The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-03-03
COLUMBIA, S. G.
Tuesday Morning. March 8, 1874.
Not partisnn.

OehocratlC party ID 20 keep quiet, n0ld
itself aloof, and take advantage, when
ever opportunity offers, of divisions in
the dominant party. It must wait for
the war cries to. be hushed. 1t should
keep compact and united, but refrain
from wasting its strength in impraotioa.
be issues. As things are, they cannot
effect any good by combining on mea-
sures OF unimportant character. They
only insure defeat by showing their own
weakness. and uniting the opposition
more closely. Every, failure takes away
from their prestige.,End causes them to
lose part of their force. If mastery
inactivity or stmed neutrality. which
awaits its opF5z:an;:y in coming events
and new issues. be advisable for the
national organization, similar course
in the, Southern element of that party is
even more imperative. 1t is mo;e than
useless, it is positively wasteiul and
hurtful, to rally under name to which
odium attaches, against combination
which, in tie nature of things, cannot
be moved, except by earnest efforts.
continued through long stretch Of
time. Our hope here lies in the opera.
tion of causes which will be slow to take
effect. Not until the proportions Of
population shall undergo change, not
until odious men and pernicious mea.
sures have completely broken down and
disintegrated the mojorities which are
now stereotyped, and which, from their
constitution and the peculiar circum.
stances Of the country, will resist change
as long as they can, need We hopo for
any benefits to accrue from political
action. The history of party move
ments in Virginia. Georgia and Texas
during the last few years affords an in
structive lesson, and entities US to hopo
that it will repeat itself in the other op.
pressed Southern States.
The matters which divide the people
Of this State are in no wise political in
their character. For us. there are really
no national parties. Neither OF them is
properly represented in it. Those who
have the majority and control the State
Government call themselves Republican
or Radical, but have no warrant for
doing so. except family in the priuci-
pies they profess. Their practices are
universally condemned by respectable
Republicans out of the State. at best
they but hang on the national party, an
unwelcome appendage, and now under
the ban of its condemnation. On the
other hand. we have. no Democratic
party. There is certain portion of the
population, comprising mainly it's cha
raoter. intelligence, property and enter
prise, who, OF course, are Conservative,
or Democratic, if you like, in their in.
stinots, feelings and principles, but who
are and have been for years in no way
organized for political effect, and are in
no sense bound, except by sympathy,
with the National Democratic party.
When tliey act, as in conventions, they
strive to regulate internal State affairs,
to reduce assessments of property, to
throw of pressing evils of taxation and
reform the Ignorant, corrupt govern
ment which imposes them. They move
in two lines-one by petition and re.
monstrance to the State Administration
to remove the grievances of which they
complain, to abate nuisanccs, and to Ie
gislats raore nearly in the interests OF
property and intelligence, and less in
that of faction. They ask them to dis.
countenance and reject from leadership
the bad men who lead them, as we'll as
the country, to ruin, and to substitute
better class in their places of power.
By another, they go before Congress
with memorial which summarizes the
results OF the legislative and admins.
tratiye wrongs which they feel. They
appeal to the public opinion of the
whole coantry and OF ell parties, to
come to their rescue. They wish it
understood that they have no political
aims to subserve. They ask for good
laws and better 0oyernment for tho