The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-02-07

COLUMBIA, s. c..
Saturday Morning. February Z, 1874.
Erroneous Ideas OF the @ o,nvcntion.


Radical sophistry and perversion Of
facts and truth in denunciation of The
mo vemens Of the people against The
corruption OF the government under
which they are forced to live. As We
anticipated, there has s.so appeared
some opposition to it from more re.
spectacle Quarter. It, OF course, rests
upon different grounds from what are
alleged by the Radicals, but, as We con.
ceive, hardly more just, tenable or sub.
stantial. They result from the apathy
which has taken hold Of considerable
number OF our people-the numbnesa
which, as in the case of death from cold,
sfirst paralyzes the limbs, stagnates the
blood, conquers the will and makes dis
solution speedy and inevitable. The
infamous rule to which We are subjected,
and which we have vainly opposed, 30
tar, has az last. in some cases. produced
torpor, silenoed the voice Of remon-
STRANGE, and deadened the spirit of op-
position. There are men who have only
that iganonnt asof vitality which leads
them to 'obatruct by their inertia any
respectable form OF resistance. Degra-
dation has become a habit, and the
chains which they would have spurned
under other circumstances, they now
hug to their bosom. They weakly
think they can do nothing, aud that all
expediehts, oil remedies. are in vain;
that nothing remains but to submit
patiently. and trust passively to the
changes and revenges of time. This
lethargy existing undoubtedly in men of
previously known spirit and intelli-
gence; this hopeless acquiescenco in a
hateful domination, is, in our view, a
portento1s sign. We raise our earnest
warning against it. If there were no
other reasons for combination of the
xYeople to oppose themselves to the tide
which is both deepening and widening
and carrying everything before it. and
which is sapping the very foundations
OF liberty itself, in silencing and captur-
ing those who ought to be its defenders,
they would be found in the necessity Of
waking men out of this listlessness.
Such men need to be aroused and in
structed, to be strengthened by the
assurance that all is not lost, that the
cause OF good government is not for
ever hopeless, and that brave. self.re-
spectipg and honorable people can
never tamely submit to forego and re-
hounce the duties of manhood.
But this is not all. There are certain
narrow and one-sided views, certain
conclusions as to what the convention
will do or attempt to do, that are pa.
raded with damaging effect to right con-
clusions and just action, in the matter.
No one has right to impute to it in
advance either weak and unmanly pur-
poses, or rash. suicidal and dangerous
designs, or that it will overatep it's pro.
per bounds. The convention against
which We have seen some arguments
framed is ono which exists only in ina
gination. It is allowable, of course, to
argue against the policy OF holding q
convention. but not against one of such
and such chRracteristics, invented and
attributed to it to make it appear odious
and unworthy Of respect. Mr.. TiIlman.
of Edgefeld, a few days ago. energeti.
cally denounced the project of memo.
rial to Congress to abolish the State
Government, and to remand the State
to territorial condition, as unparalleled
unmanliness and cringing infamy. Very
well. These are matters about which
We may we'll differ. No one is press; ing
them very urgently, that we know Of.
And no one has right to conclude that
the conyention will adopt them. 1t
may or may not. Mr.. Tillman also puts
forth the idea that immigration is not u
sure or quick means of securing con-
servative victory at tho ballot box; that
it will take many years to bring in
enough immigrants to overcome the
negro majority. Granted again. Who
said otherwise? It is nothing against
the convention. Because immigration
may be slow in coming, are we not TO