The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1870-02-05
Upon the Basis OF Fact.

Ihe Charleston Daily Neses, comment
ing upon an article in the New York
FoyAf, which says: "For the Democrat
ic party TO begin new agitation for tho
repeal of the Reeoastrae.iont Acts, would
be futile. Negro suffrage is certain to
prevail Mt the South =; aud it
is quite cestainst that tic Depoerasic par
twill not make that an issue in the
next National ,Canyass."' Itself (the
-Neps,9 sayst "The Democracy Of South
Carolina will not make negro sptFrsge'
aa issue in the State elections, which
sake place next Fab. We. go into the,
asht 70 win and do not court defeat.
This is manly and practical language,
and is. being echoed by tho press gene
rally in our State. cp Il ogJ.l'r .,;eruay
Negro,suffrage and Reconstruction are
not the Issues noy. They are facts.
Admitting them, and ,burying opposition
aud prejudice and protest against them
is starting Quito the. contest with some
hope et success. Any platform, treating
these questions, as unsettled Issues is aa
the Ne,cs says, seoprting defeat.1 And
We have courted and aeon defeat often
eaopgh, i,yr a. eTltf yen. .,.e,. .., a
The CoiuuIbia IAumir. lis out pointing
to States rights short of secession" as
ohe OF the most important issues before
us. It is thought by some, tl,ut this is
also one of the settled questions, of the
past. 1t is true that the centralizing
tendency of the extreme Republican
party, should DO resisted BY every PARROT
and lover of liberty, but it is a question
whether. the States rights doctrine is not
settled. or SO much reduced and Topped
as to, be a, noncntity, by tho Rcconstruc-
tion Acts and the. amendments to the
Constitution. >nas.stis.si is-l,.l-f
Let US beware ylcst We be misled into
another protest against facts tsl
lu our opinion, these national ques
tions do not materially, and directly affect
us now yet. .Chc question for. us is,
whether our State government and rep
rcsentation in Congress can be restored
TO .he intelligent, and homes, of our
citizens. Reconstruction is completed
and accomplished; negro suffrage is
fact Which we must accept and with
which We have to deal in the coming
contest, 7oi t AsH re .3r .a7
The great parties of the country arc
raiiying for smother encounter, and the
;i@sza,le hangs in the balance who shall eos
querj whether the great party that tri-
umphed so signally year ago, or the
great opposing faction. The Issues to be
settled. -are complex! There arc some
questions of vital moment to us at the
South, which do not affect tho Northern
people at all. There are others in which
they are interested which cannot affect
us at the South, until other matturs arc
decided so. stt ~ .z 2
In this very article which the N1ews
quotes from the New York Iforla occurs
the expression, "ncgro suffrage will pre-
vail at tho South, until after tho next
Presidential election And what then
Will il be abolished after that election
All! This is the recurrence of tho old
snare which ruined us before Let us
avoid it. The Northern Democracy can.
not do away with the fact of negro saf
frage; and it is question whether they
would abolish it ifthcy could. But
they hold out to the white people of the
South this delasire hope, 10 secure their
aid in settling questions of immediate iu-
terest TO themselves, and which, at pro.
sent do not affect US. And what is more
prerosterous they, with this platform, and
this vague promise Of abrogating negro
suffrage, ask the white men of the South
to induce "enough of the negro voters"
to vote with them. How preposterous
Induce them to vote with us, with par
ty that eontemplatos the abolition of
their right of voting 1t is to bc hoped
that We will escape this folly, this time.
The policy, aud the only one that has
any hope of success, for tho South, now,
is to avoid any such parties aud platforms,
and snarcs, but upon the basis OF fact, to
pursue such course Of conciliation and
recognition of their rights to the colored
voters, as 70 induce snfic;ea. :su,iaibbss :su,iaibbss
Of them, freed from the shacklcs of the
party that directs their power 30 It's, own
aoorand;vanant aud oso,rod .aJ