The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-06-04
iecons trsaetion The Southern Vote
y q IA and tie Future. = ~ y \ n 3

and fise Future. ia ss
a Eader the Attorney Generals
strict definition of the DISTINGUISHING
power of the reconstruction: Act, the,
number of persons excluded from
the polls in the Southern States will
be comparatively small. Not more
than hundred thousand viii be shut
OUT perhaps not SO many. No per-
sons are declared to be positively and
distinctly within the meaning Of the
Act but members of Congress, mem
bers of the State Legislatures, judges
of State courts, and those who form
the executive department. in State
Government. 1t is even doubtful
whether the law operates against oil
who have even held these specified
offices. County, township and mu-
nIcipal officers-the vast body of
office-holders whose disfranohisement
might change the result of anelec-
tion-are not touched at all. 'tNone
should be excluded who are not
clearly within the letter and intent
of the law, and thus every doubt is q
practicable escape. Moreover, every
man is at the last resort the Judge il,
his own case; for if he can arrange it
with his conscience that he is not
included in one of the classes named
by the law, or did not participate in
the rebellion" as the Act means. and
will take the oath, his name must 90
on the register. He may take the
chance of q possible subseauent
prosecution for perjury, and the
registers may know that he is clearly
in the danger. yet, if he will swear,
they have no option but to record
him as voter. We therefore set
down 100, 900 as IN outside limit of
the number that the law will exclude
from the polls. -
The South will then be left with
leo, 900 votes as it's political capital
for new career. AS the three-fifths
rule has gone out with slavery, the
representation must be based upon
an enumeration Of the whole popula-
ton, and thus the Southern States
will probably return with eighty or
ninety members of Congress. What
will be the political complexion of
this representation, it is not very
difficult to foresee. Republican
blunderers, by their mistaken deal
1ngs with the niger, have made q
consolidated opposition of the whole
white vote, and the white vote will
elect three-fourths of all the new
members. These members will act
with the Democrats or with the con-
servative Republicans. as OCCASION
may require, and will thus com
pletely nullify that two-thirds ma
jority by which the radicals have
crushed down every attempt to
modify their extravaganza. There
will no longer be defiant, unrea-
soning, mere party rule in Congress,
whose vote of two TO one could at
the last be whipped in for an answer
to any argument. Thus the South
ern members will restore balance,
and put Congress again, in the nor
NAL condition of q deliberative body.
From the return of these members
and the restoration of balance in
Congress. we will have to date new
distribution of parties. New points
OF departure will be taken in our
political history, and new divisions,
perhaps, upon the great financial
and commercial features of our policy
will develop and intensity discussion
that will change the direction of party
activity, and give the South chance
for that rest which is the greatest
necessity for its complete restoration.
Perhaps the radical party may be
30 far successful in the South that in
the new Southern representation there
will be half a dozen niggers. Should
this be the case, it will excite the
wonder and disgust of the world. It
will be justly regarded as the most
remarkable and revolving spectacle of
the age. 1t will furnish an argu-
ment to those who hold that ten
dency to degradation exists in insti-
tutions based upon universal suffrage,
since it will seem to show that in
choosing our lawmakers from q race
just brought from a servile condi-
ton, we do not seek to be governed
by the wisdom, education and intel
lect of the nation, but are ready to
pander to the most debasing de-
baucheries of democratic theory.
Ne,c York Herald.