The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-03-01
Has Suffrage FaiIeds

about the confusion and disorder that
obtain in that State, the prostration OF
industry, the antag6nism of classes. the
actual property of the State has shrunk
from $500, 900, 900 before the war to lese
than 5000, ,000,0 900. according to present
valuation. The State has been saddled
with debt of over Sl0,O00.000, with
nothing to show for the money, while
her taxation has increased from Less
than $500, 900 TO over So. 500. 600. There
ore plenty OF plantations in the State
which can be had for paying the taxes
on~them. Land.holders- are discou
ragged. Planters dare not put III crops
Trade is at y stand-stll. Tho school,
are worthless. Society is chaotic. One
OF the oldest and foremost States in the
republic is ut tho mercy of parce! Of
ignorapt aud thoroughly unprinci?!ad
politicians, black aud white, and there
seems to be &C hope of her Immediate
deliverancc.
The same thing is substantially true
of several other States. Alabama aud
Mississippi nre only little better of
| than South Carolina. The factions that
are contcnding for the control Of AR.
kansas depend for support upon vasl
body Of ignorant voters. The condition
OF things in Louisiana is familiar 10 all
| our readers, and too disgraceful to he
| described. 1t may be attributed to va
| rious causes. But back Of all other rea.
sons IS the fact that tho enfranch;se.
ment OF the negroes put the State prac.
| tically into the hands Of body of pco.
Pile whose pr.iudicos were easily excited,
and whose passions were eklll.ul,y
played upon by political udventurers,
who used their votes for tho ruin of this
once rich and prosperous State. Nor is
| this difficulty conEued to States IN which
there is large color.d population.
| Neither Kentucky nor Kansas is an en-.
viable State to 1.-Two in just at present,
aud more people have migrated from
North Carolina within two years th.u
have removed there for settlement Iu.
deed, tho condition Of many of onl
great Northern cities, financially and
morally, is qate enough to make on,
question the ability of our people 70,
self government, if not to bring the
blush 10 patriotic cheeks. When W,
read Of Tho crimes tbst are of daily
occurrence, the pccnlntions and corrup
tions among officials, tho rings tha'
control our municipal governments and
rob tho people for the enrichment o
plnnd"rcrs, the neglect of great public
interests aud the mismanagemcnt Of ilr
portant institutions, it becomes q seri
GUS question whether the experiment o
universal suffrage has not failed Ii
certainly seems to have failed every
where except in the smaller cities unG
among the Intelligent aud public-sinrit
cd people Of the rural districts. Ou
Northern towns still serve TO keep alive
tho public faith in democratic iustitu
tions.
These facts tell their own story
They point in ono direction. 1t il
obvious that good government cauno
come from merely counting uoses
There is no magic in the ballot-bo x
particularly where one.sixth of til,
voters cannot write or read; much les
where tho election is decided by count
ing after tho voting is done. Mathc
mat!cs do not carry the morn!i,ies ii
their train. 1t is not enough to have 1
SHOW ol nan,.a, uu.oss .uo n.,nlo Az,
clean and have brains behind them
Exactly the remedy for the evils Incl
dent to universal suffrage has yet to be
devised. France is trying to abat,
them by reducing the number of voters
But this plan would not work in th:i
country. 1t is contrary to tho genius O
our people and the drift of public OPT
Mon. The proposal would be met with
Il storm of opposition. The tcndcnc,
of the age is against it. F7cn in Eng
land the tide IL setting towards an in
crease Of suffrage privileges. We shal
give the ballot to women before takin,
it from n single man who holds it to
day. Bat how to modify tho working
OF universal suffrage. what new clemen
to intcrpDsc 10 make its election wise
aud its action moro advantageous. whn
brake to apply to the wheels when the,
are manifestly whirling towards ncstruc
ton, are topics deserving moro serious
attention than they have yet received
1t would bo an immense gain if sulfrag.
could be made intelligent. 1t is
shame that the control OF n half dozol
great States is practically in the hnnd
Of an ignorant population, and tha
that there are ignorant people enough
in all our large cities to turn the scale
of IN election. Compulsory education
would do much for tho country in timo
1t is undoubtedly one hopc of nationn
safoty. But there needs something NOR
than the spelling book to mako poo
pie prosperous and q nation great. Il
fnnk Il -. Il