The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-04-25
Saline stntunry.

their course accordingly. For all practical
purposes the issues of the past, so far as the
State of South Carolina is concerned, are
held in mortuary allegiance The mass OF
our citizens recognize the fact. The Con-
Sederacy is dead, and there is no Scripture
authority which encourages q hope OF its
resurrection, even at the crack OF DOOM
But it is said, s'The colored man have ye
'always with YOU Qf we are not correct
in the language of this quotation, we are
confident that we are in it's Interpretation
for this latitude.) He is q free man, and q
permanent element in the political power Of
the State and nation. We cannot get rid OF
the fact if we would, and as revolutions
never go backwards, we would not ii we
could The great majority of our citizens
who have heretofore acted with the Demo-
cratic party honestly accept this fact with
al. its resultant consequences. Hence that
issue between the Republican party and the
Democracy no longer exists.
The question OF Free Trade VS.. Protection,
too, is not now strictly party issue, because
the Republican press and Statesmen are di-
vided in sentiment upon it, and even the
Democracy of certain sections uphold pro-
lection, as they conceive, in the interests OF
their localities. In the recast OF parties in
the future, issue will be doubtless joined on
that question; bat it is not for the parties OF
the State OF South Carolina to-day. AS Tor
States Rights, we went into war upon that
issue, and the war interpreted that idea aG-
versely to our theories. The doctrine OF
States Rights to-day is quiescent if not an
abstraction. 1t meekly asks to be let alone.
In the future its ghost may arise to tantalize
the very people who strangled it. Certainly
nobody proposes 10 so to war upon it, and
it can OILY come up in the forum and the
press. Then, as to paying the naticnal debt
in greenbacks, we have the satisfaction OF
saying plough-holder and bond-holder that
gold is quoted at ll3.
What, then, is the issue between the C1rI-
zESs' REFORM PARTY and the existing regime
in the State. Simply one Of an honest adj
ministration Of our government. Republi-
cans, both white and colored, have expressed
their approval Of the programme OF the new
movement, and have signited their desire to
cooperate with it. Who oppose it? Pri-
marily the robbers who now control the State
and large portion Of tine colored voters,
who, having been kept in ignorance of the
infamy of their leaders, blindly follow them.
Then there are few men among them who
are opposed to Radical rule, and who hav-
ing been sent whirling into the vortex OF
new era, hate to even whisper an acquies-
cencc in the changed order Of things, or to
believe that the future is not to be an ad-
journcd meeting OF the past. To them, il
the Coniederacy is not, nothing Is. While
they play the role of Lots wife, and, like
her, become admirable specimens OF saline
statuary, they are Of no practical use so long
as Turks Island lies off our coast. But there
they stand ready, either for the iconoclasm
Of chaos which shall destroy their value in
al artistic point OF view, or for d possible
interpositon OF Providence which shall re-
store, at least in part, the old order OF things.
They may as well forego both their dark de-
spair and their desperate hope. Chaos is
indefinitely postponed. Providence is not
going to intervene by special miracle. The
question for these gentlemen to determine
is, whether they will give the aid Of their
names, their intelligence, their influence,
their active cooperation and their votes, to
insure the success OF q movement inaugura-
ted to turn public misfortune into public sue
cess and build up a wealthy, prosperous and
intelligent commonwealth, in place OF an
impoverished and tax-burdened State; or
whether they are willing to be recognized US
ante-JeVun, Saurians, to remain unhonored
and even unused until, in the unknown fu-
ture, the bones OF their political corpus
shall he exnumed and be put on the market
as phosphates to fertilize the political fields
OF future ages. Now, they are worse than
useless. They not only throw away the
power they have. but their example prevents
the active cooperation of many who would
be glad to give their earnest support to the
PARTY OF REFORM.