The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-12-16
COLUMBIA.
Sunday Morning, December 16, 1866.
Getting Frightened.


beginning to express doubts as to
whether, should the leaders of their
party accomplish their scheme for
negro suffrage in the South, they
would reap any benefit from the mea-
sure. They utter very grave and, we
must say, very reasonable doubts,
that the negro, if allowed the ballot,
would vote in the interests of the
radicals. Reasoning thus, they are
beginning to entreat their leaders to
canvass the matter before taking
step that might ruin the party.
Prominent among the radical or
gans, and one of the ablest, which
now disfavors the movement for ne
gro suffrage, is the New York Nation.
In leading article on universal suf-
frage and universal amnesty, it says:
''Now, if we absolve the Southern
leaders from all their sins, and arm
the blacks with the ballot, the first
result will be that the persecution of
the freedmen will cease So far, so
good. But, ut the same time, the
Southern politicians will go to work
diligently to cultivate the good will
of the negrocs-to practice on their
prejudices, on their ignorance, on
their weaknesses of all kinds. At
this game, they will certainly beat all
competitors. They will be on the
spot, at every tavern, at every cross
road, on every plantation, bringing
to bear, on population bound to
them by various sorts of ties, all the
arts of the most adroit and accom-
plished canvassers. They have the
leisure, the training md experience
necessary for the work, and will do it
thoroughly. Our orators will not go
down to contend with them. Proba-
bly, their lives would not be safe, if
they did. By way of counteracting
their schemes, and keeping alive the
fidelity of the freedmen to the Union
and to liberty, we shall deliver lee
lures at lyceums in New England and
the North west, stirring harangues at
the Cooper Institute, New York, and
publish ardent editorials in the I5'i-
bune and Independent, which half
million of Northern whites will read,
but never a Southern black. Does
any calm and candid observer sup
pose that, after five years Of this sort
of regime we should not have COM
pletely lost the new constituency we
are now calling into existence; that
the negroes would not be driven into
the Southern net just as complete "
as the ignorant whites Of the South
and the ignorant Irish Of the North
have been?"
There is no question, as the Nash
vile Union says, that if the negro
were clothed with the right Of suf-
frage that he would exercise it in be-
half of those with whom his interests
are identified.
The history of all .hired laboring
classes Will establish the truth of this
proposition. If we should even take
the voters of the North and East, the
employees of New England manufac-
turcrs, we would find the above rule
hold good. If their white employees
will vote to please their employers or
masters and.thus promote their own
interests, is it not probable that the
negro, native and to the manor
born, raised among those now
around him, and being identified in
interest with them, will vote with their
former masters and present employ
ers =?
There is not the remotest proba-
bility that the radicals could muster q
corporal's guard of voters from the
negroes at the ballot-boxes of the
South. Let the radicals go on, and if
in Gheir unscrupulous policy, and
through the strength of numbers,
they should be able to force negro
suffrage on the Southern States, and
they find the negroes voting as above
indicated, they will be among the first
to below for the repeal of the Act
conferring it.
A Gay Time.
The white spirits and black, as
will be seen by our kilograms, have
been cOmmjn o1inc in iovouc riotipo