandant of tlie Post-A soldier ami a gentleman; ; long univ he live to enjoy the honors I of his station. To which Gen. Green made a brief ! response, and then offered the fol ; lowing: Thc reciprocal Visits of thc Fire ? men-May they recall in quenching the smouldering embers of discord : among the States. The President offered the follow ! ing: Thc Bar of Columbia-Distin ! guished for eloquence ami the gentle '< manly deportment of its members. Col. F. W. McMaster represented i the Bar, and expressed his great ap ; preciation of the honor paid. Mr. Wilson, President of thc New ! York Firemen's Association, then . arose to make a presentation to the Independent Fire Company, and first ! stated that he felt it hi.s duty to cor i rect an error which had been fre I quently made .since their departure : from New York. He stated that tlie Committee present represented the Nov.- York Firemen's .Association, ! and not ike New York Volunteer Firemen's Association; that tlie two organizations worked under an en? tirely different system. He then said ' that the loss of tho hose reel had I caused them a sad disappointment; but that ic would be replaced by a I far more substantial one. An All : wise Providence had seen fit to inter I pose, and frustrate the accomplish? ment of their objeet for the present, I but that a brief period should elapse 1 ere tin; lost treasure would be re ' placed, Providence permitting. He ; gave a brief description of thc lost hose reel and large portrait of the same, with the likeness of each nieni , ber of thc Committee surrounding it. j Mr. Wilson then presented to tho j Independent Company a portrait of ? the hose reel, encircled by the phc . I tograplis of the members of thc Committee, a pair of .silver-plated j torches and a couple of trumpets, i which, he said, were saved from the j wreck by being in their trunks. He ! gave a history of the torches and trumpets, which was listened to with ! undivided attention. ; The presents were received by ? Capt. J. J. Mackey, President of the ! Independent. He expressed the : grateful appreciation of the Company for the donation made by their j friends, the Committee, and assured ! them that so long as the gifts wore j in their keeping, they should remain ; untarnished. Volunteer toasts were next in or ! der, and Mr. W. T. Waiter offered the following, which was received i with rousing cheers: Our Guests from Charleston-They I represent a people w hose hospitality is as boundless as thc ocean which laves their harbor. Tiiis was replied to by Alderman Cosgrove, who proposed: Columbia-May her prosperity be ! great and her sorrows be few. Mr. E. Hope offered the following; May thc visit of the Committee to ? Columbia prove instrumental in bringing about that friendship and good feeliug which should exist be? tween the citizens of (?ur common country. . Capt. .T. J. Mackey offered the foi lowing: The Press-If guided by proper hands, the bulwark of our rights. Mr. Everett, of the New York He rrtM, made a brief response, and con? cluded by calling upon the press oi' Columbia, which was replied to by Mr. Emlyn, of the Phamix office, who closed a few remarks with the following: The President of the Palmetto Tir. Engine Company-While soldiers cry. "Charge, Chester, charge," our gallant firemen snout, "On, ?Stanley, on." Capt. Stanley expressed thanks for the honor conferred. Remarks were made by Mr. Sam"! W. Melton, D. li. DeSaussure, Esq.. and many others, but we deeply re? gret that we were unable to procure all the sentiments and remarks tba: were made on tho merry occasion. Toasts, songs and jokes were given in rapid succession, and wc ca:: truthfully say that none of the guests left with heavy hearts. The banquet was prolonged to the "wee sma' hours avant the twaL" On yesterday morning, carriages were provided ti? convey the Commit? tee to thc various points ol' interest and beauty in our city; and accom? panied by a Committee of tho City Council and a Committee of the Firemen of this city, the firemen guests pleasantly whiled away the day. At H o'clock p. m., the members ot the Independent, arnie 1 with torch 1 lights, marched to Nickerson's Hotel, to receive the committee and escort them to .Tanney's Hall, where a colla ; tion was awaiting them. Arriving at I the hall, Alderman McKenzie stated ! that the members of the Independent ; wished to have an introduction to ? their friends and guests prior to their 1 departure from our city, and there . upon introduced the committee to the : members of the Independent, col ! lectivelv. Mr. Wilson, on behalf of the com? mittee, expressed unbounded grati? tude and inestimable pleasure at the reception they had met with, and, ii: j closing, gave The Fireman-The bright star oi j America. j Gen. Green was called out, and j stated thai the hose reel for the Inde j pendent had gone down to the bot i tom of the ocean, but the committee j brought with them the hose of union I upon the reel of friendship; they had ' coupled it with the spanner of re i construction, and laid it down like fl j great artery7 along the highway of the : nation, from New York to Columbia; ! while the great engine, good will, at ' the heart of the body politic, pours i through it the waters oi oblivion over ! a bitter and fiery past. Messrs. Everett, Downing, and others of the committee, Mr. Na I than, of Charleston, and M.. Fick i ling, of Columbia, made short and humorous speeches, which were re? ceived with hearty cheers. Thc evening passed ol? very plea? santly, as had the night and day pre? vious, and the assemblage dispersed, in order to allow the committee to prepare for their departure for New York, which took place this morning j at 3 o'clock. 3?r.w AnvEsnsoTKSTS. -Attention is c&II j ed ; o the following advertisements, whicb ! ar.- published this morning for tho firs: ! time: Browns .v. Schirmer-Flour, Corn. &c. Kev. Vim. Martin-Corn for the Poor. Huffman .V Price-Dissolution. The New Orleans Picayune says that the Indians are still worrying the frontier people of Texas, and will continue to do so until they are "wiped out." In Montague County, they recently flushed a son of Dr. Gordon, chased him, wounded him with spears and arrows, and although they did not kill him outright, he is not expected to live. In San Saba County, they are also down, every bright moon, after horses and scalps, while, in McCulloch and Bandera Counties, they have recently been "prospecting" for blood and plunder. A writer, in Bandera County, close by Camp Verde, says that a six-shoot? er and. a swift horse are all the pro? tection he has." Tiie Legislature of Illinois has abolished capital punishment. They should next abolish crime. Why not? All things are possible in this nineteenth century. i Dutch butter is now sent from j Rotterdam to Harwich by steamer. ' and thence to the South of England I by rail at n cost of less luau one far : thing per pound.