The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-12-22

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= nhs tyory and practice OF universal
at Washington has been pro.
Q total failure. The plan of a
1government Tor the District OF
6nbia meets the commendation OF
70 President, and its distinguishing
feature is Che exclusion of both blacks
and. whites from the ballot.box and
from any share in the government at
all. The colored people in the South
think they are strong In the inviola.
biiity of their new privileges. chief
among, which they reeken the ballot.
But they are counting without their
host; Wien UNIVERSAL suffrage shall
eease to. be the mere tool OF the party
in'powef. they, will not regard it with
snoh favor as, they have pretended to
feel for It. While it aids them in SO.
curing absolute control. it Is a very
good thing. When it fails them in
this. they will not heeitate to abridge
shia or any other right of the colored
people. In this State, party necessity
has induced opposition to the most
obvious and necessary reforms. It is
sn uphill business to get even n fair
consideration OF the right OF the peo.
pls to elect Justices OF the Peace, aud
Ogasfehiss, and Auditorr. spd Trsa.
snseS& The only possible ground upop
@hfoh fhe refusal of this con Institutional
hight 10 the people can bs based, 10 the
Uigsncy Of party. These officials must
nust be placed under obligation to the
party leaders, so as to secure their
fealty and imbue them with a spirit
wnicn viii induce them to work always
an accord with party objects. For simi-
LAP and, it possible, baser reasons, sire
Aaous objections are made to the
passage Of registration law. A re-
,gistrasion law will aid in purifying the
ballot. But that's the last thing
vAnsad. The ballot must, in tho
Judgment Of some persons, be kept
veil in hand to serve corrupt purposes.
The oolored people ought to be able to
see III these tendencies and facts that
the party which rules them really keeps
them down to corrupt work. Uni
versal suffrage aud the arrangements
which permit of repeating. stuffiug
and the like. are now popular, because
they can be made to subserve the de-
nands OF party oorruptionists. but
there is no telling when the wind will
change. The New York Sun bas some
words which the eolored voters will do
we'll to ponder on:
uThis open condemnation of the
basfs on which all the old slave holding
States have had their citizenship re-.
constructed is. in every sense, moet
astonishing. Is the conclusion to be
logically carried ont in all ita cnnse-
quencee2 II universal suffrage is a
dead failure right under the nose OF
the Federal Government, in the living
presence OF the national representa-
hves, with ell the restraining and con-
servative Influences of the entire Ma
tionai Administration. what is to be
said of it in South Carolina and in
Louisiana, and in every Southern
State where it exists in crude, raw,
nndisciplined and wholly unbalanced
nondition. without one single modify
iDg or redeeming oircumstancs?"
CHARLIE Ross.-Poor little Charlie
Ross is not yet found. There can be
hardly doubt, from the story of the
dying burglar Douglass, and the let
sefs and statements of Tnsnentor Wall