The Columbia daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-06-01

| VIII he at once accepted. bilt Wnfle
he holds the office, he is morally bound
not to Disgrace it. The office is a sub
lime one, and the il'ustrious prcdeces~
sors Of Mr.. Chase appreciated It's
dignity and importance. We can
imagine Chief Justice Marshall slud-
dering with indi gnaton in his grave,
as he sees the Chief Justiceship trans
formed into q temporary refuge ior a
restless politician, who uses lis high
prerogatives to prosecute his plans for
securing Presidential nomination,
careless whether or not those plans
may involve the country in a sanguin
ary social war. The circular letter
sent to the West by Mr.. Chase reveals
what his purposes are, and his stump
ing tour among the Southern negroes
develops the means by which he hopes
to succeed. He intends. il possible, to
be our next President, and he expects
to accomplish this by means OF the
ultra radical and, perhaps, the free
negro vote. This vote he desires to
gain through TIE agitation Of the negro
suffrage question, as u sort OF appen-
dix to the abolition question. We
oppose this lamen'ahe scheme, not
because we believe that it has the
Slightest prospect Of saccc~s. SO far rs
Mr.. Chase is concerned, but because
of the degradation OF the Chief JUS
ticcship in being thus dragged through
the n'ire Of politics, and because of the
dreadful consequences which may fol-
low such al agitation as the Chief
Juyt ice has commenced.
The relations between the whites Of
the South and the recently freed
negroes are naturally most delicate IT
will require the able>i craftsmanship To
reconcile both these classes 20 their
new conditions and to prevent a coi-
lson between them Tno negroes
cannot he transformed from Slav4s t.
ireemcn in Il day, without great danger
Of the most determined antaeon,Sm
between them and shcir former masters.
We see that danger cropping ont
in the plot which has just been dis
covered among the negro troops i'll
Memphis to assassna;c the parole!
rebel soldiers. So intent were the
negroes upon ;tllS savage and foo!;>l,
revenge, that they atlempt,d d to ovar-
power the white troops guarding hem:
a serious conflict ensuc,, ana the rot
was not oucllel until about twenty
negroes were killed or wounded. The
same passion exists among all the freed
negroes OF the South as among the
negroes at Memphis. The barbari:y
! of the native African is by no means
extinct in the emancipatcd slave. 70
free negro is not itself sufficient to
educate him to enjoy his freedom
Alright, and to employ and improve it
as ne ought Between this true free
dom and lis former state Of slavery is
period Of transition, which is also
period of danger. The vices OF
slavery remain; the virtues Of freedom
are not vet acquired. TIE negro be-
holds his late master delivered into
his hand He finds the great Govern
irent which once assisted in keeping
him slave now arraycI against slave
holders, brcause Shareholders have been
rebels. The temptation for him to
use the lash, the knife and the bullet
upon those who were his opprcssors is
! quite obvious. and his inclination is to
yield to the temptation. On TIE
other hand, the white race at the
South rescnts the negr"s claim TO
equality as Il presumption, and is all
The more aggravated because OF It's
own ruined fortunes, the disturbance