SOUTH CAROLINA. 



693 



called to New York to the pastorate of the 

 South Baptist Church there (1823), worship- 

 ping in Nassau Street near Fulton. He re- 

 mained their pastor till 1856, when he retired 

 to private life. For twenty-three years he was 

 the recording secretary of the Executive Com- 

 mittee of the American Tract Society. He was 

 also an officer of the American Bible Society, 

 and subsequently of the American and Foreign 

 Bible Society, one of the founders of the 

 American Baptist Home Mission Society, and a 

 director almost from the first of the Home for 

 Aged and Indigent Females. He published 

 several tracts of the American Tract Society, a 

 number of sermons and occasional addresses, 

 and a few small denominational books ; he was 

 also one of the editors of The Baptist Library. 

 Madison University conferred the degree of 

 D. D. upon him in 1852. 



SOUTH CAROLINA. The convention, 

 called by order of General Canby, " to frame a 

 constitution and civil government" for the 

 State of South Carolina, under the provisions 

 of the reconstruction acts of Congress, assem- 

 bled in the city of Charleston on the 14th of 

 January, and organized by the election of Dr. 

 A. G. Mackey, as permanent president. The 

 convention finished its work in fifty-three days, 

 and adjourned on the 17th of March. 



As soon as the work of organizing the con- 

 vention was completed, Governor Orr was 

 invited to address the delegates. This he did in 

 an earnest speech, in which he expressed his re- 

 gret that the white citizens who were entitled to 

 vote under the reconstruction acts had very gen- 

 erally abstained from exercising the privilege, 

 and that, as a consequence, the "intelligence, 

 refinement, and wealth of the State," were not 

 represented in the convention. He therefore 

 all the more earnestly recommended wise and 

 moderate action on the part of the delegates, 

 and,suggested some of the features which he con- 

 sidered most essential in the new constitution. 

 Above all, he urged the removal of all political 

 disabilities from the white citizens, but advised 

 an educational or property qualification, appli- 

 cable to blacks and whites alike. In regard to 

 a time-honored doctrine in the South, he said : 

 "The doctrine of State rights, as taught in 

 South Carolina, has been exploded by the war. 

 The allegiance of the citizen^ according to the 

 results of that controversy, is due to the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States, and not to the 

 State. I recognize this doctrine to the fullest 

 extent, and, in my inaugural message as Gov- 

 ernor of the State, I announced my judgment 

 that hereafter the supremacy of the United 

 States Government over the State was undis- 

 puted and indisputable. I am aware that 

 many of my contemporaries deny the propo- 

 sition, but, if I can properly comprehend the 

 legitimate sequences of war, no other result 

 presents itself to my mind." 



During the first weeks of the session, while 

 the various committees were occupied in pre- 

 paring the portions of the constitution in- 



trusted to them respectively, some measures 

 of general legislation were adopted. The ex- 

 penses of the body were provided for by an 

 ordinance to raise a special tax for that pur- 

 pose, which was carried into effect by an 

 order of the military commander. One of the 

 subjects demanding the most serious attention 

 of the convention was that of relieving the 

 people from their numerous pecuniary embar- 

 rassments, by some enactment having the force 

 of law. Among the poorer classes, especially 

 the freedmen, a degree of want existed amount- 

 ing almost to destitution, but this was relieved 

 in some measure by the United States Govern- 

 ment through the agency of the Freedmen's 

 Bureau. Advances were also made to planters, 

 to a moderate extent, from the same source, 

 which became a lien upon their property, by 

 order of the military commander, to secure re- 

 payment. It was also proposed to make ap- 

 peals directly to Congress for loans or dona- 

 tions, to relieve the people from pressing 

 wants, but none of the propositions of this 

 kind prevailed. 



By far the most important measures of re- 

 lief ordained by the convention was a " stay 

 law," which was matured by long deliberation 

 and finally adopted on the last day of the ses- 

 sion, and afterward carried into effect by 

 military order. "While this ordinance was 

 pending in the convention, a temporary stay of 

 sales on execution for a period of three months 

 was effected by an order of the district com- 

 mander issued in response to a request of the 

 convention. The stay law, as finally passed, 

 continued all civil actions pending in the Su- 

 perior Courts, to the spring term of 1869, and 

 provided that execution on all judgments then 

 rendered should be for only one-tenth of the 

 amount due ; further execution for one-fifth to 

 be issued in 1870, for one-half the residue in 

 1871, and for the balance in 1872. Such pro- 

 visions were made as were necessary to render 

 this ordinance effectual, and its operation was 

 limited to debts and demands contracted prior 

 to May, 1865. Another ordinance was passed 

 declaring null and void all contracts the con- 

 sideration of which was the purchase of slaves, 

 and prohibiting all proceedings for their en- 

 forcement. 



During the deliberations of the convention, 

 the following resolutions, which exhibit the 

 views of a portion of the members, were sub- 

 mitted, and referred to the Committee on the 

 Executive : 



Whereas, a large majority of the people heretofore 

 constituting the government of the State of South 

 Carolina have, by unjustifiable rebellion, forfeited 

 their political rights, and are hostile to every act of 

 Congress for the reconstruction of the State to the 

 Union, claiming, as they do, every political right 

 under the Constitution, which properly defines then- 

 late acts as treason and authorizes even the penalty 

 of death for crimes thus committed, instead of equal 

 rights with those who love the Government which 

 they so madly attempted to destroy, and 



Whereas, the officers of the present provisional 

 government of the State, from the highest to the 



