Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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' 1 t ' r I ? ' t 1 ' .. v ,fa ') t. KJ ^jLa VOLUME XV. ?i*-j i ! ?m?a ars <Jt\ F . T O W N E ? . KDITOR. "J. C. BAILEY, Pro'r. and Assoolato Editor. Bi;t?scnirri03? Two Dollars per nnnum. Auvkrtibrmrnts inserted at the rate* of ono dollar per square of twelve Minion line* (this sired type) or lets ft>r the first insertion, fifty cunt* each for tho second anil third insertion*, and twentv-flve cent* for 8uh*c<|uont Insertion*. Yearly contract* will he made. All advertisement* must havo the nuiuhcr of insertions marked on them, or they will bo Inserted till ordorcd out, and charged for. Unless ordered otherwise. Advertisements Will invariably be 44 displayed." Obituary notices, and all matters Inuring to to the benefit of any one, are regarded as Advertisements. Message- of Robert K Scott, Governor of Sonth Carolina. To the General Assembly, First Session, Held at the City of Columbia, July 6, 1808. Qtvlltmm nf the Senate anil House of ){ipresentativei?Vv>T I! first lime in the history of South Carolina, her General Assembly has convened under a constitution that recognises the rights of man. The monopoly of class, by which the few governed the niocy, has gohe down before the sovereignty of the people, and her inslitti tloos have been founded on the broad basis, . that "all governments derive their just powers frotn the consent of the governed." ' Our Constitution, recently ratified by the vast majority of the voter* of Pouth Carolina, guarantees to the citizen every privi lege consistent with the safety of the Stale, and invest* the Plate with every prerogative not inconsistent with the rights of ths citizen. Sound policy and correct prlncl pis thus unite in our political system, and it will be your duly, as it will doubtless he your ohief aim, so to legislate that tho pub lie liwa, and admini*trnt:on of the Mtate, shall not discredit the Constitution under which 3-011 have assembled. Tlia object of all legislation should be the greatest good to the greatest number; oqttnl and exact jn?tlee to all ts, therefore, re Si!;rod at your hands; and I have no doubt tat each and every class nnd locality in the State, wilt receive their due share of public favor from your honorable bodies. riKAXCI AND STAIR DKBT. The financial condition of the State will doubtless engage your early and most e?ri ous attention, and the necessary ways and ineana Ve provided, l?oih for the suppott of ite government, and to meet, the lawful demands of its creditors, foreign and domeetie. Character is credit, and credit is the very sinews of the State in peace and war. The obligation of the State, therefoie, to m<et all of ite liabilities, is founded alike noon correct moral ptiuci.-Ir nrd sound pntillc policy. This should be tits more sensibly felt, from lite fm-t that a Stnte ctin* hot, like an individual, become tbe subject of coensivo process to compel it to meet its just indebtedness; hut the oreditor tuust teiy solely upon its honor The Convention nppointed a Hoard of Commissinnera to in vestignto the deht and available amets of the State, with instructions to report the results of their invertigation to tne Gen ernl AMsmbly, at its first session, and as I em without any positive data upon this subject. I r.tnat tvler you to Ibeir rrport, which will doubtless soon hs laid'before your honorable body. I will make this matter of the debt of the State the subject of a special message to the General Assembly, as It is one that vitally concerns the reputation of our people sad the future credit of the State. The information that I now have places the Vftlld debt of tlie State, exclusive of lite war debt, at about five million five hundred thousand dollars (?5,500.000.) Ibis debt is very small e?hi|>ared with that of other States and the resources of tho State, and if proper measures arc taken 10 promptly liquidate the interest due upon it, the en d it of South Carolina will stand as h-gh as that of any State In the Union. 1 if I .L 1.-^ 1! _ at I wnuiu rrcommt-nu inn mnuing 01 ilia unpaid Interest now due upon the State debt, end also that aocnting up tH a prriod when the State will, without d?>ilht, he Able to meet her liabilities; and would but geet the flret of July, 1869, aa ttie date to which it ahould he funded. 