The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-09-30
"Partles and Thieves"-well SAID.

HF0rtlee anu Th1oveS"-"olIS Sands
From that excellent ionrnal-the New.
York Journal Of Commerce copy the
articlel here appended. It will repay
perusaE It's calm, Just. fair spirit will
oemmends its pertinent reflections to
every honest and unpreindioed mind.
Here is the article. Above all needs in
this country rises the need OF honest
men in Office. Plundering rings and
thieving officials are the order Of the
day. and right and loft the apat!etio
people are feeccd. How long will they
stand it?
No radical or lasting reform can he
achieved in the financial branch of pub
lie affairs till the words 'Den,ooratic'
and Republican" cease to bn coupled
with The other word frauds Frauds
in the General Government, in the
States and in cities are not "Republi-
eau" and are not ''Domocratic" They
are the work Of swindlers and thieves
who would cheat and rob under one
party name as freely as under another.
Both parties in this country have their
large proportion Of men who take Office
when they can get it only for the per-
quisites the division Of contracts, the
jobs and the stealings. Both PARTIES,
too, have their immensely greater pro-
portion of upright, honest men, who
would no more think of conniving at
frauds on the treasury or on the people,
than they would of robbing till or
breaking into house. Between the
average honesty of one party and that
of the other, under temptations, there
is little room for choice. The revela-
tions of every day and hour should con-
vince the most prejudiced man that for
either party to accuse the other Of all
the frauds, and to uphold its own snowy
purity. is as absurd as the pot twitting
tho kettle upon being black. In the
Federal Government it is men labelling
themselves Republicans who are robbing
md defaulting right and left. Every
day is developing some new swindle
among paymasters. post Office men and
other officials. All through the South,
carpet-baggers who call themselves ere
publicans" are expressing and stealing
from the people. Not Southern State
is free from their blighting presence.
Much Of their misdeeds is already
known, but more will come out, and the
ultimate uncloaking of frauds in that
section may yet startle the country like
the thunder-clnp Of the astounding dis
closures in New York. In Georgia, the
alleged detected railroad frauds already
foot up over $500. .O00-nnd it is sus-
pected that some high officials in the
State (all Republicans) are concerned in
them. Whom the veil is torn of from
other so-called Republican State Govern
ments in the South, equally. perhaps
moro. amazing discoveries may be made.
For these wropgs-the work of totally
anscrupnlous demngognes, to whom
party titles are but clonk and sham
it would be manifestly unjust to hold the
Republican party of the whole country
responsible. They, us n mass, are no
more to be charged with such mafea-
sances than the Dem ocratic party Of this
State, as IN organization, is to be no
cused of completely in the New York
city and County swindles Those out
RACES are in no sense whatever party opc-
rations. Republicans and Democrats hnve
all along been in the ring together and
enjoyed the fruits Of the common iniqui-
ty. The names of those most blnckcned
now in connection with the frauds of the
ring represent no higher infamy in these
very swindles than two or three well
known Republicans for many years in
the same ring. The plain people, the
voters. of both parties, have been fooled
by their crafty managers. It was the
duty of the voters to have prevented
such men from riding into Office on their
shoulders, and in the consequences of
the elections the voters are not quit of
all responsibility; but we say that neither
party in this oity is fairly ohargeable
with the local misgovern ment. That is
the work Of knavish or reckless indiyi-
dunls, who care nothing for Democratic
or Republican principles, aud only affect
q liking for either in order That they may
fill their pockets. They are the enemies
of one party as much as Of another. but
deserve tho intenser hatred nnd punish
ment from the party whose confidence
they have SO infamous,y abused. We
have no hope that reform can be moro
than transient inSFederal, State or mn-
nicipal administration till men abandon
the practice Of 6rrogatipg the possession
of MI tue virtues of nll the. human an
gels for their party, aud accusing the
rival, organizations Of having all tho
vices and harboring all the thieves. Be-
fore any great improvement can be ef-