The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-07-18
The President and tho South.

| Ohys uao loau6I WuiCu lS lDL9OQ6Q tC
show that the President, contrary tc
what has been said. dan do q great dea
towards corr eeting the abuses which
prevail in this State. It recalls sevsra
good opportunities which he has had
OF doing this. and which he has thrown
away. It recalls the incident of the
visit Of the Taxpayers. "Eyen few
Words" it says, ''of friendship and
sym pathy then would have been worth
everything to them. The robbers ir
office " ere watching for the faintesl
indication Of the Presidents dis"osi
ton. The oppressed citizens we're lis
tening for the signal to pluck ny heart
and go to work. But the President,
as Mr.. Robertson upologeticalIy ex.
plains, was in gruff temper. Instead
of his listening to the taxpayers com
plant, he poured upon the whole com.
| mittee food of invective.
The President could not have more
effectually aided the South Carolina
ring il he had cried ont to the Go.
vernon, Go on, Moses; I'll back you >"
It next mentions the instance OF the
Immediate pardon by Sawyer, the then
Acting Secretary Of the Treasury, and
a favorite of the President, of the
commander of the vessel who had vic.
|
lated the conditions OF his license, By
greatly over. crowding his yessel with
illegal voters f:om the islands in the
last Charleston municipal election.
Enlarging its view, the Tribune takes
a glance at the policy of the Adminis-
tra.ion in the whole South, drawing
from it the same lesson, and fixing
upon the President chiefly the respon-
sibility for its condition. It advises
him from this retrospect, if he really
wishes we'll to the South aud to South
Carolina. to ''learn what he must do
for the present aud what he must avoid
for the future" We give the conclu-
sion of the Tribune article:
'These are illustrations OF the tre-
mendous blunders the President and
his subordinates have made in dealing
with South Carolina in particular; but
the truth is the policy of the Admins.
tration in the South must be judged as
a whole. and not by its effect in sepa-
rate States. There cun be no doubt
that the support given to Kellogg in
New Orleans has strengthened Moses
in Columbia. Casey, Packard. Dnrell,
and their associates marauding along
the Mississippi. with the Presidents
commissions in their pockets, the flag
Of the United States flying over their
heads, aud Major General Emory sub
jeot to their orders, strike at free cleo
tions, honest returns. decent ndminis-
tration. pecuniary honor, aud indivi-
dual liberty, not only within their own
Jurisdiction, but all through the South.
There is not rogue in the recon-
structed States who does not take cou-
rage from tho favor shown at Washing.
ton to the Louisiana usurpe.s, and the
refusal If both Congress and the Pre-
sident to disturb them, even alter the
astonishing revelations of the official
inquiry. There is not u peculating
politician in the whole of that unfor-
tunnse region who does not believe,
with the Hon MIR. Lynch, of Missis.
sippi. that so long as an Office. older
is regular Administration man, he
may steal and cheat without fear of
being disturbed.
"It is folly TO pretend that General
Grant is not responsible for this, and
Mr.. Robertson affronts the intelligence
of his constituents when he tells them
that the President is not to blame for
the prostitution of the Federal patron
age to dishonest purposes, because
the Congressmen control the appoint
ments.' That is not true; and if it
were true it would be no excuse for
the Chief Magistrate, who has braud
new set of civil service rules made
expressly to help him in the perform
anoe of his duty. When has he shown
the slightest inclination to give the
South faithful set of officers? When
has he Withdrawn any countenance
from the favorites who have notorious.
ly abused their authority2 When has
he done the first thing or said the first
word, until within week or two, to
show that he wanted the South to be
decently governed, or would like to
stop the wholesale robbery of Which il
is the victim, if he could?
1--WE do not recall Gen. Grants past
record to throw doubt upon the sin.