The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-05-25
Tho Rnor Routl,.

following article upon the poor
South andits doctors:" e
The poor South! 1t is in q very
sick, unhappy and perplexed condi-
Eotion.y It is the victim of too much
t'treatment-too many prescriptions,
purges, blisters and vomits. Self
constituted doctors, quacks and un-
skillful practitioners i'll numbers are
pursuing course far more likely to
kill than to cure 1t is in similar
condition to New York, with our corr
rupt and INSCRIPTIONS city govern
ment and politicians, with our over
ofiicious and arbitrary police authori
ties, and with all sorts of political
schemes and corrupt jobs with view
to rule and fleece the citizens. Pow
er, party and the spoils, and not the
public interests, are the objects in
view.
Our correspondents in the South
and the Southern press give us n
picture of the mischief which such
political doctors rs Wilson and Kelly
are doing in their voluntary and un-
acceptable labors, as we'll as the bad
effects Of the unskillful and injurious
treatment of the Soutberners by
some of the military authorities. AL
though the object of Senator Wilson
and Mr.. Kelly in their mission to the
South may be only to win the negro
vote for the. purpose of strengthen
ing their party-and we are not dis
posed to inpute any 'other-there is
no doubt that they are doing great
deal of harm Ono of our corres-
pondents in Virginia says: .'Senator
Wilson's visit, whether considered in
regard to the freedmen or the whites,
has All exceedingly bad effect. 1t
has, perhaps, despite the Senator's
intention, forced forward danger
Gus topic. Confscation has become
the word of the hour. This is at the
bottom of all thought, and let the
subject be what it may, discussion
cannot go to any depth in any circle
without stirring or touching this
troublesome and permanent thought
of the Southern mind-this political
cuttlefish that only moves to durken
the waters. Mr.. Wilson has used
this terrible word coniscation over
and over again to intimidnte the
whites and to encourage the blacks.
True, he has promised the Southern
ers restoration to representation in
Congress if they behave we'll; but he
has done so with such conditions and
under such threats that these people
have become alarmed. Submitting
everywhere, but with very few indi-
vidual exceptions, to the will and
laws of Congress, with determina-
ton to carry out fully the reconstruc-
ton Acts, and with an earnest desire
to be good and peaceable citizens,
they begin to fear that their fate is
uncertain in the hands of party that
seeks only to perpetunte its power at
any cost. Mr.. Wilson has told them
that confiscation and continued ex-
clusion from political privileges and
restoration would follow any hard
ships to the negroes-these tender
pets of the radicals. Now, the South
ern whites know very we'll that if it
should suit the purpose of the radical
party to keep them excluded, and to
confiscate their lands, it would he
easy enough to trump up cases of
hardship; or to seize upon few
cases that may arise, and that nre in
cidental in every community. There
are cases of hardship and cruelty in
New York, in Boston and everywhere,
as there may be in the South, in
spite of the general good feeling and
good disposition of the mass of the
people. The Southerners, knowing,
then, how easy it is to seize upon and
use such cases for political purposes,
naturally feel alarmed and insecure
under the threats held over them"
But the evil does not rest here; for
the negroes, ignorant as they are,
know what confiscation means They
expect the lands will be given to them,
according to the radical agrarian pro-
gramme of Wendell Phillips. They
see they are the favored race, and
that the whites are treated harshly
and with distrust. They begin to
think they have IL right to the lands
of the South, and that their North
ern radical friends will give the lands
to them. The fearful consequence of
all this must be that one race will be
arrayed against the other; the farm
ers and planters will be discouraged
to cultivate or improve their property;
the negroes will not work for their
employers, and magnificent and
productive country will become, like
San Domingo and jamaica, unculti-
| vntp1 and deSolota VVa abo1J loco