The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-26
THE nIAIN QUESTION.
friends.

Under the above healing The New York
Tribune recently said: Shall four millions
of our countrymen be henceforth serfs and out
cnsts in tho land of their birth, with their de-
sccndants through all generations =? Such is
tho great question remaining 10 be solved by
the judgment and votes Of the American people"
The Tribune understands that passions must
he appealed 10 in or1or to 10 successful in the
approaching elections. 1t ren,emhers how
successful were the slanders and falsehoods
uttered against the South, in strengthening
| year, and il feels that the life Of the party
| will be lost, unless the minds Of men can be
excited by somo imaginary evil. Every reader
OF tho Tribune knows that there is no abler or
gan Of party, Oh either side, than is That
pnper, and il secs clearly the weakness
of the party in power. If fulse issue
can be made, tho party may bo saved, and
this issue the Tribune seeks 10 make. II
sees thrift questions ngitating tho party 1t
knows that Sunday laws and liquor laws are
questions on which The party will be divided,
and the formidable question of tho United
States debt looms up before it as rock, on
which the party must eventually split. Mr..
GREELEY and his coadutors are too shrewd
and ablc as politicians, not TO know that men
will seize upon living issues, and that no party
can be kept long together after ii hns accom-
plished its work. The Radical party was
organized for the purpose of preventing
the extension of slavery, and later in its career
it stood on the ground Of general emancipation
of the slnves of the South. In this they sue
ceeded, and unless tho party take step in
advance, IL must fall to pieces, and in falling
to pieces HoRAcE GREELEY, CHARLES SUMNER,
HENRY Wilson, and the other Radical leaders
would lose tho fruits of power. WENDELL
Phillips bockons them to take another leup
forward lie wants "negro suffrage" and
in spite Of any resistance negro suffrage"
must be a plank in the Radical platform, or
the party must 60 10 pieces before the next
Presidential canvas will be over. There are
issues Of vital importance which arc necessari-
ly pressing themselves on tho country, und the
party which mcroly represents what was a
great issue, must give way TO those who have
work to do. In this country there is no room
for idlers; and this is true of political parties
as il is Of individuals. Unless a party has
20 utC
very soon forgotten. Even military men in
this country pass rapidly from before the pnb-
lio Thoir popularity is soon destroyed With
rest to the soldier, comes forgetfulness of his
deeds. The Tribune knows that when there
are no new issues TO be made, tho party must
fall 10 pieces by its own weight, md consc-
quently it advocates manhood suffrage" II
knows that the American people will not stand
still, and that it is necessary to adopt this doc
trine even at the risk of dofeat. Defeat on
this issue would probably give tho party
rallying point and an opportunity Of recover
ing lost ground, but shrinking from this posi-
tion would be annihlntion.
The Tribune however mis- states the question,
when it asks il "four millions of our country
men shall be hencoforth serfs and ouicasts in
the land of their birth, with their descendants
through all generations" There is not a single
State among those that formerly held slaves in
which every black man is not entitled to equal
rights before the law. There is not single
State in which the liberty, life and property Of
the black man is not fully protected, as fully
as are the rightsSof any of our citizens The
South on going into the war, knew what were
the issues. We were defeated, and honestly |
and manfnlly accepted the defeat and its cou-
sequences The abolition of slavery was one |
OF these consequences, and the present Consti- |
tuition of this State, framed by the most promi- |
nent and Influential Of our citizens declares |
that "the slaves in South Carolina having |
been emnnoipated by the action of tho United |
States authorities, neither slavery nor involun-
tary servitude except as punishment for |
crime, whereof the party shall have been duly |
convicted, shall ever bo re.established in this |
State" Every other State in the South has
incorporated similar provisions in its funda-
mental law and al h'zf seGSRttsSa !hs sstsGso Goas SJ
ernment has passed Civil Rights Bill which
In case any State refuses to give justicc to any
Citizen enables that citizen to appeal to the
ohited STATES Courts. How then, under these
can any portion Of the people of
the United States be reduced to the condition
Of serfs or outcaats? There is but one way in
which this can bo done, and that is by fol-
owing Messrs. PHILLIPS, GREELEY, STEVENS.
Co., and going outside Of and overriding
he Constitution; by rejecting that compact.
N~6 tpHetao blmllar
preston to that which is now practised towards
EN- Southern States.
The true question now before the people is
whether tho liberty and the rights of thirty
wo millions of white men shall be taken awnv
or the purpose of enabling Mr.. GREELEY and
lis coadjutors to carry out their schemes for
'ower, disguised under the namo Of philan-
hroPy In other words, .tha. true question ia
Ehethor political Vaccinations shall succeed
n giving TO four millions of blacks " manhood
ufrago," at the pride of the aacrifce of the
lights Of thirty-two millions of whites, whose
lights have been guaranteed to them BY the
Mr.. WENDELL PuILL1ps sta,es
be whole matter much more fairly than ,oes
ir. GREELEY, and that tho Radicals win follow I
lis teachings, if they have the power so 10 do,
o one familiar with the political history Of the /.
ast fifteen years will deny. In that period be
as regularly educated the party up to bis !,
tandard. lie has made. opinion, and thew
ave Profted by, his teachings. Speaking, re.
emily, Of the issuing of the Amnesty prool.-
lation, he said "rconsider the issuing of the \
n