1 would aieo recommend that all bonde of the State ahould be made payable in New York aa the financial centre of the country; and that all stocks ahall be conecrtitde into bonda at the pleasure of the holders. state bank. I recommend an early anil thorough Investigation into the affalra of the State Hank, with a view to ascertain the liahili? tlea it may have entaibd upon the State, pursuant to the terms ot its charter. Its debts aod assets ahould be inquired into, and it should be put In liquidation aa anon aa possible, in order that tlie inat claims against it may be promptly settled. bonds or STATE OITlClltl, aid dktomtort rou wAtk tun tie. In order to gnat d the State against loss by defalcations or otherwise, 1 earnestly recommend that all officers who ara charged with the cuatody of public funds shall be required to give amide bonda and secu rity for the safa keeping or faithful disbursement ?>f the same. I also recommend that a responsible bank shall ba designated aa a depository far ths funds of th* R?>u and that authority should b? retted in the Oorernor, and two prirata cititens to be aaleeted by the Oeoeral Assembly, or otherwlsa, to demand from the Slate Treasurer at any time an exhibit of hie hooka nnd all publio moneys for which he may be account abl? ; this inspection to ba made at least ones in each quarter. TAXATION AND AWtftllCrill. There i? no problem that can engage the attention of the legislator, more difficult than the framing of an equitable system of taxation. Keen in the mwrt prosperous communities, the laws that exact froin the itixen a por'.lon of his means, to support the government that promote hie life and property, arc viewed with extreme acnslllrenca*. Especially is tills the esse In a society such si ours, where vn'iies of every kind have heen suddenly hanged by tho convulsions of war, and wheie the rxeln* rive government of fIam, list Wen expanded into the true rei>uhiicani<m of un-varan! uffrage. Uenee, those who oppose tha free Constitution of our Stnte, a!lege that it enaides the non-property-holder to h-utslate for. and tgx tha property holder. This ar 4k Snu l REFLE as in all republics, tli? majority must rule, and as the majority are nlwaya non proper tv-hnldere, or individual* pay least of the taxes, it follow*, under the argument alleged, that tha very basis of our republican system thould be expunged. W'ldlr the capitalist may justly declare that h* should not he made the subject of unreasonable exactions, as upon Ins capital depend the creation ol great public and private enter prises, and the employment i-t labor in every pursuit of life ; yet the working masses ?the agriculturist and the mechanic?may, with no lees justice, assort that by their labor and skill, capital is multiplied th.nugh ail the varied furmsof production and trade, and that they are the hone and sinew of the Stuto in peace and war, and should; therefore receive their due share in its ad ministration. Recognising the justice of both of these claims, It 1* vour delicnte and important duly so to adjust our system ol taxation that the enterprise of the capitalist shall nut be depressed by imposing upon him undue huidens, while at the same time every cln-s of real and pom-oial property shall be required to old In the support of the State, and in sustaining the .institutions that ha Audition demand*. In this you will he guided by Section 3fi, Article 1, of our Slate Constitution, which declares that " All prop erty subject to taxation shall ho taxed in proportion to Its value. Kach individual in society ha* a right to be protected in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, according to st sliding laws. He should, therefore, contribute hie share to tho ex pensa or his protection." It is prop, r for me here to call your aM*n I loo to the fact, that under a rscent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, National Hanks, within the limits of the Stale, nre sulject to State taxation; while the property of railroad Comr aides. Municipalities, ami nil other corporations will be embraced in your general lux bill. 1 Invite your attention to Article 9, of 'lie Constitution, which provides that ' The Mciicrni AKcnimv snail provide ny taw lor a uniform and ?q'inl rale of assessment and taxation," and defines the powrn of the corporate authorities of counties, cities, towns, ?tc.. and nutlioriz-s thorn to assess and collo< t taxes for corporate purposes.? TliO assessed value of the reol odnle of South Carolina in I860, waa one hundred and twenty nine millions seven hundred and seventy-two thousand six hundred and i.