The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-06-13
COLUMBIA, 6.
Saturday Morning. June Is. 1874.

SaIuf0ay morning. June ID, 1874.
Who Woald be Free, Themselves Must
ssss. Strike tho Blow.
Philosophers excogitate just princi.
pies OF government. and philosophio
stateemen apply them in the spheres
OF practical administration. Where
governments are moderately good. and
managed without oppression to the
people, the, bulk of men iye under
them without caring or being able to
investigats whs::Asr they are perfect
in theory or not. or whether they are
administered in striot justice or not.
Men in good health do not make a
study OF its conditions. They need
no physician. Having no liver com.
plant, they are hardly conscious that
they have liver. So the ordinary
citizen of State is content. il his
rights are respected, his proper privi.
leges not curtailed, his property se-
cured to his own enjoyment, and his
self.respeot not infringed upon. But
it is altogether different when ugly
tumors on the body politic rise to
view every da5-when official and per.
sonal corruption stalks abroad-when
the plainest rights OF the people are
trampled upon-when property is con-
fscated-when everything precious
and valuable is overthrown-when the
lights of education, science and pro-
-gress are extinguished-when public
morality has degenerated-.when
scurvy pimps and villains are exalted,
andnwhen everything tends most un-
E mistakably to ruin and disgrace. Then
the sense of the community becomes
alarmed. Then the average citizen
sees that he is the victim of vicious
and corrupt system; that the fountains
of inAasnoe have been poisoned; that.
-in~a word, he is cheated out of his
manhood and his rights. Thus
trenohed upon, he is compelled to
turn his thoughts away from his fami-
ly and his ordinary business interests
and duties. In his path, wli;oA should
be unobstruoted and peaceful. he Ands
obstacles and difficulties to be
slain or reptiles to be crushed. He
cannot hesitate what to do. Necessity
is laid upon him.
The people OF South Carolina have
been in this trying position for several
years. The evils, the unparalleled
oorruptions and atrocities of the State
Government have forced them to think
of the ways and means of exterminat-
ing or correcting them. There is not
q human being within her borders.
unless an idiot, who does not know
that the State has rapidly descended,
through carnival Of crime, from the
highest position of honor to one of
utter abasement and scorn. It is al
mos. as we'll known abroad as at home.
Suoh monstrosity has excited unu-
sual attention. The world has looked
on with sorrow and indignation at q
State once the pride of American
States, now ''prostrate. bound and
helpless. But while the world looks
on. it is for ne to feel. and it ought to
be for ns to devise and apply remedies
adequate to the disease. We become
parties to the infamy if we do not do
our best to. have it removed. Unplea.
SAINT as it may be and exacsing az are
each nan's private affairs in suob q
condition OF society, it is duty from
which no one can escape to give his
time. talents and services to the effor.
to recover the State once more to pros.
perity and credit. It is due even to
those private7 affairs that he should
seek to5make the circumstances under
which they are to be prosecuted more
favorable and promising.
AS patriot, as q citizen, as the head
or member Of family, in every capa.
city that he fills. it is incumbent on
every man to wor!. tos the redemption
of the State. There are mon who rea.
son 10 shallow way. saying that no.
thing con be done against the hosts OF
evil, the collective agencies of mum