The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-08-11
what ,hs. .Eiectiont win Decide.

strange dennltionS. Loyalty, WHICH.
in its vocabulary means INSCRIPTIONS,
devotion to party, is called patriot
ism Liberty is the enslaring of white
men to- the behests of an inferior
race-while guaranteeing Republican
Governments to States, means march
ing an army into ten States in time
of peace, superseding Governors,
Judges, Sheriffs, and all civil officers,
and setting up q military power to
regulate the internal economy of the
States, and especially suffrage. The
kind of Republicanism guaranteed
to the Southern States consists of
military invasion, Constitutions writ
ton with the points of bayonets,
habeds corpus suspended, civil tribu-
nails abolished, white men disfran-
chised, and suffrage forced upon
stupid. ignorant race of negroes, who
scarcely know how to WELD it under
the dictation of military masters.
But the pretence was insincere. 1t
was not to=guarantce Republican Co.
vernments to these Southern States
that this scheme of reconstruction
was devised. It was rather to over
run and destroy the Republican Co.
vernments which existed thereto
strip white men of their hereditary
suffrage and to confer it upon ne
groes. Negro suffrage and negro su-
premacy over white men are what
reconstruction means. And yet, ex-
claims the Newark (N. J.) Journal,
this Infamous system, without
shadow Of right under the Constitu-
ton; this bold usurpation, wickedly
and traitorously assumed by the
party in power, they ask that the
Democracy shall recognize as law and
as settled policy when they take the
reins of power. The impudence of
this assumption is only equaled by
the audacity of the usurpation itself.
The triumphant Democracy can only
recognize the Constitution and con-
stitutional enactments as law. Car
pet-bag representation of the South
and bogus Governments, having no
sanction in the Constitution, are
simply void. 1t wants no Supreme
Court decision to declare this; it is
patent on their face. Suppose this
Rump Congress should declare Gen.
Grant dictator for life, just before it
expires; would they expect the De-
mocratic party to respect the enact
ment? And yet this would be no
greater outrage upon all constitu-
tional law than these reconstruction
measures. If the Democracy tri-
umph in the coming election, it is
the solemn declaration of the people
that every State shall be absolutely
free to regulate for itself the condi-
ton of suffrage, and that all Federal
exactions, Congressional legislation
and Federal machinery, civil or mill
tary, which interfere with or obstruct
that right, must be removed. The
Federal Senate that dares stand in
the way of such disposition of this
question had better acquiesce in this
construction, adds the Journal, lest q
worse thing befall them. That deci-
sion will be instructions to Congress
to repeal all those unconstitutional
enactments; and if they refuse, and
a revolution is the consequence, let
the responsibility rest where it be-
longs. If the decision is adverse,
and is Legitimate in its character, the
Democracy will submit, as they
always have, to the lawfully expressed
will of the people; and what they
expect to do themselves, they simply
demand of their opponents, or know
the reason why.
T. Democratic Meetings.