The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-07-19
S. c..
Sunday Morning. July 10. 1874.
Somo Wholesomo Admissions, and Yet
NO Reforming Spirit,

no Reforming Spirit.
We find in the Louisville Courier
Journdl an interesting letter upon on,
affairs from its travelling correspond.
ent, written from this place. Amongs,
others" Of the Radical faith whom he
interviewed was Mr.. D. b. Chamber.
lain. one Of the candidates for Go.
vernon. We have devoted considera.
bls 5psoe to q discussion of this gen.
tleman's pretensions to run rs q re-
form candidate. The views attributed
to him by the New York T1mes as.nck
us as lamentably inadequate. and not
promising of any good. In all that
has been said yet by any Of these so.
called refotmers, We have failed to fiud
the living germ Of any genuine reform.
We do not do them the injustice OF
supposing or Of saying that they have
no impulses towards. no desire at all
of, better things. They may have.
We believe they have. But xhey
speak OF these things as men who
dream. as snen walkinga ii sleep.
There is no evidence that they have
risen to the conception of anything
moro than the troublesome straits in
which their party has been placed by
Its ignorance. imbaoility and corrup.
ton. Every effort they propose to
make has just the inspiration OF this
selfish iptefest and no more. The
psrty, /the South Carolina Radical
party. condemned and coutemnel by
PIX The rest OF the world, 10 the object
OF their supreme affection. Their
concern seems to centre upon and end
with 1t. Although they have. as they
boastfully say, a majority of $4,000
votes, they are constantly agisated lest
they shalt lose the elections. They
are thus evidently conscious that they
have forfeited the right-whateve
right numbers. ignorance and the
adroit use of prejudice as a political
weapon gave them-to rule over, make
laws for and carry on the civilization of
a free people. They see the ruin " hich is
spreading over the land; they are con-
scious, come Of them, Of tho decay of vir-
tue and integrity. the loss of decency.
the lowering Of the tone of morals, the
increasing enbarrsssments in which all
the public interests and institutions
are becoming entangled. But seeing
enough to make them aot in earnest;
enough to put soul under the ribs
OF death, they show only an overpow-
ering love OF Office, of position. of
their own continued control. They do
not treat of reform an men into whose
hearts the iron OF oppression has
entered. They view it rather as they
would theme il g debating society,
or consider it az they would a topic Of
history. No political Luther has yet
appeared amongst them with high,
determined objects and a courage to
carry them out which would pace sll
the devils in hell; no honest Patrick
Henry to thunder against violated law
and invoke it's proper punishment.
Who cannot see how they must neoes-
sarily fall short of accomplishing auy
object of value? There must be some.
thing more than a sense OF a mere
party need Of reform, even tc institute
single one in the State OF the hun.
dreds that are required.
Tbs statements os Mr. Chamberlain
to the Courier Journal show an advance
upon those made to the New York
Times. First, there is an admission
that there is ''next to nothing" to
show for the $12,00O.OOO increase OF
funded debt and the unknown floating
debt; that the land purchased by the
Land Commission for $500, 900 is ''a
bad, bad speculation;" that while there
may have been exaggerations in some
particulars az to the Wholesale specu.
lations in the public moneys by the
State officials. hundreds of thefts have
never been mentioned; that it may be,
after all, that more has been stolen
than the State officials have been
charged with stealing; and that the