The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-04
CHI A r L l. S TON
THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 4, 1867.
AGITATION.

Ii there IS one thing Wnioh .la repulsive 70
our people just now it is political agitation.
we have gone through SO cIhausting struggle
Tint VIC have scarcely the energy for further
contest. We have been 30 deceived in our cal
culatiohs, go disappointed in our hopes that we
hive lost all faith in advice from any quarter.
Our individual embarrassments are so pressing
TINT wc have neither tho time nor the temper
to think of public interests, and We are tempt
cd in utter despair TO confno ours 5 to tho
hard work of milking our daily nread and
leaving to Providence to accomplish results
which we cannot anticipate.
But tho issue which is upon US is one which
will not let us nlone Not only is there no
safcty in passive submission but there is no
rest for us until that issue is settled, Wo arc
not permitted simply to suffer, we are forced
to do. What ia our conditionf A whole pop
ulation has been mndo voters and to them we
aro compelled in few months to submit the
complete revolution of our political society.
This privilege Of voting is to them tho consum-
mntion of their frccdon-therc s-not ono who
does not regard its exercise as the final and
triumphant proof TINT he has been made free
man. II is the powor by which he hus been
governed and he looks TO it as the power by
which his further wants nro to be supplied.
The more ignorant the voter the moro import
ance will be attached to the privilege which is
| 10 guarantee his full equality with tho white
mnn. Every colored citizen of this State will
vote, in him there is no apathy to. overcome,
no despair to counteract, no need of party CON-
trivnnce to stimulate. IIe Is all hope md
| energy and activity. He hns interests which
he does not fully comprehend and prejudices
| which ills not easy to overcome, and to-day, and
from to-day on 10 the end, thoro are and will
be, busy, indefatigable, unscrupulous men
actually ut work to ,misreprcsent thcso inter-
ests, excite and misdircct these prejudioes.
There is not an intelligent man In tho State,
white or black, who does not know that the
white people Of the State cannet be put in
condition Of political inferiority without infin-
ito disturbance and terrible danger. There is
4 not ono white or black who does not know that
such condition, if ever reached, could not last,
and would euro itself at tho cost of much suf-
\ ferng to the white race, but at the price of de-
struotion 70 the black. And there is not one
who docs not know that the only way to pre-
Il
of the white vote with the intelligent and re-
spectacle colorcd vote. .
How is that union to be brought aboutf 1t
RRftsrs no. strsw g, Ehsthsr men call them
| OF Union Republicans; all men can work to-.
gethcr now who honestly desire to secure the
adoption of o sound and healthy stale Consti-
tuition, who wish TO lay the foundations wisely of
! TINT local legislation WHICH is to determine our
taxation, encourage education, govern the re-
| lntions of daily lire-in word, protect life,
liberty and property. Whenw have restored
tho State, there will be time enough TO decide
what the politics of tho State should be. Let
oil those who desire this earnestly 60 to work
faithfully, and before very long they will find
themselves working together. ,:.aas H.. a...
1t is not our purPpso, perhaps it is aot our
duty, TO give advice 70 the colored ,yotera AS
yet they have not given us the opportunity, but
we can speak to, the white. voters Of This city.
tits perfectly clear that, with the numerical
majority Of the colored vote, if it acts In com
bined antagonism to you, 1t defeats you. That
vote Gun be driven into antagohism by injudi-
cious opposition, or by continued neglect. At
present there is every reason to- belieye that
the better class Of the colored voters do mol de-
sire nm unnecessary hostility They know, as
General s1cKIEs SO judiciously advised them,
that their interests are identical with ours, that
ifthcy possess some, we possess others of those
elements, the combination'o of which is necessa-
Try to their prosperity, and that, tho worst ad-
visers they can have are those who would SOW
the seeds of animosity between the raoes s1.9! %
Why not then at onoe proceed to the pracli-
cal work Of effectng that union as for as lies
in our power? .gs. :a-.s,iy al5.,i.,. {.
Let US do that work not in the spirit Of buy
ling and selling which the Northern press
seems to consider tho only motive power Of po-
litical action, but with the, open and resolute
determination to- do justice to all clnsses Of our
citizcns; with the manly ayowal that however
we may regret the change, we intend to use it,
| il possible, for the advantage and prosperity of
the whole State, and with the fixed purpose 10
preserve, as we are bound TO do, In the interest
Of every man, white or black In this State, that
influence which belongs to, brains, character
and property. y Better for ,us to do this boldly
and promptly than to allow malignant and pa pas q
sionnte men to appeal to sel6shhess, Ignorance,
and prejudice in the manner indicated in the
following editorial from the Hera1d. o. s4a.-4a,
But our point in this case Is the negro yota ~
tho South. 1t ia a Southern" polifioaI balanoS f
tie SSVfTs aS popular S 5s Il sSH
Tso 10 sceaps Sc Rses q Il 4sa
to the blacks, lately. hs slayes, &c his poicL si
periors 70 Try the political experiment. Of harno-
nizpg Eth ~ tisE atS white maseEs before they go