692 



SOUTH CAKOLINA. 



jtourselves, for you to neglect your regular em- 

 ployments and associations to attend to politi- 

 cal affairs. I promise you that, without any 

 such sacrifice on your part, every man in the 

 Oarolinas, entitled to a voice in the decision of 

 the great questions to be passed upon under my 

 supervision, shall have a fair chance to act his 

 part, without let or hinderance from any one." 

 At a meeting of the Charleston Board of 

 Trade, General Sickles declared it to be his in- 

 tention to make use of the aid of all faithful 

 civil officers in the State, and to do his utmost 

 to promote the material prosperity of the Com- 

 monwealth. He called for the hearty coop- 

 eration of all citizens ia the work of reorgan- 

 izing the institutions of the State. On the same 

 occasion Governor Orr declared it to be, in his 

 judgment, the dictate of interest and wisdom 

 to concur in the measures proposed by Con- 

 gress. He deplored the disfranchising clause 

 because it excluded from participation in the 

 convention for framing a new constitution 

 many of the best citizens of the State men 

 who enjoyed the confidence and esteem of their 

 fellow-citizens ; he believed it to be unwise to 

 extend the suffrage to negroes with no educa- 

 tional or property qualification ; yet he had no 

 hesitation in urging a general registration of 

 those who were qualified, and an earnest effort 

 to do all that was left them to do to secure the 

 prosperity of the State, and her final restora- 

 tion to her place in the Union. He believed 

 that the citizens should keep aloof from the 

 parties of the North, and associate themselves 

 together, regardless of old political lines, and 

 without distinction of color, to promote the best 

 interests of the State of South Carolina. 



While these conciliatory and harmonious 

 counsels were before the public, a discordant 

 strain was heard coming from the retirement 

 of ex-Governor Perry, who bitterly denounced 

 the course of Congress, and counselled a rejec- 

 tion of the convention on the ground that a 

 continuance of the military government was to 

 be preferred to the consequences of reconstruc- 

 tion under the congressional plan. 



Early in April General Sickles held a confer- 

 ence with Governors Orr and Worth, at which 

 it was agreed that no elections for State or 

 municipal officers should take place until the 

 convention had been held. All persons then 

 holding civil office were to be continued in 

 place so long as they faithfully discharged their 

 duties, and in case of vacancies arising from the 

 usual causes, such officers as were regularly 

 elected by the people were to be appointed by 

 the military commanders, and those who ordi- 

 narily received their appointment from the 

 Legislature were to be named by the Gov- 

 ernors. The division into sub-districts was dis- 

 continued, and South Carolina was divided into 

 ten military posts. Among the instructions 

 issued to the post commanders were the fol- 

 lowing : 



10. The sale of spirituous liquors by any person or 

 persons to soldiers, sailors, or marines in the service 



of the United States is prohibited ; and any person 

 so offending, procuring for or giving away to any sol- 

 dier, sailor, or marine, any spirituous liquors, will be 

 brought to trial before a military tribunal, and shall 

 be fined in a sura not exceeding one hundred nor less 

 than fifty dollars, or imprisoned for a period not ex- 

 ceeding two months. And any person giving infor- 

 mation of a violation of this order shall, upon con- 

 viction of the person accused, be entitled to receive 

 one-fourth of the fine imposed and collected. 



Post commanders will require sheriffs, deputy- 

 sheriffs, constables and the police force within their 

 commands, to report to them any violation of military 

 orders and arrest the guilty parties. 



11. Post commanders will exercise a supervision 

 over all magistrateSj sheriffs, deputy-sheriffs, con- 

 stables, and police within their commands ; and will, 

 whenever necessary for the preservation of order and 

 the efficient discharge of their duties, assume com- 

 mand of the police force. 



An important general order (No. 10) was 

 issued by General Sickles on the 14th of 

 April, designed for the relief of the people 

 from various hardships which sprung from the 

 scarcity of money and a vast burden of pri- 

 vate indebtedness. The first part of this order, 

 prohibiting the enforcement of execution against 

 property in certain cases, and the conflict there- 

 under between the military authority and the 

 United States court, have been mentioned at 

 length in the article on North Carolina. Other 

 important provisions contained in the same 

 order were the following : t 



All proceedings for the recovery of money 

 under contracts, the consideration for which 

 was the purchase of negroes, were suspended. 



All advances of money, implements, etc., in 

 aid of agricultural pursuits, were to be pro- 

 tected, and wages for agricultural labor were 

 to be a lien on the crop. 



In all sales of property on execution or by 

 order of court, a dwelling-house and appurte- 

 nances, with twenty acres of land, were to be 

 reserved to any defendant having a family de- 

 pendent on his or her labor. 



The currency of the United States was made 

 a legal tender in payment of all dues. 



The practice of carrying deadly weapons, ex- 

 cept by officers and soldiers in the military 

 service of the United States, was prohibited ; 

 any violation of this order rendering the offend- 

 er liable to trial and punishment by military 

 commission. 



Punishment of offences by whipping, maim- 

 ing, branding, or other corporeal punishment, 

 was prohibited. 



Punishment by death, imposed by the exist- 

 ing laws in certain cases of burglary and lar- 

 ceny, was also prohibited. 



Power was given to the Governors to grant 

 reprieves and pardons to persons under sen- 

 tence from civil courts, and to remit fines and 

 penalties. 



Any law or ordinance of the States of North 

 and South Carolina inconsistent with this order 

 were suspended and declared inoperative. 



In reply to numerous inquiries respecting 

 the operation of these provisions, in particular 

 cases, a circular was issued from the military 