-hfy four ($1*29,772,684) doilnra. ThN value hn?, of course, been materially lessen ed by the violent convulsions to trade and the induatrial inter-at of I ho people during the past seven years, yet it serves to indi rate that with every allowance for the known reduction in the market value of < >.r real estate, that even npon a minimum as sersmcnt ot values, it will form an important basis of tsxntion and of the fiuniiciul resources of the State. couxty tckasi'r.krs and auditor* In this connection I would recotnmen-1 that the General Assembly will provide by law for tbe crentii>u of the oflioes of County Tlassurer and County Auditor, to be appointed in such manner ss your honorable body shall direct These officers should be plsced under ample hands forthesufe keeping sad faithful return of all moneys of the State and County, that may at any time oome into th'lr ftossession, The County Auditors will be the cl-rks of the several Hoards ot County Commissioners, and will make up and am!it the accounts between the County and ilia tax |>ayers and the State, and exaniiue and countersign the necessary drafts udoU the Cotintv Tress urers. I<tVl8J0X ffr TUB fr-fiCilK I respectfully recommend that yoU will provide, at your present session for the dl vision of the larger Counties of the 8t*te ? According to the United States census of 18G0>, South Carolina has an area of twentyfour thousand five hund e 1 ('. 4,500) square iniIt*#, with a population of set en hundred and three thousand seven hundred and eight, (703,708.) or naar fiftoen (15) persona to the square mile. As the Slate is divided Into thirty-one (31) Counties, these figures show llmt the average area of our Counties is aliout eight hundred (800) square miles, while several of them actually emhrace an j area of more than eighteen hundred (1800) I square miles. In the present condition ol our public roads, with many of th? streams unbridged, and with few facilities for traveling poss??sed by the m<>et of our people, the great distance pf the County reals and records from those living upon the herder of one ol those larga Counties, entada the in?st sort ns inconvenience upon them. In view of the nec-asity of a new geographical subdivision of the Slate, Article 2, Section 8, of the Constitution, provld*-a " That the Oenerel Assembly shall have the power, at any time, to organise new Counties, iij changing the boundaries of any of the old ones, but no new County shall be hereaft* r formed of less extent than six hundred and twenty flveequarc rnlles, nor shall any existing Counties he reduced to a lees extent than six hundred end twenty-five square miles. Each County shall constitute one election distiict." I suggest that six hundred and twenty-fivo (A26)*flnare ndler, or twanty (20) township* be mane the max itmim area of any new County that may be hereafter formed. ri;i:t.tc moans and name do. In view of the very bad condition of oar public roads mod bridges. I reoon.inend that the General Assembly will provide by law, for the subdivision of each County into road districts, and for the appointment of competent persona, as Supervisors of such Districts, under the direction of the Connty Commissioners. These Bupervisora of Roads honld receive a reasonable per diein when actually employed, and the County Com iniasionera should be empowered to require that each abla bodied eitisen, between the ages of twenty one (91) and fifty five (36) shall giva his labor, a reasonable nuiub.ir of daye in the year, to bo fixed by law, f?r working the publio roads, or shall pay in Ifeti thereof a certain sum. It should also be piovided, that the Conn ty Commissioners may he held responsible in damages for any Injury lo persons or properly that may accrue to any citicen be Milne of their lailur* to keep the roods and bridge* in g>>od and sale repair. judiciary. Article 4, of our Constitution. provides for the reorganisation of the Jud einl i o | p-irtment of the Mate, and defines the jut isdiction of tile several Courts, to he oryani/ed in pursuance of the same. This imi-ortent sul j et, so vit?l lo the proteotion of lit . b ? i ???