The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-11-06
COLUMBIA.
Tuesday Morning, November 6, 1856.
Universal Suffrage.

John Bright has stirred up the
popular feeling III England to its
profoundest depths, and the reform
agitation has reached new phase in
that country, which is without prece-
dent. Even the conservatives-as
those opposed to popular enfranchise-
ment are called in that country-are
driven from their position of sullen
restiv eness by the overwhelming and
imposing aspect of popular opinion.
AS an evidence of this, they have ap-
pointed NJ. D'Israeli to prepare u
reform bill, which; it is said, will so
even beyond Mr. GIadstone's mea-
sure in his concessions to the work
ing classes. This is the last report
from that country, and it will not be
surprising if the present Ministry
should endeavor to retain their posi-
ton by concessions, to which, while
in opposition, they would never have
consented
The plan of reform proposed by
Mr.. Gladstone and embodied in the
bill on which he staked his Ministry
and their position in Office, was to al
low all to vote who paid certain
rental-the consequence Of which
would be the extension Of the fran
chise to large number of the popu-
latlon who are now excluded. The
principle was to allow every man to
vote unless it could be shown that he
was disqualified. But The chief uues-
ton on this point was, who was to
be the judge? Both Bright and
Gladstone declare that Parliament
was to be the judge, and the payment
of particular rental the test. 1t is
replied, on the other hand, that this
does not establish a principle-it
only sets limit, purely arbitrary,
which might, at any time, be re-
moved.
The truth is, universal suffrage is
an absurdity, and would, sooner or
later, sap the foundation of any free
Government. The ballot-box would
be fruitful source Of all evils, and
be prostituted to mere tool in the
hands Of ambitious demagogues.
Whenever party leaders, even in this
country, have tampered with it, its
purity has been despoiled, and honest
voters ignominiously excluded from
the rightful exercise of their privi-
lege as citizens. There must be metes
and bounds on this subject, if a
healthful and legitimate effect in pre-
serving the Government in its origi-
nal perfection is to be expected. With
us at the South, heretofore, our po-
lltical distinctions have been founded
on invariable natural characteristics
that is to say, on the presumed OF
admitted distinctions between the
Ni-t-S 1dCO dueI tiiC DldCh race, CHo lla-
tural superiority of the one and the
natural fnferiority of the other. Now,
this distinction has been modified bv
the emancipation of the former
slaves, and those who have hurried
them into this condition, for which
they were totally unfit and unpre-
pared, desire to- increase the evils
they have brought upon the black
man, by giving him the unqualified
right of suffrage, for which he is as
much prepared as to enter college.
A change in our system, however,
is inevitable, and the only safe way,
and the surest safeguard to good or
der and the proper exercise of the
franchise, is to adopt a property
neutrality-suspicious. to ali. No
good citizen can object to this, and
to it we will have to come at last
The New York Ere1ing E.cpress, of
Saturday ctofao +1,o+ 49,