The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-08-19
PoI;tfco-Social Apathy.

rightly exercised his authority, III Call
ing for an election Of members to Il
Convention, to which it will be allot-
ted to rcorganize tho State ard for q
general revision Of the Constitution,
thc-> it occurs to us that n most pro-
found and apathetic Indifference pre-
walls throughout the State, in regard
to this object. Whether it is that the
effect of the late revolution in our
affairs has had the effect Of stunning
the popular mind.whether it is that
the necessities of the household and
the individual have put al political
objects entirely out of the peoples
head--or whether all sympathy with
politics, of whatever kind, has been
crushed out by. the overthrow of the
fonlly entertained political faith OF
fifty years-it matters not; the fact is,
nevertheless, unquestionable, that, so
far rs we have seen, the public mind
takes but little interest in any politics,
and exhibits no sort of activity or
even sensibility i'll respect to an clcc
ton which is to hold, within its re-
suits, an entirely new political cs'Sani-
ton for the country. On former
occasions, in Il matter so vitallv inte-
rostinS, public meetings would have
been held ut all the court houses, on
sale OF Other public days, and there
would'probably have been 4 popular
nomination of ticket including the
preferred names of tho, community.
At present, If al election takes place
ut ;ll, it is destined to bc Il scrub race.
There arc really no candidates.
parties seek Representatives, it is
very unlikely that many votes will be
taken. The parties elected may or
may not be good men and true. They
arc just as likely to be worthless. All
seem indifferent to the result. The
question occurs to us, els this righ3
or wisc?" If our people arc to live in
. this country, then it bchooves them to
sec that the political power Of the
country does not fall into the hands of
the vicious or the worthless. The
members of the seeding Convention,
the members of the Confederate Con-
gress and of the State Legislatures,
are, we believe, excluded from place
in the Convention. This exclusion
operates seriously against the picked
men Of this country. It denies us
the use of many of our finest minds.
Can we. find substitutes for these?
Are there not men to be found, in al
the districts, not liable to objection,
who are yet capable Of the duties and
to be trusted in the situation? And
is ii not the duty OF the people to seek
out such men, in every precinct, ,'and
assure themselves Of the best c;paci-
ties for legislation that the country
may still possess? Such is our opin-
ion. We should not show reckless
diregard OF the future, because of the
misfortuncs and disappointmcnts of
the past.
Let our people, therefore, in all the
districts, proceed, promptly and
unitcdly, to an examination into their
social and intellectual resources, in
order to their employment in the OF
g,,nization of the State anew, and to
the future lcgisl; ton under it. We
need, i'll the Convention especially,
the best legal and judicial nintls
men conversant with all the nice dis
ordinations Of ]aw--conversant with
political definitions and constitutions.
and capable of weighing we'll the i'm
port OF every sentence which is utter
ed. The Government of the United
States can only require of us q Re
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