* -+~-m ? :x ojt pc GKEENVILLE. SOU! most serious ?iUnllnn. I recommend that the jurisdiction of Junilrri of tho Peace l>e < attended, so that tliey may rend-r jndg- 1 mtnt in petty casra. involving the liberty 1 of the acouoil, ml'jcct of course to an Hp- 1 peal. The State will thereby lie saved the 1 eoet of supporting many prisoner* In Die J jail*, charged with small offences, l?ut una- . Ids to give bonds for tlirir appearance at < the general term of the Court, while the j committing Justice has no authority to pass ; sentence upon them. I would also recommend that Justices of the I'e-ce should be I vest. <1 with the power to disrharge from arrest in nnjr case where there is not probable cause, or reasonable grounds lor helleritivC the accused guilty Ibis Would not debar the Grand Jury fiom Investigating the case of a person so discharged, and find" iug a bill of indictment against htm, should the facts warrant it, while it would prevent much hardship to innocent persons, and ex pens* to the S ate, l-y th? law's d-luy, In this connection, I would urge that the i fecs of Jnatlcea of the Peace, Okuk* of Court, Sheriffs, Constables, and other officer* win may he entitled to receive fees, should l>e etrfctly regulated by statute. rkvihion or cone asd chaxos or rtttAMXott. 1 I invito your earnest attention to Section X, Article 5, of the Constitution, providing that " Tho General Assembly, at its llrst session, after the adoption of this Constitution, sbnll 1 tnnko provision to revise, digest, nnd arrange I under proper bend* tho body of our laws, civil ( and criniinnl, anil form a penal code, f iundcd upon prtnoipies of reformation." This section ' also provides that tho Oencrnl Assembly, " for I that purpose, shall appoint tnroo suitable per- , son or persons, whoso duty It shall bo to ro vow, sunpiuy nun turnip me ruics, practice, ploadings, nud forru* of the Court* now in use I in thin State." A well digested code of Public | Law*, with n full and clear index, will be of j great value to *11 daises of our people, professional or otherwise. Kuoh a oodu South Carolina ha* Dover po?*e?acd. The Com in is- { ion appointed for thin purpose, should bo com- | posed of men of tho highest legal ability, and should be empowered to omit from the code 1 such statutes ns are no longer in neecrd with < our Constitution, or that conflict with the changes in our political and civil systems.? Especially should the pica of " Benefit of Clergy," which has so long disgraced the judicial system of the State, bo no longer recognised by our Courts. I trust that tho General Assembly will make an appropriation sufficiently liberal, to give a fair compensation to tho members of that Commission for their ncco?sari'.y arduous labours. STATUTE or FRAUDS. Section 20, Article 1, of tho Constitution, having provided tlint " no person shall he imprisoned for debt, except in rases of fraud," I recommend that the General Assembly shall, at nn early day, enact a Statute of Frauds, and also n new Statute of Limitations, defining the rights, rcmodies, and liabilities of creditors and deb'ors. Et.r.rrioxa. Z Invito yoar ai:?i>?!~s 2, Ariiciu 8, of tho Constitution, which provides that" it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to provide from tituo to tinio for tho registration of nil electors." It is important to tho safety of tho State tlint tho rights of its doctors and the purity of the ballot-box should be rigidly guarded. 1 therefore rcoinmcnd that you will pass stringent laws prescribing the duties of llogistrurs and Judges of Elections, with appropriate penalties; and providing also for tho punishment of bribery and corruption at publie elections. HLMoV Al. or POLITICAL HIS A JItl.JTir.S. I would earnestly rvoommend that your honorable body will, at an curly pcyiod, memorialise Congress to relieve every citiscn of South Carolina, from all |H>litieal disabilities. I inako this recommendation tho more readily from the fact, that there aro bdicvod to bo uuu <x mm. ciuss in mil runic, wnn nave mmmilled infamous offences against the laws of war. The statnte of disfranchisement was doubtless wise and proper at the earlier stage of reconstruction, and justly marked the nation's abhorrence of those who, hnving been the trusted lertduf* of the pcoplo, bad lod them into rebellion against the benign government of their country. Yet tho conliuunneo of such disfranchisement would be an anomaly under our Republican system, based upon the doetrine of universal suffrage. Let us bono that such an act of magnanimity will not b? mistoken by the class disfranchised, while to deny It will tend to make them objects of sympathy, and will be, as