The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-02-15
Coop ADVICE FROM BLACK MAN TO

| 0ooD AOfICk FlsOM OLACA ALAN 10
TIE BLACKS OF THE STATE. E.-The follow.
ing letter from Major M. r. Dslany, an
educated end intelligent black man, is OF
deep interest to the people of his race
throughout the State:
CHARLESTON, February 10, 1874
Hon. j. j. Wright, Assistant Justice Su.
prene Court South Cdrolind, Columbia,
SC
Ny DEAR SIR: I sec by tho recent
convention held by the young men OF
Richland County, at which you spoke
and gave some excellent counsel, thnt
much interest and alarm were manifest.
ed by them at the influx Of white immi-
grafton. This is but the. early current
OF that immigration Of which I fre.
qnenty cautioned tho people concerning
III 1866, ut Hilton Head aud among the
sea islands, and spoke Of it Mt the great
reconstruction meeting at Epping Hall,
| (now United States Court House, J
Charleston, 1868. and more particularly
at the club meeting Of Republicans IL,
Denulort the same year. L being then iu
the Cnlted States army, stationed at
Hilton Head, aud subsequently at 9th CT
times when you were present. | rrmcm.
Der the club meeting pasticn'arly, RS the
suggestions made by me met with deter
mined opposition, and one OF tho most
prominent leaders Of the party there ~,
the time arose III tho meeting and al
vised the people that there need he no
fears Of any such thing ever taking
place, as 1t was simply impossible ever
to outnumber tho culorcd people in
South. Carolina aud Mississippi, where
the blacks now bad the prepontlerancc
You must remember this ut the Beaufort
club meeting. spoke Of general um
nesty. and this, too, was pooh
poohed." l simply desire to say, that
this tide Of immigration having now set
in. will go on TO ompletion-thut is, il
will not cease till the white population
in the State sufficiently outnnmbers til.
blacks to secure to lhe whites the basis
OF ruling element.
The object Of the ''grangcs" or i'm mi
grafton movement in this State, al Won
very we'll know. is to ncutralize the
black ruling element, by reducing or
exceeding its minority. Aud my can.
did opinion is, that the whites in the
South generally, and South Carolina in
chanical aud iaboring elements the
|
migration scheme never would have been
organized had they, from the past and
present aspect Of things, not been led
to believe that we, the blacks, were in
Huenced, controlled and led in onr DO
litlcal actions without principle or {,
will OF our own. aud :bat SO long as We
outnumbered them, they would neve,
get chance to participate in the politi
cal affairs Of the State. This is my sin
cere conviction, after much observation
and intelligent inquiry.
But the thug Is nov done, und i: is Il
fixed TACT that in tivo years, If not les.
time than this, tho black population q
include all people of color will be in
the minority in this State. What on,
race requires is proper information tt
rightly direct it, This haa been toe
long neglected. and should have beer
given by those who led them in poll
tics.
hat 4 SIZE now 10 say Is. that it is
your duty, RS 1t Is that Of every InteiIi.
gent man among Us who aspires to ,
leadership, loves H.; race, has the clpn
city. and is vcrsed in the grea: princ
pies of political science. nnl cnnse
Isentiy. II the philosophy 81 popula
succession, to warn his people OF grea
approaching reality, which, sooner ol
later, will verify itself in history That
having prospect;yely lost the popuin
prepond,:ancc and consequent Ger
tninty OF repre- sentntion in all the lie
partments OF gov, rnment. our onl,
hopo and chance OF its future sccurit,
is in the principle Of cumulative voting
which secures minority lcpresentntio.
rs we'll as majority Let our Legislu
tnre be wise enough now. while it is il
tho power OF our race to do so, 10 TAX
such measures rs to secure, by consti
tutional enactment, The right If minor
ity representation, which, while it i'm
media,ely secures to tho whitos of tn
State, irrespective of party. pro rat,
representation, or representation in pro
portion to numbers, it secures to tn
black race the same ratio Of rcpresen 10
ton i'll Counties where the whites hav
the majority, and when they shall pre-
ponderate i'll population in the State
which they most assuredly will, ut n
distant day.
The white race is truo to itself, and i
is useless and doing Injustice to bot!
races to conceal the fact, that in giyin,
Liberty and equality Of rights TO th
blacks, they had no desire to sec then
rule over their own race. And th
blacks may as well know this Mt once
that there is no scheme that can be laid