The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-02
Summers Letter ga Forgery"

A well-known Charleston Radical gave
colored audience, yesterday, characteristic
explanation OF the Sumner letter 10 tne
freedmen. he found that the ,e-ter ' wa -
much talked ehn:.:e., ana, as he coulu not
gainsay the lifelong loyalty OF Mr.. Sumner
to the interests of the negroes, he took the
bull by the horns, and assured his gaping
hearers that the letter was "a Democratic
.forgery," and would be formally declared
so by Senator Sumner himself. This salts
fed the dusky doubters, who stand flrm 10
their belief that President Grant is supported
by the whole Republican party, instead OF
by its ag.rag and bob-tail alone.
We do not believe that the bulk OF the
freedmen have spark OF intelligent politi.
cal gratitude. They know that the men
who first claimed their suffrages, and who
still consort with them, call themselves Re-
publicans. They know that Mr. Lincoln was
q Republican, and that Mr.. Grant Is Presi.
dent. Any man who is hail.fellow -well-met
with them, who calls himself Radical and
swears by the name Of Grant, can do what
he likes with the average colored voter. The
very negroes who trust Conservative i'm
plicitly in domestic and business affairs, and
never forget to call on him when they are in
trouble, scorn his advice at election times,
and follow blindly the dictation OF hulk
ing scoundrel who wauts snug berth In
Washington or Columbia Trey do not
know, nor, do they care, that Greeley and
Sumner were toiling for their emancipation
when Grant was Democrat, and the Conk-
.lings and Mortons lay in obscu"it-, Very
few of them had heard the name Oh Horace
Greeley before the Cincinnati Convention,
and they regard him now as modified Ku-
Klux. OF Mr.. Sumner, they know, literally
nothing. A "Jem" Island or Edlsto negro,
at the bidding of his party CHIEF, would pelt
and silence the mellihuous Charles as cheer
fully as he would one Of his own odorous
chums. The low-country negroes feel no
gratitude towards Mr.. Greeley aud MIR. Sum-
ner, for the simple reason that they are not
aware that they owe them anything. And
where is the use OF appealing to the intelli-
gence and patriotism of voters who know
nothing OF, the history OF the country, who
would as soon be ruled by Caesar as by
Horace, and have no higher wants, at pres
ent, than warm sun and plenty OF pro-
visions?
We do not say these things as a reproach
to the negroes. On the contrary, we make
every imaginable allowance for the pecuari-
ties of their position. What we desire is, to
prevent the Liberal Republicans from being
disappointed when their appeals fall coldly
upon the ear OF the Southern negro. Out
side OF the Cities the colored voters, in any
considerable number, can only be won
through their leaders, at whose bidding they
would just as soon vote for Greeley as for
Grant. And even in this way the game
would not always be sure. Ex-Congress-
man Bowen, for example, can beat his oppo-
nent, Mr.. Mackey, in Charleston County, b3
laudlng Grant and abusing Scott; but, II he
were to declare himself for Greeley, as well
as against Scott, bis antagonist would raise
the cry OF treachery, and get everything his
own way. This, at least, seems to be
Bowen's opinion.