The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-01-11
'The Grse 1 xsssis 81, tho ne 1ss Coinnlds-, M:
~ As.hssSs ing 6lutEoit. y - y {s,

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the Pfesid dential election. In Wash
ington, The FOCUS Of plots, schemes
and bargaining, they are both active
and greatly puzzled, They are trot-
ting out the various candidates and.
prominent public men to try their,
| 1nettle and points, Of quail i6catioh.
| Grant, Chase, Butler, Hancock, Sey-
lmour. Pendleton and q number of
others, are put through their PAGES
and examined. These short-sighted
tpoliticians are foolish enough to sup
pose the approaching election Is, to
lbe decid ed upon the merits or !popu-
llarity sof individusls alone. Never
iwas!therei a greater mistake. They
Pare burrowing in the ground like
blind moles, when there is one great
highway to march along in broad day
light. They are spending their time
uselessly upon side issues and little
party schemes, when there is q great
! ISSUE before tho country WiIiCn in
wolves the very structure of our po-
litical and social existence.
The negro, as an element of politi-
cal power, and ultimately as an ele-
ment in our social life, is the vital
and paramount question of the time.
| Upon this the Presidential election
must turn, and men-heroes of the
war or prominent politicians-will
amount to nothing with the people
when they will be called upon to
| solve it next November. It will over
shadow all others, and the public
mind is ripening fast for the issue.
congressman, managing politicians,
the partisan press, and even the sharp
newspaper correspondents Mt Wash
ington, do not see the bearings of
this mighty question and the inevita-
ble solution of it in November.
The balderdash about rebels and
rebellion, when there are not and
cannot be such things in existence,
is simply ridiculous. No one is weak
enough to believe the old rebels are
not effiectually squelched, or that they
ever dream of raising their heads
again. The people are tired with
such radical trash, and it is sc tho
roughly played out that it cannot
have any influence hereafter. The
great question, then, is as to the
status of the negro, politically and
socially, in this country. Shall the
semi -barbarous negro, just emanci-
pated from slavery, hold the balance
of powor--nay, become the controll-
ing power-in the republic? Shall
this ignorant and brutal people-the
lowest type of the human race-out-
weight the votes of the white people
and control the destiny of the repnb-
lie? Shall the proud Caucasian race
the highest type of mankind-be
put in subjection to a people little
removed from barbarism? 1t is i'm
possible. The mind of every white
man or woman reyolts at such an
idea. 1t is contrary to nature, repug-
nant to their sense of decency, and
utterly subversive of the whole politi-
cal and social fabric of our country.
Yet this is the great issue before the
country. This is the question to be
settled at the coming Presidential
election. Who can doubt the result?
The issue is represented on one
hand by our radical Congress and po-
liticians. The whole framework of
Congressional reconstruction is based
on giving the negroes political power
IN the South, with the view of con-
trolling the Government. The object
is to make 100000 or 4, 900, 900 of
barbarians political element to rule
the destinies of 30,OOO,OOO of white
people through the balance of power
they would hold. All the hypocriti-
cal talk about humanity and mankind
being free and equal is sheer non
sense. 1t is simply question of po-
litical power with the radicals. On
the other hand, is thelconservative,
wise and consistent policy of Presi-
dent johnson to restore the Union
upon the basis of white mans Go
vernment, as it was originally estab-
lished, and as every sensible man
believes it should exist. He wishes
to give every protection to the ne
groes under their newborn liberty
and every opportunity to elevate
themselves In the scale of civilization.
so DO the masses of the white peo-
pie, both North and South. But he
IS opposed to making these benighted
people controlling political element
In the Republic. He knows, as we
all know, that this is utterly repug-
nant and would be dangerous. He
knows that this would lead to great
social evils. The negroes, with po-