The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-10-03
COLUMBIA.
Wednesday Morning, Oct. 8, 1866.
Disfranchising the Whites.


The National L'teHigence,' says that
within the last five years, we have set
free four millions of slaves, and given
them civil equality.
But what has been the cost? One
of the most gigantic civil wars ever
known, in which, at least, half mil
lion of lives were sacrificed. 4 ma
tional debt of over $3, 900, 000, 900,
has been incurred, and, in conse-
quence, the country has been loaded
with burden Of taxation under
which it reels and staggers.
The hutelziGence,: very properly asks:
els it not time topause to take breath,
to staunch the wounds of the body
polite, to restore peace and harmo-
ny, and show some concern for our
material interests?" 1t would seem so.
Yet there is party in this country
who refuse to stand still moment;
who are keeping on to still further
and more radical reforms-demand-
ing universal negro suffrage.
The Mtelhgence1 cites the speech of
Mr. Boutwell,, of Massachusetts,, in
opposition to the adjournment of
Congress, as throwinga flood of light
on the purposes of the radicals. Re-
ferring to the then approaching assem-
blage of the so-called Louisiana Con-
vention, he stated in substance that
that Convention would disfranchise
the rebels, and confer the elective
franchise on the negroes. The Intel
Hgence7' says:
'What excitement, what agitation,
what hatred, what q brood of convul-
sions are prefgured in such a pro-
gramme as this; and if it is carried
out, as itcertainly will be if this party
have the power, what future is be-
fore us? A war of races, civil war,
the normal condition of society, the
country treading in a path that leads
but to despair, to the prostration of
the productive industry of the coun-
try, to the impossibility of free insti-
tutions, to the protecting sword of
the conqueror, and the gulf of ma
tional bankruptcy"
But, as that journal remarks, it is
IN vain you present this truthful pic
ture to the fanatics who are marching
on. They will answer you in some
such imperative form of rigid moral
logic as this: 'sAll men are by ma
ture created free and equal, and,
therefore, universal sntfraso nauot DO
given to the negroes. The philoso-
ply Of this fanatical party drives
them forward, and they could not
pause if they would.
Mr.. Calhoun, as far back as 1887,
proclaimed q great truth when he
said:
Emancipation itself would not
satisfy these fanatics; that gained,
the next step would be to raise the
negroes to social and political equal
ity with the whites, and that being
effected, we should find the present
condition of the two races reversed.
They and their Northern masters
would be the masters, and we the
slaves; the condition of the white
race in the British West India Is
lands, as bad as it is, would be happi-
ness to ours; there the mother coun-
try is interested in sustaining the
supremacy of the European race"
If MIR. Calhoun had been pro-
phet, he could not more exactly have
predicted what is now taking place.
And this is the party which claims
the possession of the Government,
and the working out of the destinies
OF this great country. Alas! it will be
"a sad day for the Republic, if they
succeed. One Will almost be tempted
to doubt the capability of mankind
for self-government.
The Philadelphia papers state that
500 counterfeits on the Central
National Bank of New York were in
circulation in that city on Thursday.
In the words maintain it, on the