The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-04
Friday aornink !. Arrll 4.tlS75.
Ths Cant OF R,trihu,ion: (


the cultured society and stable institu-
tions which, have ,bsph .oveftntnsd; and
its successor /, In so7sspHeas and the
chaos which Il his bsopgshtabo This
correspondents gives , viswnof the ''as-
senbled ,.uisaomn az, q rths e. State.''' a. ii
emerged from the BtAts. .Honje on day
In February. under tho marble images of
George McDutReand RebeIEK. Hsyne,
soulptured in bss.reliei over the door OF
exit. Our asaassi Up SO aihs. with
that phenomenon that xe may omit the
writer's description Of the Somplexion.
varying from light oetoroon to deep
black, the rsphlsive rbyssognomies, the
party-colorear and fantastic garments.
and the peculiarly ,o,drs, manners oi the
members. The following passage will
be sufficient for pur purpose:
''Here, then, is tho outcome. the ripe,
perfected, fruit OF the boosted oiviliza:ion
Of the South, after 400 years Of expert
ence. A white community, that had
gradually risen from small beginnings,
till it grew into wealth, culture and re-
Hnement, and became accomplished in
all tho arts Of civilization; that suocess-
fully asserted its resistance to foreign
tyranny by deeds Of conspicuous valor;
which achieved liberty and independence
through the fire and tempest OF OWL
war. and illustrated itself in the coun-
sils OF the nation by orators and states
men worthy Of any age or nation; such
q community is then reduced to this.
It lies PROSTATE in the dust, ruled over
by this strange conglomerate, gathered
from the ranks OF ite own servile popu-
lation. It is the spectacle of q society
suddenly turned bottom side up. The
wealth, the intelligence, the culture. the
wisdom of the State, have broken
through the; 6rust OF that social volcano
on whioh they were oontentedly reposing,
and have sunk out Of sight, consumed
by thesnb blerfaneaiii fre1 they hnd with;
suoh tamefiey braved and de8ed,,44n
s'Iu the place OF this old aris tooFatio
society stands the rude form Of the most
ignorant democracy that IMAM kflm over
saw, invested aith hasfanntfonao of; 90
vernnentU ltis tho dssgs oss the e.popu-
lation habilitated in the robes of their
intelligent predecessors, and asserting
over them the rule Of ignorance and COR
ruption, through the inexorable mnohin-
cry of a majority Of npmbers,, It is bar;
barism'i oyer erwhelnipB citiisation BY;
phyaiOal force. It'll the slave riotins il il
the halls OF his master. and putting that
master under his feet"
The correspondent pEoceeds- to ssy,
that this whole 5ody Of men, with not
more than half y dozen exceptions, were
themselves slaves, and their ancestors
have been slaves for generations. He
adds, That it is not unlikely that some Of
shese representatives are the very men
brought ont in the "Wsnderef," twelve
or fifteen years ago. in ,ostentations de-.
aance of the laws against the slave
trade. II this be so, he adds, we will
not now quarrel over their presenos. It
would be one of those extraordinary co-
incidences that would Of itself seem to
justify the belief Of the direct interfer-
once OF the hand OF Providence In the
affairs of men. How much Of this, asks
the. Tribune. ia retribution, and how
much purely accidental? Who shall aay :?
Now, it is not altogether pleasant to
us, nor is it in the spirit either of high
philosophy or Christian charity, to have
a special Providence invoked to account
for state Of things whose cause is not
far to seek. Where the disposition
exists, it is vastly comfortable to aot the
Phsrisee, and to bs thankful that we are
not as other men. It is easy to charge
faults upon others, and pleasant to over
look onr own. The wonderful trans.
formation, with it's sad results. which
has been wrought upon society a1d go.
vernment in the South. are due rather
to the ignorance and tyranny Of men.
than to the penal Judgments OF God.
They are ohargeable to tho fell spirit OF
fanaticism, joined to political intole.
rance, and to the decay of virtue and
patriotism on the part OF large portion
of the American people. These corrupt
influences, these unholy passions, this
self-satisfed Phariseeism, which have
long gloated over the ruin they have pro.
duced here, are now foremost amongst