The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-05
CHI A r L ES TON
FRIDAY MoR:..1NG. FEBRUARY S, 1869.
Grant and tho Party Hacks.

Grant and the Party Hacks.
The President elect seems to be falling
from Radical grace; not because of what
he has actually said and done, but because Q
he has not declared that he will be the
plant tool of party, and has made no sign
to show who are to bo the chief officers of
the new administration. This conduct may
seem highly proper to the outside world,
who do not desire to be Cabinet officers,
foreign ministers, or whiskey inspectors;
but it is very disgusting to those who scoffed
and jeered at the successful soldier until
after his nomination at Chicago, and who
now. because he was nominated and is
elected, claim the right to control his every
movement and mark out the policy which
the incoming government shall pursue.
Those people make politics their trade.
They made war upon the South for profit,
and remained quietly at homo that their
days might be long in tho land. They
emancipsted the negro for profit. They
planted the heel of the negro o.. the breast
of the white man for profit. They played
shuttle-cock with our constitutional rights
fer profit. And now for profit they would
direct the movements of u man whose strong
point has always been to do, right or wrong,
as he pleased. To them, o new lease Of
Radical power meant mere plundcr, more
place and more corruption; it being admit
ted that they might have treated the South
with generous liberality if it had been
shown that the policy could be made to,psy.
Their disappointment, then, is as natural as
i: is keen, when they find that Grant is as
dumb as the idols of the Egyptians: nor
will it be surprising if they become actively
Indignant when the die is cast, and ticy
find that Grant is disposed to suit himself
without regard to party. We do not imag-
inc that General Grant will have the slight
es. leaning towards Democracy; but we do
believe that he will choose his men because
they can work with him and he with them,
and not because they arc the pet lambs of
any fanatioal newspaper or Of any Congress
s onsl delegation.
Already the malcontents orc preparing
to swing the tomahawk. Some of them
profess to smoke. the pipe of peace; but
others growl in public, and the notorious
Butler avows himself to be in favor of re-
pealing the Tenure Office bill go that
Grant may have full power to make
himself liable to impeachment and removal
from Office. There is no doubt that the
President elect will find more thorns than
roses in his path; but he may be colder
enough to fight it out on the line of econo-
my, purity and manliness, though it takes
all four summers.
After all, whatever the turmoil in Wash
ington, our fight must be made at home.
We are faoe to face with universal suffrage.
We have to contend against q large colered
majority. We have to overcome rs well rs
we can the crafty schemcrs, who would
drive the freedmen as well US the white
men TO destruction. We have no fear that
Cougres, will meddle with South Carolina.
We could not be more thoroughly Republic
canized, more thoroughly revoluiio nized,
than we are; and We have confidence that
the Legislature will act 80 as 10 do honor
to their breeding, aud prove that there is
no immediate prospect of the State of
Marion, of Hayne, of McDuffie, of Calhoun,
being ruled by wisdom and sense. But the
four years to como must and will work
wondrous change in South Carolina. The
bottom rail has been ontop for long enough.
The turn of the white raoe is coming, and
in regaining the position which nature gave
them, aud which no law csn long take away,
they will be made strong by the increase of
their commercial and agricultural prosper
i,y, and will be assisted by tho very freed
men who, tor little while, are tempted TO
lord it over us. No conceivable circum
stance, no law, no army, no musket or bay
onet oan keep the Cauoasion in subjeetion
to the African; aud when the certain change
does come, the freedmen will have more Sc
curity, more protection and more individ-
usl freedom than they have with majority
in the fiylds and streets, with majority in
Office and at the polls, and with thump-
ing majority in the General Assembly of the
State. So General Grant and bis dis5atis-
fed allies may war as they please at the
Federal capital. Our werk is at home, and
here shall DO cur victory.
The Southern Press Convontion.
We ore authorized to state that the
Hou,b Carolina Railroad C.mualY will