The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-07-16
COLUMBIA, S. c..
Thursday Morning. July l6. 1874.
Il Rraco or Views ON Renewal or tho
TrOops.

The Union Herald, of yesterday, de-
Gotes two articles to the interview oi
:Benstor Robertson with the reporter oi
tho Charleston News and Courier.
1They are from different hands, but run
r4srstty veil together. Each shows q
deep concern at the present situation
-af things and the prospect ahead, as
'ahey are seen in tho light Of the revola.
tioas ct the Senator. The writer's
gather up few crumbs Of comfort,
9b9t. upon the whole, seem TO be in q
esad and gloomy state of mind. They
'are particularly disturbed by the views
entertained. both by the President and
the Senator. of the purpose for Which
tho troops are kept in the State. As
saho President says they are only here
TO enforce the laws of the General
Government, one finds little consola-
~sioR in saying that one of those laws is
TO protect the State against domestic
vlolenre and revolution, and another
TO maintain the inviolableness OF the
Nxi8ht OF suffrage. From these pre-
Aisee, he concludes that the ID emoora,s
oaght not to think that ".hey vii! be
encouraged in any force. violence or
Intimidation in the coming campaign" :"
That conclusion is correctly drawn,
Ssut has no point in it or application
, no Democrats, unless it be also shown
Shat theT deny the right OF suffrage or
aneditate violence. It applies, rather,
80 the political associates of the writer,
who, nesrly in all elections, use force,
Hiolence, intimidation and frauds with
r0u. number. and really violate the
tright1cf suffrage. Il is notorious that
mo : coicred man can vote any
Democratic ticket without incur.
Sing the bittere.s denunciation,
End running the risk OF losing his life.
We need 'xot give instances. Hun
.sdssds> can be .adduoed. if necessary.
We know OF one man who Was CON-
peuled to leave Oolutnbia for this rea-
nsou. ,,after severe injuries to his person.
{: He:is democrat still. but lives at the
feet OF the mountains. Does writer
no. ! think that the election laws of
-South Caroline secure the inviolable-
ness of the right OF suffrage? Would
: hare military force to protect the
1n,portation of illegal voters. as was
notoriously done in Charleston at the
last city election? Would it maintain,
at the point Of the bayonet, the doc.
txine which We find already put forth
in Radical journal, to unduly inf1u-
-eucs the colored vote? No colored
dnaa, it says, can vote the Democratic
ticket at the next election, without
being branded by the world as having
sold his vote.
bat, bless usi We must not forget
No. 2. He is calmer and rather more
GLausible. While his companion in
4hs second column makes the most
that he can out OF the Presidents
giews abont the use of the military in
the State, he in the third oorrects the
Seoatcr's heresies as to the opinion of
the people on that subject. They do
mot. he thinks, as the Senator says
they do. and as his companion. whose
~aiuaion We have just noticed, seems to
i0eimate. believe that the troops are
Kept for the purpose OF protecting the
State Government. His opinion is that
they serve to keep the Ku Klux down,
who. but for their being overawed,
~vould intimidate and murder the Re-
.Roblicans for their political opinions. I"
We knew that these tremors wore felt in
ssertain quarters. We had amusing
evidsnce OF this last winter and spring.
when, lacking other diversion, we
several times threw ont the idea CT the
removal Of the blue.ooats. We never
failed to produce some spasms of up
prehension, or to elliott earnest protests
against the suggestion and piteous ap-
peals to the Government, for mercy's
sake, not to take the troops away.
not, to be more serious, there are
some impediments to the acceptance