The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-29

freedmen are disposed to regard as the Ad-
miraI Crichton of their race, has abandon
cd, it seems, his cherished scheme of estab-
fishing an ebon Utopia in that Central Airi-
ca which ne once traversed as "the chief Of
. rs--rrrfrrr
to the newly enfranchised citizens" he
plunges into the political cauldron, and pub
fishes a pamphlet ''intended as popular ele-
'.mentary instruction in the principles Of Ma
''tional Polity," for the benefit of 'the freed
''men and colored youth"
The freedmen are now citizens OF the
United States, enjoying every pubic privi-
lege which the whites possess. These privi-
leges give to their possessors large power
for good or harm, and carry with them grave
responsibilities. 1t is then, obviously wise
and proper to use all the means in our power
of instructing the freedmen in their duties as
citizens, so that their influence may be
steadily thrown on the side of liberty and
progress, and against usurpation and wrong.
They should be made familiar, as far as pos
sible with the fornsas well as the principles
Of government, and any one who gives
them helping hand is richly entitled to
public thanks. The writer, however, who is
ignorant of his subject, whose ideas are
vague, and whose expressions are crude and
half-digested, only makes matters worse
when he attempts to instruct those whom he
supposes to be more Ignorant than himself.
Fine writing is Of little consequence, but it
should be insisted on that all books intended
for the instruction of the colored people, shall
be plain and simple in expression, and rig
idly correct in both statement of fact and
enunciation Of principle. Judged by such
standard, the pamphlet Of Colonel Delaney
is altogether worthless for the purpose for
which it was written.
We pass by the statement that the Presi-
dent is ''the ruler" OF the American people,
and the broad assertion that the black man
has general obligations to "the nation"
while his specials obligation are to his own
''people"-a declaration = roughly consist
ent with Colonel Delaney's speech the other
night on tie claims of the blacks to public
Office, and to the support Of men of their
color. These are small matters, for the
book is unsound to the CORE and it would
take more space than We have at command
to expose all its radical errors. Two or
three of the grosser blunders will show what
we mean.
Colonel Delaney, in his chapter on "Cti-
'.zenshlp,' says Up. . that ''!Re people Of
"Great Britain elect their representatives in
ssthe person of Parliament, and Parlia-
s'ment creates, or elects ruler, called Mon
:'arch or Sovereign This sentence con-
tains almost as many blunders as it has
words.
In the chapter on the Constitution, :"
Colonel Delaney, discussing Magma Charta,
says Up. 10y that "no act OF Parliament can
'be repealed, nor judicial decision reversed,
sthat ever has been established in their Ghe
speople's) favor" This is awful twaddle,
and grossly incorrect.
Nor does Colonel Delaney know any more
about the Constitution of the United States
than he does about Magma Charta; for he
says that the Constitution of the United
States sis document of numerical prOvi-
'tsions designed more for the regulation Of
departments of State and oEcial duties
tthan for defining and guarding the rights
''oi the people" This will be gratifying
piece OF news to Colonel Delan ,y's colored