The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-05-31
The Pho nix on the Convention.

1
The Phon nix on the Convention.
Ia the following parasrap b the Columbia
Paenis sums up its reasons for opposing
the sending OF delegates from South Caro-
lima to the National Democratic ConVen-
ton
To sum up, we maintain that for South Car,
oxla to send delegates 10 Baltimore WouIo h.. n
| Improper unwise and useless. ImpropS,a ia Jo
cause we have no Democratic party, anu w
! nnt nrnnose TO have one; unWlse pecaueo ~
Nil, nprsi,dos tue cause OF Greeley and Brown
with tis colored people, and, what is Wolse,
impalr our influence Tor reform IN the State
Government; and useless because Greeley ana
Brown will, in all probability. oe endorsed
any way, and because South Carolina Woua
exert equal If not greater Influence IN tnaC dl-
rectlon by remaining away than by castlng
the few votes to which she Is entitled
There is not single proposition in this
statement of reasons which will bear sctu-
tiny; it is o bold begging OF The question
from beginning to end. The Phen'r says
that we have no Democratic party In this
State, and "do not propose to have one"
What authority has our contemporary Tor
making this assertion There are fifty or
6fty-fiye thousand white voters In South
Carolina who have always acted and voted
with the Democratic party. At the State
elections, two years ago, no Democratic or
sanization was had, because 1t was held that
the contest was not one in which party
issues were involved. An attempt was
made to unite the good men OF both political
parties for the purpose OF reforming the
State government. That attempt was q
failure, and the Reform party was, very un-
wisely, disbanded. But there was nothing
in the movement to show that the Demo-
Gratis OF the State had abandoned their party
name and party associates, so as to exclude
themselves from any further participation in
the councils OF the Democracy of the coun-'
try. We do not suppose that the Phoenic
will venture to declare that the white cltl-
zens whom it processes to represent are Re
publicans. 1t says they are no. Democrats;
it knows they are not Republicans. What
are theys Surely it Is not seriously suggest
ed that the nine-tenths of the white
population of South Carolina who stead
lastly oppose Radical misrule, ore miserable
nondescripts, afraid to join the one party and
ashamed to cling to the other. The Pentr
knows perfectly well that these white citizens
| OF South Carolina are called Democrats by
their opponents. and that, amongst Them
s,lves, they go by no other name. They are
that nothing! But tho Pasnir will
doubtless say that there is as much assump-
ton in declaring that the whites are Demo-
Gratis, as in declaring that we have no DEM
ocratic party. This may be. The people,
not the press, must decide this point. There
is before the people call for State Demo-
cratic Convention. That Convention is in
itself The best possible reply to the state
| ment which the RhenIr makes. II the
people OF any county refuse to send delegates
to that Convention, we shall oil be justified
in assuming that there are no Democrats In
that county; unless, indeed, the people give
some other. reason for their inaction. But
until the people, upon the call OF the regu-
\ larly constituted Democratic Committee, re-
fuse to assemble in Convention, upon the
ground that there is no Democratic party to
hold meetings and elect delegates, the
| Ptanir takes too much upon itself in an
nouncing that we have 'no Democratic
sparty" in this State, and ''do not propose
to have one." The Phenir proposes, but
the people dispose!
The second point made by the Picnic
has already been answered. 1t is not adj
vised, in any quarter, that Democratic can
didates for State or county offices be nomi-
mated Id this canvass; and the State Demo-
cratic Convention can so declare. We be-
'ieve that nearly every white man in the
State, not an office-holder, will vote for
Greeley and Brown il they be endorsed or
nominated at Baltimore. One great object
| in sending delegates 10 Baltimore is to cast
the vote of South Carolina in favor OF the
Liberal Republican candidates, and against
Democratic nomination. This action,
coupled with the knowledge that no Demo-
cratic nominations for the State will be
made, can neither prejudice our cause with
the colored people, nor impair our influence
for reform in the State government. 1t is
painfully illogical to say that the determine
ton OF the wi to citizens to support Gree
| ley and Brown will turn the colored people
against those candidates. And il that were
so, what would become OF the mass ratit-
cation meetings which the Pon'r proposed
to hold? To have any value those meetings
must represent the mass OF the voters, aud
at every meeting most of the persons present
would be whites. Would not this prejudice
the cause OF Greeley and Brown? The
PAsnir may say that these meetings would
do no harm, because not Democratic. 1t is