The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-04
From Washington.


not be full for a week or more, as has
been stated by one of its members.
1t Is season when members like an
opportunity, if possible, to visit their
homes. Besides, Congress takes as
much interest in the Connecticut
election as in the graud object of
negro suffrage. II they carry the
former, they will insure the latter.
Connecticut, last fall, gave 5000 ma
lorlty against negro suffrage in that
Republican State. If the Republi-
cans again carry it, Congress will be
encouraged to insist on negro s,,f-
! frage.
The New York Tribune declares
that the veto message renders it abso9
Iutely necessary that the blacks should
be protected by giving them the right
of suffrage. ....
Ii the Connecticut election is car
ried, as it probably will be, by the
Republicans, it will be - 1imed as the
victory of radicahsm. This will
humble and discourage the few Re
pubhca2s who have manifested con-
servative procivities. We shall wit
ness its nischievous effects in all the
future political legislation of Con
gress.
Sei Sors are now in Connecticut.
deen1ng their duties there of more
importance than those in the Senate
for the present. On Monday, per-
haps, they will hear arguments
against the veto message; and on
Tuesday, if their new recruits are all
in place, they VIII overwhelm the
PRESIDENTS message.
The bankrupt bill will be tried
again in fuller House. Some of its
friends regard it with less interest
now than they did before it was 80
essentially modified.
|. SIGNS OF FAILING CoURAGE.-A "a
dlcal Washington correspondent of
the radical Chicago Tribune writes to
that journal, in very depressed
state OF mind, touching the growing
nervousness of the Republican ma
]ority in Congress, at the prospect of
meeting the people in the fall cleo
tlons. He declares that they would
do justice to the negro, but dare not.
He says: l
cit is capable OF demonstration,
that instead of progress, ...re has
been unmistakable retrogression, on
the part of the majority in both
Houses since the opening of the ses-
sion, IN regard to the political ad-
;ancement of the colored race. With
out fear of contradiction, I assert
that the determination of the radical
To %<% ],
blacks, If not full, at least a par
tial, measure of political rights
by Congressional action, was made
more decided in December than
at the present time And more
than this, a disposition to abstain
entirely during the remainder oil
the session from any attempts to
enforce the recognition of their rights
in the several States, by direct or in
direct legislation, has been of late
becoming more and more manifest.
This disinclination, or rather hesita--
hon, to follow the exact line of policy
prescribed by humanity and justice, |
arises, not from an absolute surren-
der OF former convictions, but from
mistaken Impressions that consi lera-
tions of expediency forbid action in
strict accordance with them. A be-
lief has been steadily growing in the
minds of members, that it would not
do to go before the people with the
question of political rights for the
negroes, and that if the Immediate or
gradual elevation of the freed people
to political equality were made a
prominent issue in the elections dur
ing the coming summer and fall, the
Republican party would be beaten,
and lose predominance in the ma
tional council. This apprehension,
and the desire to avoid so calamltous
a contingency, has done more to re-
gulate the tone and character of poll
tical legislation during the last two
weeks than just regard for the
claims of the freedmen to Congress
siopal interference in behalf of their
undeniable rights. X
"Indeed, the soicitude of the ma
jority is now more to fix up issues for
the contest of parties in the States
holding elections in the course of this
year, in a form promising success,
than to follow, regardless of tempo
rary consequences, the straight road
of faithfulness to principle.
This is undoubtedly correct state
ment of the position of the radicals.
The bhndest of them sec that they