The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-06-24
Tho Vow York Times and tho;Dsmo-
cracy In this sfate, q 5

Tho Vow York Times and the Demo-s
craoy In this stats. sss s i
Mn EprroR: Our attention has
been drawn to the following extract,
from the New York Times:
''The Democrats of South Catoli-s
ma, in State Convention, some
months ago, declared themselves In
favor of recognizing the negro as an
integral element of the body politic.
This seemed sensible and timely
recognition of q political necessity,
but it was too sensible to be accepted
by the. whole party. It, shocked the
prejudices of the Democratic party,
besides savoring of dangerous limo.
vation. The negro never has been
IAN integral element of the body,
polite hitherto; why should he be
recognized as such now? So they
gathered together new Convention
of the Democrats of South Carolina,
at which this new heresy was solemn
ly discarded, and the old dogma,
which acquired root and some degree
of strength while the blacks were
slaves. that this is the white mau's
government, was formally re-aflirm-
ed, as the cardinal principle of the
Democratic faith. The resolutions
and speeches were alike explicit and
emphatic on this subject. The lead
ing resolution declared the convic-
ton of the Convention, that the
Democratic party, whenever it comes
again into power, will restore the
Government to the whites, and
therefore it would support its candi-
dates. d Mr.. Sparnick, one of the
Secretaries. declared that he would
never consent that when he ap-
preached the ballot-box, o son of
Africa should stand by his side as
his equal General Gary said the
question was, not whether the negro
held property, or could read or not,
but whether we were to disregard
what he called 'the fundamental
principles laid down in the Constitu-
ton, which exclude from the elective
franchise both the Indian and the
negro For his part, he said he was
more and more convinced that God
Almighty created the negro at diff
ferent time from the white man, and
for q different purpose and that
voting was intended to be done ex-
clusively by the whites. The gene
raj tone of all the speeches was, that
the negro was intended by the AL
mighty to occupy an inferior posi-
tion, and they were so fearful of
thwarting the Almighty's purposes,
that they couldn't think of letting the
negro vote"
Now I, for one, do not accept the
version given by the Times. AS
member of the April Convention, and
an advocate of the principles and
conservative policy proclaimed there,
[ do not admit that the "heresy" of
said Convention has been discarded.
Mr.. Sparnick, Gen. Gary and others
have their peculiar views, and let
them have those views. But these
utterances do not affect that large
and influential portion of the people
of the State who advocate the pro-
gramme of the April Convention,
and regard the expressions and views
of the Pheni.c as representing the
people moro correctly than the ex-
treme opinions of extreme men and
ultra journals. I fear that there is
too much truth in what the Times
says when it remarks:
eff the Democrats, directly or in
directly, by words or by acts, by doc
trines they announce, or by men
they nominate, take their stand upon
this position, that this is exclusively
white mans government, they
doom themselves not only to defeat,
but to disaster and death. It is not
only reaction against the war, and
against the principles which it estab-
lished, it is o reaction against the
tendencies and events of the age
against that broader and higher
civilization which is making men
everywhere more tolerant of mere
accidental distinctions, and which is
admitting them as men to share the
rights and responsibilities, ns they
must share the burdens and penal
ties, of governments and laws"
And believing that there is much
deserving of consideration in this