The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-04-04

HAmongst the papers submitted to
the Convention was the following
address to the colored people of
South, Carolina. It was afterwards
resArrea 70 the stsse Contra. Ezaoa-
tive Committee; with discretion to
publiah. The Committee has kindly
furnished us with a copy i.,,Ge
ADDRESS TO THE CoLoRED PEOPLE OF
~ SOUTH CAROLINA 5s[
The Convention of the Democratic
party of South Carolina feels it
high and bounden duty to speak to
you candidly and earnestly, and with
no further apology than that our in-
terests are to certain extent iden-
tical. ,.s.....--.,..-- .-...r. .-
You have. been suddenly put in
position to exercise certain powers,
the abuse of which may result disas-
trously to you and to us. His i'm
possible that yomr present power cda
endure, acAether you use il for g0od or
ill. The white race already ont-num-
bers you in the South. Disease has
made the mortality among you twice
what it is among the whites, and the
rate is daily increasing. Emigration
has carried off thousands Of your
color to distant States, while it al
ready begins to fill their places with
whites from Europe. Let not your
pride, nor yet your pretended friends,
fatter You into the belief that you
ever can or ever will, for any length
of time, govern the white men of the
South. The world has never seen
such spectacle, aud its whole his
tory, and especially the history of
your race, gives no ground for the
anticipation. Perhaps, however, you
expect to attain power by the aid of
the radical party mt the North. The
Almighty, in His wisdom, (perhaps
to PREVENT the amalgamatlon of the
separate races which He created and
Marked has implaated in every
human breast sentiment called the
prejudice of race; and when this feel
ing is once aroused, it is one of the
strongest and most universal pas
sions of our natures. When your
race was among us rs slaves, this
sentiment slumbered, and only n
compassion for you influenced every
honest heart-those among your mas
ters-to treat you kindly; those who
believed you wronged, to desire to
set you free. When you were set
free, compassion ceased to exist.
When undue power was given you by
the radical party, (from motives
which all men appreciated and de-
spised, prejudice of race sprang up.
The whites of this State endeavored
to allay there, at least-by inviting
you to course and compromise
which would have given it nothing to
feed upon. But their efforts resulted
in such m utter failure, that it would
be notifying had it not been q
Christian duty to iuake the effort.
Every step of your political career,
so far, has cultivated this prejudice,
until it now speaks aloud in England
and is already rapidly changing the
politics of the entire North. This is
the odium which must soon prove
the death of the radical party. 1t is
too strong to be resisted, being the
OPSioeioii VI IL INV Ol uulUTe. 10
you not see it even in your white
radical friends, in spite of their in
dustrious efforts to conceal it. so LONG
rs they have use for you? Is it not
apparent, also, in the officers, and
even the very private soldiers, of the
army whose bayonets still prop up
your power, only because they are
70 do III
selves that your Loyal Leagues
can prevail against it? "Blood is
thicker than water" and the league
which the Almighty has organized is
one to which there will be no traitors,
when once an issue is fairly made.
TO repeat. then, as we began: Your
present power must surely and soon
pass from you. Nothing that it
builds will stand, and nothing will
ronoip of ~ INIT l,a ,,raip1 Il inoc ~ mo,