TO THE HONORABLE THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. COLUMBIA, S. C.: PHCENIX BOOK AND JOB POWER PRESS. 1868. AN APPEAL TO THE HONORABLE THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, IN BEHALF OF THE CONSERVATIVE PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AGAINST THE ADOPTION, BY CONGRESS, OF THE NEW CONSTITUTION PROPOSED FOR SOUTH CAROLINA. To the Honorable the Senate of the United States of America: The undersigned, in behalf of a large portion of the good people of the State of South Carolina, respectfully appeal to your honora¬ ble body, to arrest the adoption of the new Constitution proposed for said State. In spite of the respectful remonstrance submitted to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, we find that the former body have given to said instrument their approval. For the sake of all classes of our people, for considerations affecting the peace of society, in view of the substantial interests of the State,, put in jeopardy by an organic law, which may truthfully be charac¬ terized as a political abortion, the offspring of incapacity and preju¬ dice and hate, we submit our case—the case of the conservatism of South Carolina—to the high court of last resort, the Senate of the country. In addition to the arguments contained in the remonstrance paper, and in the address made to the Reconstruction Committee of the House of Representatives, herewith submitted, we respect¬ fully invite the attention of your honorable body to the exhibits hereto appended, and marked "A," "B" and "C." 2 1. Exhibit "A" gives the items, and shows the amount of taxation provided for in the new Constitution. The State is now sadly impoverished. The property which her people had in their slaves has been swept away; it is true, given up by and with the consent of the State; nevertheless, that property no longer represents capital and value. The ravages of war, the marks of the conqueror's torch, are everywhere visible. The labor of the country is passing from one state to another, and is disturbed and demoralized. The flower of the commonwealth have fallen on the battle-field, and the broken fortunes and disappointed hopes of a proud people weigh heavily upon the energies of at least the old and the less sanguine amongst us. Yet, under these circumstances, affecting enough to touch the sympathies of every manly nature, and in violation, as we conceive it, of the political inheritance of our forefathers, here in South Carolina, we are threatened with the onus of a monstrous plan of public spoliation, under the guise of an equitable system of taxation. Under the forms of law, it is proposed to take away the little that the war has left us. "Taxation without representation" is ■combined with "representation without taxation." Thus, in South Carolina, it is contemplated to revive the tyranny of the British Parliament in 1776, and to add thereto a new and startling feature. We refer you now to exhibit "A." Although South Carolina is struggling for bread, yet observe how, under the new Constitution, the burdens of taxation have been increased: Proposed now to be raised $2,230,960 Before the war, amount about 350,000 Proposed now to be levied on the real estate of the State 3 per cent. Before the war ^ per cent. But when there is taken into consideration the depreciation of the value of property since the war, the difference is far greater. For illustration, take the case of a piece of property, in a town, before the war, worth say $10,000 Eevied before the war on this \ per cent., making 50 Now, at same valuation, it pays at 3 per cent 300 Thus the proportion stands as 1 to 6. But this is not all: The property valued before the "war at $10,000, has now a value of $3,000 Before the war, a tax of \ per cent, letied on this would give. . 15 But to raise the $300 required now, demands a tax of 10 per cent 300 Thus, taking into consideration the depreciation of the value of real estate, the proportion stands as 1 to 20, or the taxation provided 3 for in the new Constitution is absolutely twenty times as great as before the war. Nor is this all. But in the case of land, which has depreciated more in value than city property, the proportion is even greater than the one established above. In fact, it is now a common thing to find large tracts of land sold by the Sheriff for less than the amount of taxes resting thereupon. 2. Exhibit "B" shows that the Constitutional Convention was composed of: Whites 47 Colored 74 121 74 colored pay of taxes $117 93 1 alone paying 85 35 Hence 73 colored pay $32 58 Or less than 50 cents each. 47 whites pay ...... $761 62 1 white (^conservative) paying 508 85 Hence 46 whites pay $252 76 Or less than $6 each. Of the 47 white members, 23 pay no tax at all, and of the 74 colored members, 59 pay no tax at all. Of the whites, at least one- fourth were Government employees and Northern adventurers, and of the colored men, a goodly number were from abroad. 3. Exhibit