The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-10
COLUMBIA
Tuesday Morning, April 10, 1865.
Let Us stand by Our Friends.

capital, by conferring political power
on the freedmen, they have still an
other object, and that is, SO to disheart-
en- and disgust the influential classes at
the South, that they will be driven to
self-expatriation to escape the taunts,
sneers and prosecutions Of the radical
party. t<<
& AS we have frequently said in this
journal, that following the example
of Lee, Hampton, Beauregard, and
iother of their leaders in the late war,
the post of honor and duty for all
true Southerners, is to stand by their
country and devote their energies,
their time and their earnest labor to
the rebuilding of their shattered for
tunes, aud bringing back their sec
Sion, which has been so sorely devas-
tated by war, to it's former greatness
and prosperity. If this be the case,
does it not become further duty to
our section and country, to give our
hearty cooperation to those who are
now engaged in the work of restoring
peace and harmony between all sec
tions of the country
President Johnson is the leader in
this great work. His policy adopted
after mature deliberation, is that of a
patriot and statesman. In adopting
it, and carrying it out with so much
firmness, he has made an irreparable
breach between him and the destruc-
tive faction which is now dominant
in the national legislature. His
vetoes of the Freedmen's Bureau bill
and the civil rights bill; his memora-
BILE speech on the 22d February, and,
lastly, his proclamation restoring the
Southern States to their former stat.1s
IN the Union, have broughty1pon
him a fierce and factious war, unpar-
alleled in the histery~of party poll
tics in this or-eny other country.
His State paper, restoring the
people of the South to their political
rights and remanding them to tho
protection of i civil law, summons
these to his aid in the fierce warfare
now being waged against him. So
long as we were in state of political
probation, we thought it would be
Inappropriate for the people of these
States to take any part in national
politics; but now that he has done all
that President can do to restore
these heretofore excluded States to
their rightful position in the Union,
he has removed the last obstacle to
such cooperation as the peculiar con-
dition of affairs at Washington de-
mands. Already, as viii be seen from
paragraph elsewhere in to-day's
issue. new National johnson Club"
has been organized, the Vice-Presi-
dent of which for this State is Gov.
James l.. Orr, and it is to be hoped
that an extensive organization of this
kind throughout every State in the
Union Will bring to the side of the
President and to the cause of restora-
ton and peace all true and loyal men,
without distinction Of party or party
names.
AS has been well said by cotem-
porary, 'the contest is between one
branch Of the Government, (the Exc
cutive,) lighting to maintain the
whole Government and each and all
ofNits branches in their constitutional
status; and another branch, (the legis-
lative,) fighting to obliterate all dis
tinctions between the several branches
and consolidate them into one." The
contest will be stubborn one, for
the radicals are stubborn and unscru-
pulous, but We trust the "defender of
the Constitution" will be victorious.
In such q contest, we think it is
the duty of the people of the South
to rally TO the support of tho Consti-
tuition. Tn by-gone days, they were
it's firm adherents, and ut this time of
its danger every sentiment of honor
and duLy should draw them IN its