The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-03-16
s. G.
Saturday Morning. March IS, 1879.
Tho oisizens' Movement.

Thursday evening. short account OF
which we gave yesterday. the first step
was taken in the movement on the part
Of the citizens to place in our City
Council good, reliable and acceptable
men. without regard to race or party
politics The object of the movement is
to obtain an honest and efficient city
government, at the smallest possible cost
to the people-a government in which
all the interests of the community will
be represented, or as nearly 80 as is
practicable-a government that will
command the confidence OF all classes of
the community. How will this be effect
ed2 Not by having all the members of
the Council white men, nor By having
them all colored mon. That is too plain
10 need denomination. Neither will
the. best and most satisfactory govern
ment be secured by confining the rep
resentatives solely to one political party
or the other. Politics are in no way
concerned. nor do they affect the ques-
tion. But diversity of interests do.
We're our citizens all Of one race, the
grand dividing line on question of this
nature would be capital and labor.
Other minor differences would. of
course, OCCUR, but this would be the
chief. In Columbia, though, as now
constituted. we have this further phe-
nomenon-capital and labor, as q rule.
stand, respectively, for white men and
black men; and, more unfortunate still,
are almost synonymous with Democracy
md Republicsnism. We prefer to use
the terms white men and black, or
colored men. as the most simple and in
telligible. In our mind, that govern
ment would command the confidence Of
the whole community best, which is
composed, then. OF white and colored,
balanced as nearly as may be. But the
white men should be ,ohite men; not in
color simply, but representative white
men-men OF character and integrity;
furthermore, whom their race know and
believe to be reliable men, and in whom,
consequently, they can Justly and rea-
sonably feel the highest confidence. The
same considerations will apply with
equal force to the colored representa-
tives. Let them, too, be the representa-
tives of their race. Such combination
would give us the best and most salts
factory city government We have ever
had. Our objections to the white nomi.
nees Of the Republican clabs are based
upon these considerations. They are
not representative white men; they do
not represent the white element in the
community; they have not the conf
dence Of their race, and the colored peo-
pie have no right, in the eyes of enlight-
ened humanity, to saddle them upon US.
We do not desire to be personal. We
would that it did not come within the
line of our duty to discuss these men.
But persons Offering for official position,
in which they must be regarded as SER
wants of the people, are open to public
criticism. If they are worthy, the press
may say so; if unworthy, it should say
so. If journalist speaks his honest
convictions, he does his duty. That is
what we propose to do; and we say it is
a mockery for the colored people, by
whom they were nominated, to call L.
C. Carpenter, s. L. Hoge. w. A. Carr
and B. F. Griffin white men in repre-
sentative sense. If the question were
put to vote, not one of them would
receive tenth of the white vote of the
oity. They represent nobody but them
selves, and they are not entitled to such
special privileges. We fear such men
in the Council. It was that element
that brought about the City Hall con-
tract, and concocted and carried through
The city bond swindle, in tho present
Council. It is that element which rep
reseuts high taxation and public debt
for private gain. We want no moro of
such mon, for they can, we fear, bring
nothing but ruin and bankruptcy upon
the city.
frbo Nou O.loono Y,,,oc -,