it were, to keep a knife sticking iu an ojain wound. unrc.tttos. Civil liberty and the education Of (bo masses nre inseparable. The safety of a free State rests upon the virtue and intelligence of the people, and it cannot preserve the one without cultivating the other. All republics of which history makes mention, have owod their decline and fall to the corruption of the pcoplo ; who, having become umiudful of their rights and duties through ignorance, became tho p/ey of dcmogoguca through choice. In n country such as ours, where the humblest citisen, if worthy and well qualified, may aspire to tho station of tbo highest, and where the bordbnaded child of poverty and toll may become tho Chief magistrate of the republic, the diffusion of intelligence among the tnnsscs is not only a measure of puhlio justice, but vitally concorns tho public safety. The Government of tho tTnited States lias been so mindful of tho importance of popular rducatloh, that it bis already given 70,000,000 of aeroa of public lands, worth at least ninety millions (1)0,000,000) of dollars, for the estab lishuiont of school* and cottages in tha Htatos and Territories of tbo Union. I would, therefore, oamejtly recommend that tbo provision of our Conalitutioo upon this auhject, he carried out in Its fullest extent, and that as thorough a system of frco schools shall be established a* la consistont with the presunt taxable resources of the State. I deem it proper to add, that antisfactory assurances are given that Congress will, within a brief period, tnake a liberal grant of publie lands to this State, for tbo creation of a permanent common School Fund: thus in n great measure, relieving our people from tho burden of taxation for that apocial object. I respectfully suggest that yon will memorialise the Congress of the United States upou this subject, ahd solicit the grant referred to at the earliest possible day. Article 10, Section 3, of the Constitution, provides that "there shall be kept open at ioHSt six months in ench year, one or more schools in ouch school district." I respectfully recommend that the General Assembly will provldo by law for tho establishment of at least two (2) schools in each school district when necessary, and that ono ol said schools shall be set upnrt and designated as a school for colored children, and thu other for white children, nnd the school fund to ho distributed e<|iisl!y to ouch class, Id proportion to tho number of children in eaeh he- ; twocn the ages of six and sixteen years. I 1 deem this separation of tho two raves in tho ! II CAROLINA. JULY 22. While the. moralist and tho philanthropist iheorfnlly nfWgnizcs the fact that " (lud bath nade of ono blood all nations of men," yet ;he statesman in legislating for a political sorifcty that embrace* two distinct, and, in somo ncnstifc,antagonistic races, in the groat body if its electors, must, ni fur as the law of equal rights will permit, tako cognisance of existing t?rejudic.es utnong both. In school districts, a here tho tvhlto children may propondorate In numbers, the colored eliildreu may bo oppressed, or partially excluded from tho Schools, 1 white the sumo result may accrue to tho whites in those districts whore colored children nro in the majority, utiles t they shall bo separated by law as herein recommended. Moreover, it la tho declared design ol tho Constl that all classes of ottr peoplo shall bo o lucateu, tut not to provide for this separation of tho two races, will l>o to repel the masses of tho Whiles from tho educational training that they So much need, ntid virtually to give to otif colored population tho exclusive benefit of our public schools. Let us, therefore, recognize facts as tlicy ore, and rely upon time, and tho elevating influence of popular education, to dispel any unjust prejudice that may exist among the two races of our fellow-citizens. COXCLUWRtt ft If XT tVKEK. ??- < -S The Platform of the Democratic National Convention The Democratic party, in National Convention assembled, reposing its Iruftt in the intelligence, patriotism and discriminating justice of the poople? 'landing upon the Constitution na the foundation and limitation of the powers of ihc Government, and the guar antee of the liberttes of the citizen, and recognizing the questions of slavery and accession as having been settled, for all time to come, bv the war, or the voluntary action of the Southern Slates, in Constitutional Conventions assembled, and never to be renewed or 10ngitated, do, with the return of peace, demand : 1st. Immodiate restoration of all the States to their rights in the Union, tinder the Constitution, and of civil government to the American people. 