The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-22
Address Of Ialllsbn 8. EEsits, Esq, OF
stas Siss south CarolRna. q e B,

evening, in the rooms OF the Young
Mems Democratic Union, on Broad
way. near Twenty-second street, New
York. In point of numbers and en-
thusiasm it was very successful. The
speaker Of the evening was Ellison
s. = Keitt, Esq, of South Carolina,
from whose address the Herald makes
the following extracts:
If the people Of the North Under
stood the real sentiment and condi-
tion Of the mass of the Southern
people, there would, be no difficulty
whatever in settling and re-adjusting,
iii ali Its parts, the great problem now
before us for solution. IL there was
greater commingling of the masses
Of the people and less heed given to
political tricksters, who, for pelf, and
self, and power, spend their time
peddling out seeds Of dissension, it
would rebound to the welfare of both
sections. When the late great war,
from which, I trust, our country will
soon successfully emerge, wes inau-
gurated. I was not in political life;
but when my State passed her ordi-
nance of secession and called upon
her sons to rally beneath her flag and
defend her, we went forth, and we
heard the first and the last gun of the
revolution fired. In that great con-
test we fought not to destroy the
North, we fought not to overthrow
any of your institutions, we fought
not to interfere in your domestic af-
fairs, we fought for self-government,
we fought for the independence and
separate nationality of our own native
land, we fought for the preservation
of those great and grand principles
which were embodied and established
by a heroic and virtuous ancestry in
1889, after seven long years of heroic
sufferings, privations, defeats and
victories, that we might transmit
them, purified, chastened and refined,
to generations yet unborn-yes, that
we might make them perpetual and
immortal. You, on your part, as
proclaimed by Mr.. Lincoln, fought
for the maintenance of the Constitu-
tion and the preservation of the
Union in its integrity, and not for
the conquest and subjugation of the
South. This, he proclaimed, was the
only ground upon which he could
rest the justice of the war, either
with you or with foreign powers.
We have failed to achieve that for
which we fought. You, by over
whelming numbers and greater mate
rial resources, have prevailed. AS
we were desperately sincere and earn
est in our determination to win when
we went into the contest, so when
we sheathed our swords and stacked
our arms upon the battlefield, and
turned our backs upon the vast
armies of Gems. Grant and Sherman,
we did so with equal sincerity and
determination to go to our homes and
spare no effort in rebuilding our
broken and shattered fortunes. in
restoring our country to law and Or
der, and bringing her back to peace,
prosperity and happiness, and in
rendering every assistance in our
power to maintain the Constitution
and preserve the Union in its integ-
rity.
We not only acquiesced in the abo-
Hoioh VI oiafeiy, DuG H0 SdSo Jue
black man all the civil rights enjoyed
by the white man-he was allowed to
sue and be sued and testify before
the courts. We placed the State
Government upon wise and econo-
mical basis. 1t took about $780, ZOO
to administer it before the'war, but,
the people being so reduced by the
war, we reduced that sum, by re-
trenchment, to 100000. I will here
state that, in addition to giving the
black man all the civil rights which
the white man has, the white people
of the State held Convention, in
Columbia, last April, and adopted n
platform, in which they recognized
the negro as an integral element of
the body polite, and pledged them
selves to give him qualified suffrage
the moment they have the power to
do so. It was not until the last days
of the fourth and last session of the
Legislature that the proposed amend
ment known as the fourteenth article
of the Constitution came before that
body. It was not rejected, as is
affirmed, because we were required
by it either to give the negroes the
rioht To vote or not tn c0unt them in