The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-09-16
COLUMBIA S. G.
Thursday Morning, Sept. 18, 1869.
"Republicanis 1n" 1lun mad.

One OF the most decided Indications
OK the present era is the disposition on
the part of many political reformers to
open wide the gates of suffrage. "a It has
Come to this, that the extension of the
right Of suffrage, both in Europe and
America, is regarded as thepanacea for
all the diseases toS which the body poIitic
is 5nbseass Our readers tlia1e, no doubt,
observed the spead of this idea in Eng
land; France and Germany, to say no.
thing Of the marked Manifestations of
it in our own country. Under the opera
tf6n ofthe proposed fifteenth amend
ment-should it, become tho law of the
land-the right of suffrage would extend
to- Mongolian, negro and Caucasian,
without regard to qualifications. Nor
does the matter end here. but the suf-
frage is demanded for women, also, as a
remedy for the wrongs and evils to which
they are subjected. In fine, the impress
sion exists with not few that suffrage is
the medicine with which political evils in
general are to ber' cured. Under it's
segis, alt human rights are to be rem
dered' secure. Now, we admit that the
progressive spirit in this direction is, to
certain extent, tobe encouraged. But
the distinction between civil rights and
political rights should not be over
looked So far as,suffrage is conGerned,
tits in the nature of trust, and pru-
dence wonld seem to dictate that this
trust should be conferred by State
upon its citizens according to the prin-
ciple of the greatest good to the greatest
number. It occurs to US that no better
way to bring republican institutions into
disrepute could be devised, than the
loose and indiscriminate comforting of
suffrage. The New York Herald, re-
marking upon t'the value of tie cleo
toral suffrage in theory and in practice, :"
shows that in practice, at least in this
country, this general suffrage business
needs prompt reform. The Herald says:
"Well, if it were any remedy, if it were
not one of the popular delusions of the
day, all these schemes for making Anne
rican citizens out of every man, woman
and child in the United States, whether
belonging to the Caucasian, the Mongo-
lian or the negro race, might command
the sympathy and support of all fair
minded, thinking men. But when our
system of primary ward meetings, Demo
cratic clubs, loyal leagues, fictitious re-
gistration repeating, ballot box stufing
and all the gross frauds which politicians
OF all parties indulge in with impunity is
taken into consideration. it appears of
mighty little importance indeed who has
or who has not the right to vote.
'sBut it is not only by such means as
those we have indicated that the will of
the people in regard to its choice of can
didates is neutralized, defeated, and
made of no account. After all these OBJ
stacles to a fair, or comparatively fair,
manifestation of the will of com munity
are overcome it does not follow then, by
any means, that the man who happens
thus to be elected will ever be permitted
to hold the place to which lie is chosen.
If. for instance, that place be seat in
Congress, and if it be contested, no mat
ter almost under what frivolous pre-
tences, by person whose politics arc
those of the dominant party in Congress,
the chances are as ten to one that the
claimant whose politics are preferred will
get the seat, and that the candidate whom
the constituents preferred will be turned
ont of doors. The history of the House
of Representatives for the last six years
isl full Of instances of this kind, where
the expressed will OF constituencies, not
only in Southern but in Northern States
also. has been ruthlessly set aside. And
now it has come to be all understood
thing that the decision of contested cleo
ton cases in the lower branch of Con-
gress depends not upon the merits of the
question in the most remote degree, but
on the political faith of the respective
parties to it,
"With this double attack from high
and from low places thus made upon the
purity of elections, of what possible value
to any one is that inalienabe right of
freemen which orators and poets have
prated and sung so rapturously and fool
ishly about? Or how much more or less
guilty is the ballot-box stufTer or the re-
peater of the sixth ward than the mem
Der Of Congress who, for the sake of
party, stabs to death the very life princi-
pie of the government?
eff our Democratic institutions fall
into contempt through such means, or if