The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-06-23
COLUMBIA.
Tuesday Morning. June %, 1858.
The World md Unlimited Negro
Sr Suffrage. .li'


above subject is this: That it is the
policy of the forthcoming Democrat
ic Convention to treat negro suffrage
asa dead issue in Federal politics,
for the reason that it is un fah accom-
ph and beyond the reach of peaceful
abolition. And'it thus explains how
and why it regards it as beyond the
reach 7of said abolition. It nffirms
the following propositions as facts:
1st.> That the Senate, being now.four-
fifths Republican, and to beincreased
by twenty more Republican Senators,
would be bar to any attempt on the
part of Democratic House of Rep
fesentatives. to iuproot the recon
struction scheme. eft is, therefore,
absolutely certain, adds the World,
ssthat no relief can come from Con-
gress within the ensuing four years. !"
Q. Nor. argues the World, can the re-
lief come from the Supreme Court;
for though there is good reason for
supposing that that tribunal regards
the reconstruction Acts as unconsti-
tutional, yet "those Acts will expire
By their own limitation before the
Supreme Court sits again, and the
competency of the resulting State
governments is u question OF which
it has no Jurisdiction. Since, in the
Dorr case, it was decided that it be-
longs to Congress to decide upon the
validity of State government; that
the decision is made by the admis-
sion of Senators and Representa-
tives, and that the courts are bound
to follow it." 8. The WorM next
remal IS, that since negro suffrage can
be upset during tho next Presiden-
tial term, neither by Congress nor
the Supreme Court, and since it GER
tainly will not be upset by the negro
voters themselves, it can only be done
by the whites acting outside the new
State governments. But in doing
this, the World holds that the whites
so acting would be liable to be tried
by the new Government for treason
against the State, as Rhode Island
tried and sentenced Dorr.
Inasmuch,. therefore, as "the me-
groes can be ousted from suffrage
only, by a. successful insurrection of
the white citizens against the new
State Governments, and inasmuch,
further, as the World thinks, that the
recommendation of this act on the
part of the whites by the Democratic
Convention would be to repel from
the Democratic ranks conservative
Republicans now ready to join them,
the World has too deep a sense of
responsibility and too clear fore
sight Of consequences, to advise the
Convention to recommend the above
method of redress by the whites.
Hence the proposition of the World,
to ''treat negro suffrage as dead
issue in Federal politics."
We have thus fairly and fully
stated the grounds upon which the
New York World seeks to vindicate
it's recent views. We say recent, for
we certainly regarded the TVorld, like
other Democratic organs, committed
to uncompromising opposition to the
reconstruction Acts of Congress
being unconstitutional, and tyranni-
cal, and monstrous.
Nor do the arguments presented
by the World sustain its new posi-
tion. It proposes to regard negro
suffrage in tho Southern States as o
"dead ISSUE" But who has killed it
as o practical issue? Not the Demo
cratic party, for, whenever that party
speaks, its voice is raised against that
very proposition which the Worlo
would lay aside as "dead issue. .
It is not dead. Tt is living issue.
The World seeks to kill it. But, il