The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-08-25
s. G.
Tuesday Morning. August 25, 1874.
Troat Them Gently.


cal character to make mountains out
OF the mole-hills Of occasional local
excitement in the South. They dis.
1eru the epurpose to be political advan-
tage, the temper to be the old malignant
one, which would renew strife and re-
vive issues which have happily passed
away. 1t is noticed by some OF them
as remarkable, that the Southern white
people are conceded to be amiable and
quiet for the greater part of the year.
Just when violence on their part will
be of assistance to Republican politi.
CLANS, they are charged by the Radicals
with the disposition to break out, and
shoot negroes and Republicans. The
outrage mill is set agoing every sum-
'mer. about August, and Immediately
preceding the elections in the Northern
States. ga street fight" the New
York Tribune says, "which, if it oc-
cured in the North, would be summa.
rlly Gnieted by the police and dis
missed ia a paragraph in the local
paper, becomes in the South an affair
tof national Importance, because it can
DE made to serve party purposes. -
But the supply of this sort of stuff has
been SO ample heretofore, the stock on
hand 30 large, that the market is far
from being active. The public taste
has become palled, and the stomach
for such blood and thunder clap trap
inauseated. One great source hitherto
existing. upon which the wicked SEN
'satlonists could draw at pleasure, pro-
mises soon to be dried up. Then will
the occupation be gone Of men who,
TOR their own petty and malignant pur-
poses. delight like madnen in scatter.
ing abroad fre-brands, arrows and
death.
We have been pleased to recognize
this unwillingness, in the more reputa-
seae quarters. to accept the political
campaign yarns, about violence to CO.
1ored people, spun in the South, an d
sent on North to be woven into the
texture of their elections. The old
hacks, North and South, crave exciting
stimulus of this sort, and would pay
well tout OF the public moneys. OF
course,) for some first.class IN Klux
horrors. But, with all their wicked
ingenuity, they can get up nothing
particularly startling, and their recent
attempts have generally been set down
as failures. It will be well. however,
In view OF the existence of this pro-
clivity to seize upon incidents and to
magnify them. for purposes of injury
to ns and of aggrandizsment to them
aelves, on the part OF desperate politi-
clans, for the people of the South to
be strictly on their guard. The situa-
tion in which we in this State are in,
especially requires that We shall not
arouse prejudioes which slumber, or
provoke any fresh opposition by cause
less or untimely violence. We have
always thought and always main
tained that the colored people were
not fully responsible for their follies
and their enmities. The constitutional
Peculiarities, the Inherent weakness,
which incline them to superstitious
observances rather than to an intelli-
gent and rational piety also warp them
in their political relations. Wicked
men, having the political power of the
country in their hands, have led them
fearfully astray. They are but their
tools, and are entitled to certain
amount Of consideration aud forbear-
ance on that account. They should be
treated kindly. They can be led out
of this political bondage. They ure
already inquiripg what they shall do
to extricate themselves from tho tolls
OF the scalawag and the carpet-bagger.
We should receive their ovcrtures in O
friendly spirit. They are people who
see only facts. They have no proper
discernment Of principles and motives.
The fact which they saw and acted
upon, upon receiving the ballot, was
that they and their foreign leaders
could WELD tho power of the State,