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


Tribune recently said: "Shall four millions
of our countrymen be henceforth serfs and out
casts in the land of their birth, with their de-
scendants through all generations Such is
the great question remaining to be solved by
the Judgment and votes of the American people" ="
The Tribune understands that passions must
be appealed to in order to be successful in the
approaching elections. 1t remembers how
successful were the SANDERS and falsehoods
uttered against the South, in strengthening
the Radical party, in thp elections of the last
year, and it feels that the life of the party
will be lost, unless the minds of men can be
excited by some imaginary evil. Every reader
of the Tribune knows that there is no ADLER or
gan of party, on either side, than is that
paper, and it sees clearly the weakness
of the party in power. If false issue
can be made, the party may be saved, and
this issue the Tribune seeks to make 1t
sees tariff questions agitating the party. 1t
knows that Sunday laws and liquor laws are
questions on which the party will be divided,
and the formidable question Of the United
States debt looms up before it as a rock, on
which the party must eventually split Mr.
GREELEY and his coadjutors are too shrewd
and able as politicians, not to know that men
will seize upon living issues, and that no party
can be kept long together after it has accom-
plished its work. The Radical party was
organized for the purpose of preventing
the extension of slavery, and later in its career
1t stood on the ground of general emancipation
of the slaves of the South. In this they sue
ceeded, and unless the party take step in
advance, it must fall to pieces, and in falling
to pieces HORACE GREELEY, CHARLES SUMNER,
HENRY WILSON, and the other Radical leaders
would lose the fruits Of power. WENDELL
PHILLIPS beckons them to take another leap
forward. He wants "negro suffrage" and
il spite of any resistance "negro suffrage
must be a plank in the Radical platform, or
the party must go to pieces before the next
Presidential canvas will be over. There are
issues of vital Importance which are necessari-
ly pressing themselves on the country, and the
party which merely represents what was
great issue, must give way to those who have
work to do. In this country there is no room
for iders and this is as true of political parties
90 ii 30 of ;.d;riduals Unlcs5 party has
something new to offer, its past victories are
very soon forgotten. Even military men in
this country pass rapidly from before the pnb-
lie Their 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, the party must
fall to pieces by its own weight, and conse-
quent,y it advocates manhood suffrage" 1t
knows that the American people will not stand
still, and that it is necessary to adopt this doc
trine even at the risk of defeat. Defeat on
this issue would probably give the party
rallying point, and an opportunity of recover
ing lost ground, but shrinking from this posi-
ton would be annihilation.
The Tribune however mis- states the question,
when it asks if "four millions of our country
men shall be henceforth serfs and outcasts in
the land of their birth, with their descendants
through all generations" There is not 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 rights of 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 con-
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 emancipated by the action of the United
States authorities, Mother slavery nor involun-
tary servitude except as punishment for
crime, whereof the party shall have been duly
convicted, shall ever be re-established in this
State" Every other State in the South has
incorporated similar provisions in its funda-
mental law, and all have accepted the Consti-
tutional Amendment The United States Gov
ernment has passed Civil Rights Bill which
in case any State refuses to give justice to any
citizen, enables that citizen to appeal to the
United States Courts. How then, under these
circumstances can any portion of the people of
the United States be reduced to the condition
of serfs or outcasts? There is but one way in
which this can be done, and that is by fol-
lowing Messrs. PHILLIPS, GREELEY, STEVENS,
& Co., and going outside of and overriding
the Constitution; by rejecting that compact,
and by using towards minorities similar op-
preston to that which is now practised towards
ten Southern States.
The true question now before the people is
whether the liberty and the rights of thirty
two millions of white men shall be taken away
for the purpose of enabling Mr.. GREELEY and
his coadjutors to carry out their schemes for
power, disguised under the name Of philan-
thropy. In other words, the true question is
whether political Vaccinations shall succeed
in giving TO four millions of blacks " manhood
suffrage" at the price of the sacrifice OF the
rights of thirty-two millions of whites, whose
rights have been guaranteed to them by the
Constitution. Mr.. WENDELL PHILLIPS states
the whole matter much more fairly than does
Mr.. GREELEY, and that the Radicals will follow
his teachings, if they have the power so to do,
no one familiar with the political history of the
last fifteen years will deny. In that period he
has regularly educated the party up to his
standard He has made opinion, and they
have profted by his teachings. Speaking, re-
Gently, of the issuing of the Amnesty Procla-
nation, he said: @ i consider the issuing of the
Amneaty Proclamation by the President an act
of as gross resistance, as would be an armed
resistance to Congress. 1t indicates treason
able state of mind and purpose. 1t is nothing
but another effort to build up rebeldom.'
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