2d. Amnesty for all pa-it politicnl offences, and the regulation of the elective franchise in the States hy their cit izi-na. 3d. Payment cf the public debt of the United Sla'es a* rapidly as practicable; all money.* drawn from the peo pie by taxation, except so much as lit requisite for the necessities of the Gov eminent, economically administeicd, being honestly applied to such pay mant ; ??!, the cbiig.'tlon* i f the Government do not expressly state upon their face, or the law under which they were betted does not provide that they shall he paid in coin, they ought, in tight and in justice. be paid in tbe lawful money of the United Sta'es. 4 h. Equal taxa ion of every species of property, according to its ical value, including Government bonds and other public recurities. fi;h. One currency for tbc Govern incnt and the people, the laborer and the otlicj holder, the pensioner and the soldier, the producer and tLe bondholder. Oth. Economy in the admln'stration of the Government ; the reduction of the standing army ami navy ; the aho. lition of the Freedmen'a Itureau, and all political instrutnenialities de.-igned to secure negro supremacy ; Minplttica tion of the system and discontinuance of inquisitorial modes of assessing and collecting internal revenue, so tlifct the burden of taxation may be equalized and lessened, the credit of the Govern*, tnent and the cuirency made good ; the repeal of all enactments for enrolling the State militia into national forces in lime of peace ; and a tariff for revenue upon foreign imports, and such equal taxation, under the internal revenue laws, as will atfhrd incidental protection to domestic manufactures, and n* will, without impairing tho revenue, impose the least burden upon and best promote and encourage the great imlustiial interests of the countrv. 71h. lleforin of abuses in tho admin istration. the cxpuUion of corrupt men from office, the abrogation of useless offices, the restoration of lightful authority to and the independence of the executive and judiciary departments ol the Government, the subordination ol the military to the civil power, to the end that the usurpations of Congress And the despotism of the sword itrav - 'J ceiue. 8ih. Equal rights and protection for naturalized and nativo born citizens, nt Itomo and abroad ; tho abortion ol American natioiiMlity which shall coinmand the respect of foreign powers, and furnish an example and encouragement to people struggling for national intcg tily, constitutional lihcity and individual rights) and the maintenance of the rights of naturalized citizens against the absolute doetiine of immutable allegiance and tho claims of foreign powers to punish them for alleged crime com milted beyond their jurisdiction. In demanding these measures and reforms, we arrnign tho radical party for its disregard of right, nud the mi paralleled oppression and tyrannv which have marked its career. After tire most sol. mn and unanimous pledge of both Houses of Congress to prosecute the war eftclurivi Iv for the maintenance of the Government and the preservation of the Union, under the Constitution, it has repeatedly violated that most sacr.d | ledge, under which alone was tallied thai noble volunteer army, which UliliiiiUbM f W ^ K EVE NTe 1868. Instead uf restoring the Union, it has, ao far aa in in it* power, dissolved it, end subjected ten Slate*. in limns of profound pence, to military d'spoti-m and negro supremacy. It lias nullified there the tight of I trial hy jury ; it has aholidied the hn beaa corjnis, lhat moat sacred wiit of liherty j it has overthrown the freedom of speech and the press; it has eiibsli tuted aibitrary seizures and arrests, and military trials and secret s'ar chamber inquisitions for the constitutional tribunal* { it has disregarded, in time of peace, the r'ght of the people to he free fiotn searehes and seizures; it has en tered the post and telegraph offices, and even the private rooms of individuals, and seized their piivale papers and lettets, without any specific charge or notice of affidavit, as required hy the organic law ; it has. converted the Aineticnn capital Into a bastile ; it has established a system of