The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-24
The Utter Weakness and Folly of n CO.
alition with Nondescript Republicans.


approaching canvass, with the socallet
moderate Radicals, have one great argu
ment which does double duty as pretex
and vindication. A continuance of Radica
rule, they say, will ruin the people, and it is
therefore, high time to put away theory
and fancy, and, ii necessary. stoop to con
quer. They declare, with laudable energy,
that they are resolved 10 win, but that the
fight can only be won by linking hands and
joining fortunes with what may be called for
the nonce nondescript Republicans. This
is always the burden of their song; and,
while, we admit the imperative need that
exists Of regenerating the State, and arc
thoroughly determined to whip out Radi-
calism at the fall elections, we unhesitatingly
avow the opinion that an alliance with any
form of Re ,ublcanism known in South Car
DINA would nip our hopes in the bud, and
give to the Radicals the control OF the gov
ernment for many years to come. Conceding
frankly that we must seek q practical sou
ton CT the political problem, and should not
fritter away the golden opportunity of the
hour, it is still evident that league with
the Radicals contains no one advantage to
compensate for the weakness and dissension
it would unQuestionably introduce into what
may easily be made q compact and homoge-
neous party.
Whence, we may ask, would the hybrid or
nondescript party draw its recruits: These
would chiefly be drawn from among the pre-
sent Radical officials, whether natives or polit-
ical Immigrants. The wrespectable Repub-
licans who settled in the State after the war,
who invested their means here, and who
have become part and parcel Of South
Carolina, will undoubtedly side with any
organization known to be hostile to Radi-
calism. And why? Because Ralicalism in
the Carolinas is the expression of personal
dishonesty and official corruption. Although
his sympathies have been, and are, with what
is known as the Republican party in the
North, every consideration of self-interest
and self-protection will impel the private
citizen to join in any movement to rid South
Carolina OF its present or any similar State
government. He might, indeed, act with
the hybrid party, if it could be formed; but,
in its absence, he would assuredly ally him
self to any party which arrayed itself in op-
position to the Radical knaves, whose liveli-
hood is one Of public plumber and individual
thievery. As regards the respectable Re-
publicans, then, the hybrid policy has no
real advantage over straight platform and
square contest.
Many of the Radical officials, the wllitened
sepulchres of the party, are ready, of course,
to join mongreiSm, whatever The questiona-
BILE shape in which it come. They forcsee
the doom Of Radicalisn, and know that only
by an obiiteration OF existing party lines
can they hope to cling TO the power and
place, without which they are dead. Every
bodNcan name the most prominent among
these Radical officials, who are now in the
market. They are the glib Of speech and
smooth of mien-whether they hail from
Boston or Charleston, whether they publicly
announce their fealty to Ratlicalism, Or deny
the soft impeachment and enter into Il
partnership OF profit. All these halfway
Radicals-less Candid but not whit less
rascally than their fellows-would swell the
hybrid ranks But in what beggally num-
bers! And feeble us would lie the accession
of strength from their own votes the vaunt-
ed influence of these political noudcscripts
upon the colored vote is even more cor
temptible
Outside of the politicians or olice-holling
class, there are three classes OF colored peo-
pie: l. The negroes who are not yet unde-
ccired, and who have lasting faith in the
oft-promised ''forty acres and q mule
these stand by the League and will vote
blindly as their leaders direct. 2. The COL
ored people, who see that they have been
bamboozled, but are not altogether decided
to vote against their party. 3. The colored
people, who are directly dependent on the
whites for their livelihood Now the hybrids
can do nothing with the first class. These
will vote, for the present, the regular Radi-
cal ticket. Were Daddy Cain, or Elliott, or
Whipper, or F. j. Moses, Jr., 10 dub himself
n ba onn11 moi ,uitl, him,