New-York tribune., 1873-04-08
SOUTH CAROLINA PHOSPHATE
THE NEGRO AS A LEGISLATOR.

COLUMgIA. s. C., Feb. 25.-One Of the thino,
that first strike casual In tins assembly
Is the uency OF debate II the endless chatter that eoes
on there can DO digDBcd with tbis term. Tho sadibs
topics OF discussion all well understood by the mem
bers "a they Of practical character. and appeal
directly 10 the personal interests % every legislator A.
well rs 70 those Of constituents. Whom spprODri
alton bill Ia up raise money % catch and punish TIE
Ku-Klux they know ex acty what 10 meaDs They feel
IL In their bones So too, with educational measures
The free school comes right home 70 them; then the
business arraing and drilling the black militia They
are eager this point 5ambO can talk on these topic.
and those OF Kindred character, and their endless rami
ncatOns. day In and day out There B no end 10 hi,
gush and babbe. The intellectual level IA that Of beyy
OF fresh converts at negro camp meeting OF cour.s
this kind Of talk be extended Indefinitely Ib ths
doggcre Of debate and not beyond the reach Of the ov
est parts. Then the negro Ia initiative 70
the extreme He can COPY like parroa
or a monkey, and he Ia always ready for trial o. HI.
skill lie believes he do anything, and never iOse.a
chance 10 try and just ready to be laughed FOR
bs failure as applauded for his success lie nor,
vyacious than the white, and being more volatile
good -natured he IL cOrrespOndDgy more irrepreSba
HIS misuse Of language In his limitations Ia ~ times
ludicrous beyond He notoriousy loves oxs
and an anecdote, and Will burst into broad glniv 90
the smallest proyocation He Drea axis out into ine
berent harangue on the floor Just easily, aud being
without practice discipline or experience, and wholly
obIyious OF Llndey Murray or any other restrantOn
composition he will go on repeating himself danengs
IL were to the music Of his own voice, forever He via
speak half dozen times question: and every ums
say the same tnIngs without knowing IT, He snsseu
completely TO the description Of stupid speaker in Par
lament given by Lord Derby on one occasion. It ".
said OF him that he did not know what be WAS gongh
say when no got up; he did not know what hs ss
saving while no was speaking, and he did not know vhai
ne had said when he sat down.
HIS ArTSEss IN LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS.
But the old stagers admit that the coored brethes
have a wonderful aptness at legislative proceeding.
They arc quick as lightning" at detecting point, %
order and they certainly make incessant and e1tsor
binary use OF their knowledge No one IL allowed 70
talk fl We minutes without interruption, and one inter
rupton IA the signal for another and another until tbs
original speaker Is snothered under avalanche Of
them. Forty questions Of privilege Will be ralaed ins
day At times, nothing goes on but alternating ggo~
tions OF order and Of privilege The inefficient cOOFsd
friend who sits Speakers chair cannot suppos.
this extraordinary element OF the debate Some of TIE
members Of the deepest dye exhibit pertinacy Of IN
trusOn raising these points OF order and q1esto
privilege that few white men can equal Their strue
giles to get the Goor, their bellowngs and phys-
cal contortions bafle description. The Speakers
hammer plays a perpetual tattoo all 10 no purpose
The talking the Interruptions from all quarters
90 on with the utmost license. Every darky esteets
himself as good his neghbor and puts In bis oar ap
parenty often for love OF riot and confusion as any
thing It is easy to imagine what his ideas Of pro
priety and dignity among crowd OF his own Color ana
these are Illustrated without reserve The Speaker or
ders member whom he has discovered TO be- partleu.
larly unruly take his seat The member obeys and.
with the same motion that he sits down, throws bis
feet on to desk hiding himself from the Speaker By
the soes of his In instant he appears agan
on the floor After few experiences Of this sori The
Speaker threatens. in a laugh, to call "the gemmsn" TO
ia pop aiderp1 n canit4l Joke and "A EIf4g
follows The laugh round and then the peanuts are
cracked and munched faster than ever one hand beng
employed in fortifying the innermau with this nu'n
ment OF universal use, while the other enforces TIA
views speaker 1t is this laughing propensity OF
the sable crowd that great Of disorder TaaY
laugh as hens cackle-One begins and all follow
AN INSTRUCTIVE BURLEsQCE.
But underneath all this shocking buresque upon leg
Isative proceedings, we must not forget that there
something very real this uncouth and untuored mu
ttude 1t il not all sham, nor all burlesque' They
have genuine interest and genuine earnestness In the
real business OF body which arc bound 70 ieooG
nize and respect, unless We would be accounted
shallow critics They have earnest purpose, born1
con cton that their position and condition are lo'
fully assured which lends sort OF dignity to their pro
ceedings. The barbarOus, animated jargon IN Whieh
they so often indulge occasion seen 70 De so s
parently sincere and weghty IN their own minus tLas
sympathy suppants disgust. The whole thing is Won
derul novelty them, well TO observers. seven
years ago raising corn and cotton under
the whip OF the To-day they raising points
OF order and questions Of privilege. They fnd they can
raise one as well as the other They prefer the atiE
1t Is easier and better paid. Then is the evidenced
an accomplished result. 1t escape and defense
from old oppressOrs. IL means liberty II means the
destruction OF prisonwas only too real To them II
the sunshine OF their lives II is their day OF jubilee
IL is their longpromised vision Of the Lord God Al
mighty.
Shall we then, be too critical over the spectace Per
haps we might peter wonder they can 90 30 wel r y -
short time. The barbarians Oyerran Rome. Tue dark
ages followed. But then the day finally broke, ald
civilization followed. Tho days long and weary
but they came TO an END at last. Now We nave tAe
printing press the railroad. the telegraph; and tue
denote an revolution in the afiirs Of manknd
Years may accomplish what 1t formerly TOOK Sges
not the black man speedily emergef Who knowsi Nc
may fear, but We may hope Nothing ~ our day i la,
Carolina is 20 be Aircanized. We have Federal Unoa
or great and growing States II Is nconteStaby Sls
at the center We know It TO possess vital powers
is well abreast or all modern progress ~ ideas ana I'M
provements It's influence Is aperyadi1s, How oss Saa
II left to herself might fall into midnight dafAs1ss
Can she do ii while she remains an integral part OF Tao
nations
THE DURATION OF NEGRO SUPREMACY.
But will South Carolina be Africanizedi That de
peuds. Let hear the Judgment OF au enterpFlsihs
foreigner who has long lived in the South and who was
here when the began. He does not believe u.
White people from abroad drifting in BAD as things
were Under freedom the blacks do not multiply as IN
slavery. The pickannies die of from want OF taIs;
Some blacks were coming in from North Carona s1s %
Virginia but others were going OF further south ~.
white young men who were growing into manbooa ue
not seem inclined TO leave their homes and migrSt, 70
foreign parts There WAS an exodus after the MsI vi
| t has stopped aud many have come back Inc ~
Shareholders still held their lands. The negocs Neg
poor and unable to buy, even II the lando N'1'
| sell. This was powerful impedimcnt - to 'el''T
ment OF the negro into "A controhug tOrca IN the So
| His whole power was in his nuAOrrs lnc rtt'e"
proportion of four blacks 60 three Whites DO tic -
he believed already utcrctsra. IAe hes s,e"ss
likely To than hold their own While the uIA,
would fall OF. Cumulative yOtias would SntOdtdSo
growth and add 40 the political power ot the
| the Legislature, whoto 'hcS were AZ PreSoh' W.
| slaughed. .. An