spies and offi rial espionage to which no constitution at monarchy of ICurnpe would now daio to resort ; it has abolished the right of appeal on important constitutional questions to tho supreme judicial tribunal*, and threatens to cut tail or destroy its original jurisdiction, which is irrevo Cftblv vested by the Constitution, while the learned Chief Justice has l??en subjected to the most atrocious calumnies, merely because he would not prostitute his high offico to the support of the false ami partisan charges preferred against the President. Its corniplion ..?,t i ? i mm cminwi^niiCH nave CXCCCUeil anything known in history, and by its frauds and monopolies it has neatly iloubled the bnrtlen of the debt created bv the vV.'tr. ft has stripped the President of his constitutional power of appointment even of his own Cabinet.? Under its repented assaults, tin pillars of the Government are rocking on their base, and should it succeed in November next, and Inaugurate its TVesi dent, we will tin-el, as a subjected and conquered people, amid the ruins of lib crt and lite scattered fragments of the Constitution { and wo do declare ami ro-?n|ve that, ever since the people of the United States threw oil' ail sub jection to '.La British crown, the. r.iivii'e'e and trUel ui sU lunge oavu belong ed to the several States, and have been grant#d, regulated and controlled ex clusively by the political power of each State respectively, and that any attempt by Congress, on any pret> xt whatever, to deptivo any Slate of this right, or to interfere with its exoiclse, is a llagiant usurpation of power which can fiud no warrant in the Constitution: and, if sanctioned by the people, will Mibveit our form of Government, nnd can only end in a single centralized and consolidated Government, in which the separate existence of the Slates will he entirely absorbed, and an unqualified despotism be established in place of n Fedcinl Union of coequal Stales j and that we regard the reconstruction Acts (-o-called) of C( tigress as 6iich are usurpation*, and unconstitutional, revo lutionary, ami void { that otir soldiers and sailors, who carried the ting of our country to victory against a triort gal lant and determined foe, must ever he gialefully remembered, and all the guar antees given in their fuvor must be faithfully carried into execution. mi... !.. ?ui:- i?? ? lum II1U [Mimic IIIIIUS himII 1(1 1)6 <MStributed a* widclv as possible among the people, and should l>e disposed cl either umler tho preemption of home, stead lands, and sold in reasonahh quantities, and to none but actual occu( pants, at the minimum price establidi ed by the (Jovernment. When grantr of the public lands may bo allowed necessary for tho encouragement of im portant public improvements, the proceeds of the snle of such lands, and not the lands themselves, should he so ap , plied That tho President of tho tJnited i States, Andrew Johnson, in exercising the power of his high office in red-ling the aggressions of Congress upon tho constitutional lights of the States and the people, is entitled to the gratitude of the whole Atneiican people, and in behalf of the Democratic party, wc tender him our thanks for his patiiotic efforts in that regaid. Upon this platform, the Democratic party appeal to every patriot, including . . r . n nil tlio conservative element and all who desire to support tho Constitution and rcMorg the Union, forfeiting all past <rn?rencM cf opinion, lo unite with up in tho present great struggle for the lib? erties of tho people; and that to all such, 10 whatever party they may have heretofore belonged, wo extend the righi hnnd of fello*?hip, and hnil all such co opetaliug with us us friends anil brethren. ?" - ? Condkmm no mnn, says John We?< ley, for not thit.king as yon think ? Let every odo enjoy the free liberty ol thinking for himself. Let overv man ' use his own judgment, since every mar yives account of him-elf to f?od. Ab hor every approach, in any kind of degre?', to ;hu spirit i f persecute n. II I yon cannot jwoii.iiIh a man into the truth, never attempt to foicu him into it. ? ' <$ ? 