IN CONVENTION, FRIDAY, April 30, 1852. Ordered, That five thousand copies of the proceedings of this Convention, and of the Report, Resolution, and Ordinance, be printed; and that the same be distributed as follows, under the superintendence of the Clerk: For the Executive, three hundred copies; for each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress, for their own use, one hundred copies; for cach member of this Convention, and of the State Legislature, ten copies;. and that the remaining copies be for public distribution. 1 JOURNAL OF THE CONVENTION. MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1852. Pursuant to an act of the Legislature of the State of South Carolina, entitled "An Act to provide for the appointment of Deputies to a Southern Congress, and to call a Convention of the People of this State,"* ratified on the 20th day of December, 1850; and also "An Act to fix the time for the meeting of the Convention elected under the authority of an Act entitled 'An Act to provide for the appointment of Delegates to a Southern Congress, and to call a Convention of the People of this State,'" passed in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, ratified on the 16th December, 1851, the Delegates of the several election districts and parishes of this State assembled in the Hall of the House of Representatives, in the Capitol, at Columbia, in the State of South Carolina, on this day, at 12 o'clock, meridian. On motion of Mr. EDMUND BELLINGER, Jr., a Delegate from Barnwell, the Hon. DAVID L. WARDLAW, a Delegate from Abbeville, was called to the Chair, and Mr. RICHARD J. DAVANT, a Delegate from St. Luke's, was requested to act as Secretary. The Convention having been called to order, the Election Districts and Parishes were called over, whereupon the following Delegates appeared at the Clerk's desk, presented their credentials, and enrolled their names : Abbeville-Messrs. D. L. Wardlaw, Thos. C. Perrin, J. C. Martin, Geo. W. Pressly, G. R. McCalla. All Saints-Messrs. T. Pinckney Alston, Peter Vaught. Barnwell-Messrs. E. Bellinger, Jr., S. W. Trotti, A. P. Aldrich, J. V. Martin, Winchester Graham. Chester-Messrs. Saml. McAliley, C. T. Scaife, I. Mobley, Wm. A. Ros borough. * See Addenda, at the end of the Journal. Chesterfield-Messrs. J. C. Coit, W. J. Hanna, Hugh Craig. Christ Church-Messrs. Jacob Bond I'On, A. V. Toomer. Claremont-Messrs. W. Haynsworth, Thos. R. English, Sen., F. Sumter, A. C. Spain. Clarendon-Mr. John P. Richardson. Darlington-Messrs. Josiah J. Evans, E. W. Charles, E. A. Law. Edgefield-Messrs. James Jones, F. H. Wardlaw, F. W. Pickens, M. L. Bonham, R. B. Bouknight, Wiley Harrison. Fairfield-Messrs. John H. Means, Wm. A. Owens, John Buchanan. Greenville—Messrs. B. F. Perry, Thos. P. Brockman, Vardry McBee, Jesse Center, P. E. Duncan. Horry-Mr. Hartford Jones. Kershaw-Messrs. John Cantey, Thos. Lang, L. J. Patterson. Lancaster-Messrs. John Williams, James D. McIlwain. Laurens-Messrs. H. C. Young, A. C. Jones, Thomas Wright, John D. Williams, J. H. Irby. Lexington-Messrs. H. J. Caughman, Henry Arthur, John C. Hope. Marion-Messrs. W. W. Harllee, William Evans, John C. Bethea, W. R. Johnson. Marlboro'-Messrs. James E. David, Wm. J. Cook, Wm. T. Ellerbe. Newberry-Messrs. F. B. Higgins, J. H. Williams, Peter Moon, Drayton Nance. Orange Parish-Messrs. D. F. Jamison, M. Gramling. Pendleton-Messrs. F. Burt, John Maxwell, John Martin, J. N. Whitner, R. A. Maxwell, F. W. Symmes. Prince William's-Messrs. B. McBride, G. C. Mackay, John E. Frampton. Prince George, Winyaw-Messrs. J. Harleston Read, J. H. Trapier, Benj. H. Wilson, Samuel T. Atkinson. Richland-Messrs. W. F. DeSaussure, J. U. Adams, A. H. Gladden, Maxcy Gregg, C. Bookter. Spartanburg-Messrs. John G. Landrum, Jas. Farrow, J. Winsmith, P. M. Wallace, R. C. Poole. St. Andrew's Messrs. John Rivers, Alexander H. Brown. St. Bartholomew's-Messrs. E. St. P. Bellinger, Lewis O'Bryan, David Walker, D. S. Henderson. St. George's, Dorchester—Mr. I. M. Dwight. St. Helena-Messrs. Edmd. Rhett, John Fripp. St. James', Goose Creek-Messrs. Isaac Bradwell, Jr., West Williams. St. James', Santee-Messrs. Danl. DuPre, Saml. J. Palmer. St. John's, Berkeley-Messrs. Morton Waring, Philip C. Kirk. St. John's, Colleton-Messrs. W. B. Seabrook, Hugh Wilson, Jr., E. M. Whaley. St. Luke's-Messrs. Julius G. Huguenin, R. J. Davant. St. Peter's-Messrs. D. H. Hamilton, A. M. Ruth, E. Martin. St. Philip's and St. Michael's-Messrs. Langdon Cheves, A. P. Butler, Edwd. Frost, C. M. Furman, Dan'l E. Huger, M. King, R. W. Barnwell, Benj. F. Dunkin, W. Peronneau Finley, Thos. Lehre, Chas. Macbeth, I. W. Hayne, John Bellinger, A. G. Magrath, Edwd. McCrady, John Cuningham. St. Stephen's-Messrs. W. Mazyck Porcher, T. L. Gourdin. St. Thomas' and St. Dennis'-Mr. Geo. Elfe. Union-Messrs. J. S. Sims, Wm. J. Bobo, B. H. Rice, J. M. Gadberry. Williamsburg-Messrs. D. M. Masor, S. E. Graham. York-Messrs. R. Y. Russel, Robt. T. Allison, W. A. Latta. One