The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-06-08
S. G.
Sunday Morning, June 8. 1873.
A New state DIachine.

In commenting upon the reply of
Morton, Bliss & Co., a few days ago, to
the return Of Comptroller Hoge, we
pointed cat the implied and almost e1-
press denial in it of the sovereign rights
OF the State. We showed the next To-
'glcaa step to be to throw the State into
bankruptcy. to divide out its assets, and
the future to have ta5ula rosa for the
sk'litul operators, speoulators and de-
velopers generally. This would be prao-
tIcally reducing it to tho condition which
Wendell Phillips 90 complained South Ca
<olina was so averse to. viz: that OF Civ
ing up its old ideas aud civilization,
which were stubborniy antagonistic to
those OF Massachusetts. and allowi
that humanitarian commonwealth to en-
grave its own policy upon tbs virgin sar.
face TINS prepared and nleansed to re-
'ceive it. What q glorions record would
Phillips, the agitator, Ban Butler and
Cakes Ames, and others of that ilk, of
the Credit Mobilier and salary steal or
der, not to mention so small matter as
silver spoons. make upon the new untar-
nished tablets Of the State bearing the
name, but being no longer the same
South Carolina! There are still creep
ing about, here and there, some fossils
who may be ready to say that our 6nan-
ciers' skill Was not shown in their mani
pulation and management of the Blue
Ridge and some other railroads. while in
their clutches. and that the troubles and
of these roads date from the
time that they "went il" and 'Ior" them.
- But there are two sides to every aues-
y Zion, and We should hear before We
strike.
The operators in our stocks, the fasci-
mating speoulators in school certificates
and bills Of the Bank Of the State, the
Land Commission managers, the FL
nancial Board OF blessed memory, the
rapid developers of our resources
through speculation. and our preci GUS
railroad and other rings, may maintain
that they have bean more sinne1 against
ashan SHINING. They may say, that they
.thave wasted their time and talents in q
fruitless effort to establish both general
aud special financial prosperity. That
the conditions were not favorable to
their operations; that just as they had
demonstrated that the horse could live
nicely without food, he foolishly went
and died. They may charge that they
have been annoyed and perploxed. and
sometimes seriously embarrassed, by the
senseless clamor OF the demented citi-
zens and property holders OF the State,
Rho. for the silly reason that they were
;borR ia it, own the most of the property
and pay nearly all the taxes. preposte-
'sously Claim that they have an interest
in it's management. This embarras sment
might be got rid OF, by putting the State
through the bankruptcy court. as these
relators. if logical, would hold that they
have right to do. Only thus could
they dispose OF the unsettled. 80 called, +,
equitable claim OF property holders and
taxpayers. and which otherwise might
return to vex them. Should the old fos-
silized ideas Of right and justice once
again prevail over the progress OF the
age aud the new way to run State ma
chine. the philanthropists may be even
more hampered in their operations, and
seriously diverted from the most ap-
proved methods OF management.
They must not, then, mince matters,
but must cut the Gordiau knot Of their
difficulties. AS things stand, not havin g
clear and satisfactory title in Joe SIM
pie, but only the usuiruct for an indef.
mite time, liable to be suddenly deter
mined at any moment that the capricious
will Of the colored voters and brothers
might SO decide, it looks as if their ma
,nifest interest has been to make hay
while the sun shone, to put the machine
through its best and most Immediately
profitable work, without regard to its
wear and tear, or. the jncumbrances
which might thus be heapod upon it, to
be settled when the real owners came
into possession. This was plain, prac.