1 ?II?JI 11 i ilML.ua OHaaaMMwl V V/\ A n\/. t*. -- . The Oldest Ciiy in the World Damascus in Ihe oldest city in the world. Tyre ami Side n have crumbled on the shore; Baal bee is a ruin; Palmyra is buried in a desert; Ninevih and Babylon have disappeared front the Ttgiis and Euphrates} Damascus retains what it was before the days of Abraham ? a centre of trade and travel? an bland of vcudute in the de>ert ?"a Presidential capital" with martial and sacred as-ociations extending through thirty centuro-. Tt was near Damascus that Saul of Tarsus saw the light above the brightness of the sun J the street which is called Strait, in which it was raid " he prayed, still runs ihioogh the city. The caravan comes and goes as it did a thou?nnd years ago ; there is still the sheik, the a?9, and tiro water wheel; the merchants of the Euphrates and the Meutu rrnhean still " occupy " these * with the multitude of their wares." The ciiy which Mahomet surveyed from a neighboring height, and was afraid to enter " because it waa given to man to have but one paradise* and, f>r his part, he was resolved not to have it in this wot Id," is to this day what Julian calbd the "eye of the East," as it was in the time of Isaiah* "the head of Syria." From Damascus came the damson, our blue plums, and the delicious apricot of Portugal, called dainasco, damask, our beautiful fabrid of cotton and silk, with viues and flowers laised upon a smoth, bright ground ; the damask rose, introduced into England in the time of Henry VIII., the Damascus blade, so famous tlie world over for its keen edge and wonderful elasticity, the secret of whose manufacture was lo-t when Tamerlane carried off the artists into Poii-ia; and that beautiful ait of inlaying wood and steel with rilvcr and gold, a kind of mosaic, engraving and sculpture united?called datna>ko<ning?with fchich boxes nnd bureaus, swords and guns arc ornamented. It is still a city of flowers and bright waters ; the streams of Lebanon and the " river of gold " still murmur and spaikle in the wilderness of "Sy nan garden." TVm'.'Ckats i:; rut: Sr.irrn C'A?"!.TT.t Lrgisi.atukr.?The Columbia " Phcenix *? sn\s! "Tlio Democratic mem? Sera of the Sonata are: Oconee?D. Biemnn ; Horry?II. Buck ; Lancaster ?11. M. Sima ; Anderson?J. II. Ried ; Pickens?T. A. Rogers. The Senator Pom Spartanburg Iimh not yot taken bis seat. The Dcinnciatic members of the Home are: Anderson?J. B. Moore, Frank Sloan and J. WiUon ; Horry? Zidock Bullock Lancaster?Messrs. Stewart and Cljbnrn; Oconee?W. C. Keith and O. M. Doyle ; Pickens?W. T. Field ; Spartanburg?S. Liltlejohn, i C. 0. Turner, II. M. Smith and J avail Bryant. i " The cntHliilUtonal amendment has 1 been passed by both bodies. All of the Democratic Senator# and Ilepresen i tatives voed against the amendment, excepting the Hon, Mr. Fisher,of Spar> tanburg, who had not then taken his ' seal, ami Mr. ZadiH'k Bullock, of Mation, who voted ave under protest.? > There is a little h aven in the lump." 1 Mojif. Wiiibkbt.? At a recent meeting iu Kentucky, held for the purpose of helping along the building of a rail* p road. T?no of the spoakerH, remarking that the Ohio liver was getting too low for navigation, and warming with animation, said with great emphasis:?1 ' " We are getting short of water."?1 Pausing a moment to recover his ' thoughts (or wind.) he was surprised ttJ see an inebriated Kentnekian ?ris? ?i?l sav: " All you've got [hie.] to do then, is to [hie] put in more whiskey !" A young Indian girl, who had curt* ouslv watched the process rf marking ' barrel heads in a flouting mill in Win> or.a, Minn., stole in onedav and, taking possession of tho stencils, ornamented Iter blanket with tho words, " Ells-? ' worth's Choice," and paraded tho streets ! in gteat delight, but to the disgust of 1 Mr. Ellsworth, who is a bachelor and has made no such choice. A juvenile member of a Mcridan con " gregalion, disgusted by an unpardonable long sermon, exclaimed, after tho 1 pastor had finished rounding the period of the inovitahlo *' tenihly," and was gathering himself up fur a new assault, 1 "Oh, mother, ho isn't going to stop at j all; he is swelling up again !" A " broad style " of weatctn man, visiting Doston. said nothing surpiised I him so much a* to roe tlm Now Kngland farmers " l?oro holes in the rocks with gimlets to put in their grain."? ' Why, out Went," he ndded? " t? not . the grain on a tnhle and fan it, atid it comet up nil nround !" i At r.no of the hotels in New Yutk? I the landlord. raid to a boarder : * here,Mr. l>ak< r, the < hatr.bei idr id found a hairpin in your bed this morning.". Well," replied J-.-bu, * 1 found s |i*tg 'I hair ir. th< \>< *.S o t th's in 'roitij^ I at it 1 I t V.ot ,>r..c. IlPi I <# c VM?S ft f.'tnaLv \ t' i.f"