hundred and forty-nine delegates having appeared, the presiding officer announced that a quorum was present; whereupon the Convention proceeded with its organization. The Convention proceeded to the election of President, and, upon an inspection of the ballots, it appeared that his Excellency JOHN H. MEANS, Governor and Commander-in-chief in and over the State of South Carolina, a delegate in this Convention from the District of Fairfield, had been chosen. On motion of the Hon. JACOB BOND I'ON, a delegate from Christ Church Parish, a committee of three was appointed to wait on his Excellency the Governor, to inform him of his election and conduct him to the chair; and it was ordered that the Convention do rise and be uncovered to receive the President. Messrs. CANTEY, DESAUSSURE, and OWENS were appointed the committee, who immediately conducted his Excellency the Governor to the chair, who proceeded to address the Convention as follows: Gentlemen of the Convention: Although I am fully aware that I am indebted more to my official station than to any merit of my own for the distinguished honor you have conferred upon me, yet I must be permitted to express my profound gratitude to you for having honored that station in my person. Unaccustomed as I am to parliamentary usages, I should be disposed to shrink from the position you have assigned me, but that I feel assured that I will be sustained and assisted in the discharge of its duties by the same kindness which has prompted you to bestow it upon me. While I am fully alive to its responsibilities, I trust I feel still deeper the solemn responsibility which rests upon me as a member of this Convention. We have met together clothed in the sovereign power of the land. The voice of this Convention, when it speaks, must be potential for good or for evil. How much prudence, how much caution and deliberation, does it become us to use before we act! It is useless for me to enter into a detail of the peculiar circumstances under which we have met; a mere allusion to them is sufficient to bring to your minds the fact that they are full of embarrassment. We certainly have a most delicate part to act-one which we cannot perform with credit to ourselves, or with honor to the State, unless we are buoyed by a devoted patriotism above the petty considerations of party strife, of personal ambition, or which is even worse and more to be deprecated, vindictive feelings to each other because we differ in opinion. The external circumstances by which we are surrounded fearfully admonish us that we have no strength to waste in internal feuds. The very dangers of our position call loudly upon us to be united. But, unfortunately for us and the great cause of the South, we are not united. We have been divided and distracted by the convulsive throes of party strife. The great question of our wrongs has been forgotten amid our wranglings as to the remedy. While this state of things exists among us, the fiendish fanaticism of an abolition spirit, which tramples all law, both human and divine, under foot, is steadily moving forward towards the accomplishment of its ends. If we intend not basely to desert the cause in which we have been so long engaged, and finally submit to our degradation and ruin, this tide of fanaticism must be sooner or later met. As dark as are the dangers which surround us, still more gloomy are those which threaten us from our internal commotions. If we are united, we need fear no danger. The justice of our cause, and our strong arms, will be sufficient to protect us. But if, in the madness of party strife, we fall upon each other and forget the common enemy, an easy victory will be accomplished by them; a victory which will bring ruin and disgrace upon us. The very first object of this Convention should be to heal these divisions. I will not presume to suggest the course which will be proper for you to pursue to accomplish this great object, and to maintain the honor and dignity of our beloved State. This must be a matter of consultation and deliberation. The intelligence, the patriotism, the dignity of this body, are an earnest that that course will be one which will involve no sacrifice of principle; one, the object of which will be to promote the best interests of our State. We meet together as members of one common family, whose interest, honor, and destiny are the same. A deep devotion to our country, and its institutions, should be the polar star to guide us in our course. The arm of our State, which was recently strong and ready to strike, has been paralyzed alone by our dissensions. Let us heal them at once, that with firm and united strength we may meet the enemies of our institutions. Upon the union of our State, I solemnly believe, depends our destiny. Mr. DESAUSSURE moved that the proceedings of the Convention be |