The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-04-22
COLUMBIA
Wednesday Morning. April 90. 1868.

-. OenaocEot1c' 'ConveA1Sion. +'i'f-
The Mercury, in allusien to the
action of some Of the Northern
States on the subject Of the negro,
says: -'f-Ss'. r'''' - e.'' ~. .''-@ >.A.s- "a
"Rut the late Convention in CO.
lumbia thought proper to ignore the
drift Of events. They Thought pro-
per to ;repudiate the platform Of "a
white mans Government. They
made concessions to the Republican
party, from whom they have nothing
to expect, and have, as far as their
action goes, undermined the position
of their best friends at the North.
They announced that they ore willing
the negroes should be q part of the
body politic infSouth Carolina, and as
such should have right of suffrage.
Now, if negroes are to vote, people
have not time or care to go into the
Fe6nements of exactly how many
dollars and cents they possess, or the
precise extent to which they can
read, write and cypher. These tests
are not applied to the white race,
and there is no reason why they
should be imposed upon the black
any more. They fritter away the
issue into a matter Of degrees in
money and book-knowledge, while
the great tangible, insurmountable,
unanswerable principle of race is
abandoned.
"Well may we exclaim with Fal-
staff: Call you this backing your
friends?'' -
We would respectfully suggest to
our respected contemporary, that it is
able enough to argue points without
mis-stating the position of its anita
gonists. We take issue with the
Mercury, and contend that the Con-
yention did not ignore the drift of
events-did not repudiate the plat
form of 50 white mans Govern
ment"-and made no concessions to
the Republican party. These are the
three points made by the Mercury.
Let us briefly consider them in their
order.
/. What was the drift of events
when, the Convention met? AS we
understand, the grand drift of events
to which the Mercury is alluding, was
opposition on the part of the Demo-
cratic party to negro supremacy, ne
gro domination-and not, as the Me,.-
cmry supposes, to entire negro exclu-
sion from the Government. This is
our view of the matter, confirmed by
our information. It was the declara-
tion of a distinguished and promi-
nent Democratic leader North, that
it would not do to deny suffrage alto
gether to the negroes of the South;
and, in addition to this, let us sug-
gest to the Mercury, that those very
men who deny all suffrage to the
negroes at the North, would modify
their position when suggesting the
adjustment of the matter for us. Let
the Mercu'y rely upon the North
even the Democratic North-to sus-
tain it in the idea of total negro ex-
clusion from suffrage, and it will find
that it is leaning upon broken reed.
Besides, we hold it bad policy for the
Democratic party, North or South,
to make the fight with the Republi-
can party upon this extreme ground.
Do this, and you excite anew mems
sympathies and women's tears in
behalf of the "poor negro" and you,
perhaps, pave the way for Republi-
can success in the next Presidential
election. But planting ourselves on
the middle ground of suffrage
based upon intelligence and property,
we stand firm-we gather recruits
we win the victory.
2. The Mercury charges that the