The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-04-28
COLUMBIA.
Sunday Morning, April %. 1867.
The Next Vote OF the South.


The approaching vote of the South
ern States, and the parties that may
be created here, are attracting much
attention from the politicians of the
North. The radicals, through. the
agency of influential politicians, like
Senator Wilson, but more effectively
through secret emissaries, have en-
tered upon an active. campaign to
spread their principles throughout
the South, and especially to regulate,
control and secure to their own pur-
poses the negro vote. From the time
of the first meeting of the colored
people in this city, which opened
their eyes, to some extent, in rela-
ton to the sympathies of tho colored
people with their former masters or
employers, they have been diligent
IN sowing the seeds of discord, and
in using untiring efforts to convince
the negroes that the Republicans Of
New England and the North are the
only true and reliable friends they
have in the country.
A correspondent of the New York
Times, so veteran observer" who has
written some forcible articles for that
journal, has been looking over the
matter of the strength Of the South
ern vote, and gives the benefit Of
his researches On the subject.
In the election Of 1860, he says,
the total vote of the Confederate
States exclusive of Tenncssee) was
TIA, ,0c0, and..of this number, Virginia
and Georgia gave one-third. The
negro population of those States was
about 5000, 900, and so far as the war
affected the numbers of men, the
proportion of those killed or who
died was greatest among the whites.
The writer affects to believe that the
stories told, ut the close of the war, of
negro devastation were exaggerations,
and that the negro population of the
Southern States is at least as great
as when the war begun.
In this we have reason to know
that the veteran observer" is seri-
ously in error. That population has
materially decreased, by deprivation
and by emigration, in all the Atlantic
States; and although it is prolific
race, as the writer says, yet he is
wide of the mark when he says they
are increasing in numbers. But his
calculations as to the political strength
added to the South by the Sherman
bill are worthy of note, as showing
the interest tho thinking people of
the North are taking in the matter.
This writer says that the negroes of
the South will have $50, 600 votes
course, this estimate is based upon
she vote without qualification or re-
striction. He then proceeds to csti-
mate that the total vote of the late
Confederate States, if fully polled,
will reach 100000. One-fifth of
the whites, he thinks, IA great mis-
take, bowever,) will vote the radical
ticket, and that it is possible, though
not very probable, that one-ffth of
the negroes will vote the conservative
ticket-that is, vote with the majority
of the Southern whites. He gives,
then, the following as the result of
this calculation: Conservative whites.
$40, 1000; conservative negroes, no.
600; conservative vote, 6S0,000. Radi-
cal whites, 100000; radical blacks,
44O, 900; radical vote, $4,000. He
then takes up the probable vote in
the States, and says that as Virginia,
Arkansas and Georgia contain the
largest portion of the white vote,
these States will likely be controlled
by the conservatives. South Caro-
lima, he says, may be carried the
same way, because it probably con-
tains the largest portion of negroes,
who can be influenced by their old
masters. This, by-the-way, is high
compliment to the good sense of our
colored population. The radicals,