The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-09-05

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munitics- has disappeaasd Before the
sentiment of the age and the fortunes
of war. Regrets are not only idle but
mischievous. The habits. and memo
ries of our past system of life, plea
SAINT though they be, serve only to
blind .our judgment and hamper our
energies. Any attempt 60 resuscitate
the past relation of the two races who
inhabit this country will fail; any
attempt to substitute, one of similar
characters even if partially successful,
will be but a piece of patchwork, gall
ing the poor jades who Gerry'it, vast
ing our time, our strength and our
energies, without any doequate result.
Facts are stern ana uncompromising
reasoners, and the sooner We recognize
them the sooner will we be in con-
dition to make the best available use
of what small resources we still pos
sess. It may be unpleasant to snap
all at once the wall defined. useful and
kindly relation, In which we formerly
stood to Cuffee; but if we don't, Caffee
will, and in most places has very sum-
marily done 50 already. We must
recognize that he is now free, with all
VAe motives of self-interest which free
dom developes, with all those of self
indulgence implanted by his nature,
and with very little if any of the
intelligence, capacity or energy, which
civilized freedom requires. Although
he may, in many cases, recognize that.
his former condition was materially
better than that he now actually en-
joys, yet he is not willing to return to
1t. Experience would seem to have
proved that the condition of slavery,
though under certain circumstances it
may improve the inferior races of
sanankind, is not agreeable to any; and
that evens the savage, improved and
semi-civiized as n slave, frequently
looks back with regret to his state of
barbarous freedom. Besides, ''hope
springs eternal in the human breast"
.and our African brother has an arte-
sian well of it constantly bubbling up
in his bosom. What though he dine
to-day on a roasting ear. of -Sbrn,
filched from q neighbol's = field, in the
fancied mirror of the future he sees
himself feasting on bacon, 1aolasses,
rum and tobacco, without care and
with the barest modicum of labor.
But to ourselves, the first and most
important care in commencing q new
career is to obtain clear and accurate
idea of our actual bearings and start
with definite purpose. Unf6rtu-
nately, we must patch for the present;
the two races are here, and the relation
between them must be defined, in
order to diminish the probability of
.actual collisions dangerous to the
security of society. For this purpose
the most liberal regulations seem the
most safe, and the most likely to
attain our ends. The privilege of
voting and of acting as jurymen can
not safely be entrusted to the negro.
1t is very possible that he would, if
left alone, not abuse the power for
any definite purpose whether of race
or otherwise; but designing and un-
principled men, appealing to the hos
tile feeling already exhibited, would
make tools Of them for their own self
ish purposes and to the detriment of
society at large. But in every other
matter it would seem really wisest to
leave them perfectly free from special
legislation, without any attempt either
to bolster them up or pull theR down.
Summary jurisdiction should be given
magistrates for the strict enforcement
OF all contracts not above a certain
pecuniary value, and stringent laws
thoroughly enforced against vagrancy.
I Bpt such laws need not even mention
the negro; pride Of race alone will
keep us from subjecting ourselves
to their penalties and thus leave them
for whom they are really designed:
While, by thus acting, we take away
from those who pretend to so great
ON affao4;o,, fo,. a. l,lo.al- ,..a.a III -