The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-03-10

negro that he must work to live; this
competition will take the place of
that coercion which compelled the Ia
Dor in every well-regulated plantation
IN the South, which compels the child
to obedience in the family, which
compels the boy to study at school,
and which compels the soldier and the
sailor to obey the regulations and the
discipline of the army and the navy.
Then Will our thousands of acres of
uncultivated swamp lands be drained
and brought into successful cultiva-
ton, miasma dispelled, rivers and
streams confined to their banks, and
the water thus controlled made to run
machinery, and factories of every de-
scription rise up all over the State.
Our swamp timber, too, so much of
which is SO valuable and beautiful,
will be worked up into furniture and
other useful and ornamental articles.
All this can and will be accom-
phshed, but I verify believe it will
be at the expense of the poor negro.
He will go down before the white
man in the South, as he has gone
down before the white man in the
North. Let it be our privilege and
your high duty to contribute all in
ourpower to his comfort and advance
ment. l do not pretend to the gift of
prophecy, butI feel certain that, in
less than twenty years, the only
friends which the negro will have in
this country will be his former ma. tiers
and their children. They alone as a
class will feel for and sympathize with
him; but they will be too few to help
him. We will have to get rid of a
great many old notions-we must
learn to be industrious and economi-
cal, encourage the mechanic arts
and stimulate our young men of
family and culture to make labor dig
ni6ed and honorable. We must ex-
hibit that heroic endurance, constancy
and courage which overcomes diff
cultles and conquers misfortune So
you see there is no reason to despair;
the increase of population II ad-
vance the value of our lands. md, if
time be allowed us, this advance in
value will enable us to manage our
debts.
Your public buildings have been
destroyed, and with them our public
records. The former can be restored
the loss of the latter is irreparable.
L trust the Legislature will frame such
laws as will in some measure repair
the loss and cure the inconvenience.
In rebuilding your public edifces, I
hope your Commissioners of Public
Buildings will regard the ornamental
as well as the useful. Itimproves the
taste and elevates the sentiments and
feelings of q people to see that their
public buildings are specimens of
architectural taste, as well as substan-
tlal and enduring. All the modern
improvements for comfort, conve-
nience, ventilation, heating and light
ing the buildings should be intro
duced. The Offices should be commo-
| dious and comfortable, we'll carpeted,
with substantial and ornamental cases
and furniture. The officers spend the
greater part of the day in these rooms;
they have to receive the citizens of
the whole District, ladies and gentle
men, and their comfort and conve-
nience should be consulted Business
is more promptly done and much
better done, when the officer is made
comfortable and has all the appliances
necessary; and the people feel more
respect for their officer and for them
selves, when they come into we'll
furnished room and are received as
persons of consideration. So should
it be with the court room The hall
of justice is sacred place, and no
amount of care and attention to its
appointments is i'll applied. I know
that this will take money, but it will
be economy in the end; for when a
room or house is handsomely fur
nished, it is generally better cared
for and not so apt to be abused-the
most rude man will feel restrained
from soiling or abusing that which
gratlfies his senses; and even if it
should cost more, these are the peo-
pies houses, and no money can be
better expended than that which is
laid out for the elevation of their
feelings and the cultivation of their
tastes. The Commissioners of Public
Buildings have the power to tax the
District for these improvements. In
your present depressed condition, 1
would not advise heavy tax; but I
do suggest and submit to your care
full consideration, if it will not be
proper for that board to begin at once
to accumulate a fund for the purpose
of restoring your public buildings, by
levying from year to year a moderate
tax, which can be judiciously invested
until they have raised q sufficient
amount to commence and carry on the
work to its completion.