The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-05-20
Party Trickery.

party, andsthat the party who went
in for strict construction of the
Constitution and rigid adherence 70
principle, regardless OF the claims
that might be set up by particular
persons, the masses of the people are
not aware of the tricks to which the
party composed of spoils-men and
place-hunters have been in the habit
of resorting, for the purpose Of de-
feating the party of principle. Per-
NIT one who has spent good many
years of his life in region where
party spirit has run high, to warn
the people of this State, and particu-
larly the citizens of Columbia, against
common device of the enemy. It
has always been q favorite plan of
operation with the party opposed to
the Democratic party, to assail the
latter by the instrumentality of wea-
pons forged from Democratic mate
rial. Emissaries will, when a can
vass is inaugurated and candidates
placed in the field, approach some
member who has been understood to
be candidate for position in the
Democratic party, but who has failed
to obtain nomination, and endeavor
to persuade him that he has been
grievously wronged, in that he has
not received tho nomination, and
that he is the choice of the rank and
file of the party; and even that,
should he run as an independent can
didate, he could get strong vote
from the opposition party. Thus
hattered by few designing members
of the opposition, it has frequently
been the case that ambitious Demo
Gratis, whose aspirations had not been
gratiied by a nominating conven-
tion, have announced themselves as
independent candidates for office.
But what has always been the result?
1t has almost invariably been the
case, that all that such candidates
could accomplish was to create
division in their own party, not in
the least beneficial to themselves,
but sometimes highly detrimental to
the interests of the Democracy-for it
has never failed to occur that the oppo-
sition, when there was ghost of a
chance for their own success through
the dissensions of the Democra ",
have concentrated their strength on
men of their own party. and fire.
quently elected them to office; while
the independent candidate, who was
weak enough to be duped by them,
is left shivering in the cold.
"What has been may be again."
and it will assuredly be the case in
our approaching municipal election,
If the Democracy do not concentrate
to a man on the party nominees, that
the party which is composed of
"black spirits and white, blue spirits
and grey" but mostly black, will
elect a Mayor and Aldermen Of their
own stripe. Why should any white
man in Columbia, or any colored
Democrat, refuse to support the De-
mocratic nominees for municipal
offices? It was left to each ward to
nominate its own candidates for AL
derman, and if there is white man
in Columbia who did not participate
in the nomination, it is his own fault
for fair notice was given. Then,
as to the Mayoralty, the nominating
committee was, according to reso-
luton Of the District club, to be
selected by the ward clubs; and if
that was not impartially managed.
nobody was to blame, except those
who failed to attend the meetings of
tho ward clubs and have it thus done.
The nominations having been made
as they were, it is the duty of every
Democrat to support the nominees of
the party, regardless Of personal
considerations. The issue before us
is vital. 1t is nothing more nor less
than the simple, naked question of
native white supremacy, or of the
domination of foreign carpet-bag
emissaries and few miserable South
ern traitors to their race and their
native land, who are to be elevated to
power through the instrumentality of
ignorant negro voting machines.
Such being the case, let every Demo
crat determine to vote for tile nomi-
nees Of his party. elhei. they may be
personally distasteful to him. No
man can be true Democrat who
endeavors to create divisions in the
Democratic ranks at this time; and
he who seeks to do so should be
branded as an enemy in disguise, and
driven either into the Democratic