The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-03-21
CHI AR L E S TON.
SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH 81, 1856
The Black Mans Prospects.

The colored people have been told again
and again that they were merely serving as
the tools of the Radical politicians, and
that when they had raised to power pack
of needy demagogues they would be kicked
back without ceremony into political obscu-
rity. This, however, the colored people
were 10th to believe, because it was the pre-
diction of the Southerner, whom they are now
taught to regard as their enemy and antag-
ouist. But that which the colored people
would not believe few months ago they
may believe now; and if any evidence is
wanting to convince them of the truth, they
will find it in such letters as that of NJ. R.
Delany, published in these columns this
morning.
The colored people of South Carolina
have the numerical superiority. AS con-
stituents they are more numerous than the
whites, and as representatives in the late
convention they were in the majority. In
the convention it is undeniable that the
colored delegates, as a body, surpassed
their white colleagues in tact, ability and
character, and with one or two exceptions,
they represented more property. Wealth
was without representation; but the colored
men were the representatives of labor
which is the source of all wealth. The
white men were in minority. They were
men who represented neither capital nor
labor; they represented nothing but them
selves.
As the colored men had so large pre-
ponderance of weight and influence, it was
expected that they would have had their
full share of political place and privilege;
and this would have been the case if the
white Radicals had felt one particle of dis
interested regard for the negro race. But
the whites in the convention-the faithful
mouthpieces of their white masters in
washington-resolved to exclude their col
ored colleagues from every political post Of
consequence, and, so far, they have faith
fully adhered to their predetermined plan.
No colored man is to be sent to Congress;
only one colored man is expected to hold
high position in the State government, and
he may be pitched overheard before the
week is out. The colored men though far
more acute and intelligent than the white
Radicals, are told that they must be salts
fed with such petty places as those of con-
stable, clerk and the like.
The reasons for this policy are such as
are given in the letter already referred to.
The American people generally, "are not
ready" for black Congressman, and if they
never become ready that twill be the end
of the whole matter" The colored men
ssmust not presume by reason of numbers"
the plain English of all which is that the
colored peor'e must be taught to hate their
only friends,-that they must be used
throughout the South to give the Radical
party another lease of power,-that they
must act in each State 80 as to put into
Office shoal of rude, illiterate and unprin-
cipled white Radical politicians,-that they
must obey every call of their leaders and
vote squurely as the chief mandarin de-
crees, and that, in return for all this, they
shall have little influence, little profit, little
place, and no thanks.