The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-17
Yes and No.

Strong takes the iron-clad oath. What
does the United States Congress mean by
this nonsense? The Southern STATES sece-
ded The best and noblest of their people
all who could be called their people-wcnt
into the measure. Outside were few prag,
matical fossils and few designing knaves.
Some were Clay -worshippers and others were
clay-eaters. But as they were not the peo-
pie and are not, so they were not and are
not the representatives of the States.
The practical conditions of reconstruction
are so plain that any schoolboy can read the
palimpsest that mystities Congress. The
States are not lands, but people If the lat
ter are aliens, the former are out OF the Union.
If the former are in the Union, the latter are
entitled to all the privileges of citizens. In
Hamlets time, ''to be or not to be" was a
grave moral question. In our day it has
become political, and Congress has resolved
it by affirming that being and not being are
synonymous terms!
Let US guard against this error, in our
efforts to overthrow Radicalism by the aid
of the colored vote. 1t is perfectly clear that
this vote can be secured only on one condi-
ton. The negro will not vote for any party,
however pure, however demanded by the
vital necessities OF the State, so long as the
prerogatives OF office are denied to his race
by that party. He himself pass no taxes
worth speaking OF. Lightly presses upon
him thai burden OF carpet-bags which is
crushing out the life OF every proprietor
And the positions, for the mosfapart servle,
accorded to him by Radicals, have sufficed
heretofore to concliate his sufrrages. Thus
they have secured that power which they
have been using for their private advantage,
and to the detriment of the commonwealth.
1t is the manifest policy OF tie Citizens Party
to use this same weapon to redeem The State
from bondage
The colored people of Texas who have
many of them, broken with the Radicals,
have recently proclaimed with q good deal
Of shrewdness what are the demands OF their
race. They urge two claims. The first is,
that the proportion OF offices shall correspond
with their proportional weight in the scale
OF population. The second is, that the wor-
thiest among the race shall not be ignored
to provide for those ''who can be used by
'swhite politicians, however unscrupulous or
"degraded they may be-" The first of these
demands ought to be modified, and pract-
cally will be, by circumstances of training
and qualification. The second ought to be
freely and fully granted. Every facility
should be afforded to the better class OF the
colored people to enter into political alliance
with the Citizens Party, and to exercise
their just influence over the policy and for
tunes of the State.
The time for 4 pronounced policy has come
Every one can see that the contest between
the white and colored citizens OF the State
must terminate The situation can be easily
comprehended and easily mastered. 1t were
better for US all, this day, were respectable
colored man in every seat now disgraced by
q renegade or an adyenturer. To the body
polite, now treated well-nigh to death, u
harmless poultice would be q grateful change,
after the lancet of the Ohio doctor arl the
cataplasm of the Sing Sing quack.