The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-02
GOING OVER.
years ago.

South Carolina Democrats are in deep dis
tress and despair. Edgefeld, "unreconstruct-
ed Edgefield,' the home of Butler and Gary,
is in the agonies of new-found tribulatlon.
The negroes are all turning Democrats and
threaten to take possession Of the party and
run it all to themselves. In this they have
shown their superiority to the stupid and OBJ
stinate whites. At one time, argues the
Times, South Carolina was more completely
than any other Southern State UNI
der negro domination. Under the recon-
struction acts, which gave them suffrage, the
negroes developed wonderful aptitude for
politics and craftsmanship, and 1t was not
long before they were running the entire ma
chine.
Then was the "golden opportunity for the
Southern whites, but their blind obstinacy
would not allow them to seize it. The en-
reimbursement Of the negro meant the reor-
ganization Of Southern Pe1aties and this reor
ganization was of necessity in the interest of
the Republican party. The "golden oppor-
tunity" of the Southern whites lay in q gen.
eral stampede into the Republican party, and
1t was in refusing to avail themselves of
this that they displayed their blind
obstinacy and prejudice. They were warned,
reasoned with and entreated, but they hear
kened not, and absolutely declined to use
their superior intelligence to obtain control
over the country within the folds of the Re-
publican party. In spite OF all the allure
ments and cajolery, the Christian kindness
and touching solicitude of Thad Stevens,
Morton, John A. Logan, and the like, they
preferred to remains Democrats and allow
the negroes to carry the country to the devil
and display their aptitude for politics and
under the leadership of Moses
and Chamberlain and Joe Crews. Rather than
ally themselves with the dominant party and
seek to control it's counsels and reap their
share of it's sports, they chose to fight it out
to the bitter end They had not that facility
for Kidding themselves of inconvenient con-
that adaptability of conscience;
that easy virtue, which are essential to the
sensible man whom the Times presents to us
for our admiration.
Herein is where the negroes, their old slaves,
are their superiors. The Democrats now
have control of the State, which they OBJ
tanned by their stupidity and obstinacy, and
the negroes realizing this fact, have, with
their wonted intellectual vigor, grasped
the situation and are doing what their mas
ters had not the sense to do-namely, COM
ing over in droves to the Democratic party
for the purpose of controlling it by their SUI
perior numbers. This is the ''neW negro out
rage" with which South Carolina immediate
ly, and the whole South ultimately, is threat
ened, and just how to prevent it is the one
question that agitates the entire South.
This is d very cunningly devised theory Of
the Times, and it is sad indeed to even medi-
tate destruction of it's symmetry. But it
appears to us that the Times attributes to
mere treachery and the entire absence OF con-
viction and all moral sense, a power which it
has never been known to possess per Sc. It's
is that, il the Democrats had had
sense enough to go over to the Republican
party when the newly enfranchised negro
vote gave it the ascendency, they could have
controlled it by their superior intelligence.
They refused to do this, but they have at last
obtained control, and the negroes, more
sensible than they, are coming
over to the Democratic party where the
superior intelligence has remained with it's
stupidity and obstinacy, and
propose to control it by superior numbers.
Superior intelligence, according to this novel
logical process, if it had not been so stupid
and obstinate, could have controlled superior
numbers by abandoning it's convictions and
going over to them. Now, superior numbers,
being possessed Of more wisdom, is going
over to superior intelligence and Is going to
control that. The only conclusion we reach is
that strength lies in going over. The party
that goes over is the party that will control. |
and all that one has to do in order to control !
is to go over. This is new science this |
science of going over. A novel and interest
Ing problem in social and political dynamics
Is this presented by the Times.
The Times has read Alright the signs of the |
times. 1t has noted correctly the facts of the |
negroes of the South are going over |
TO the Democratic party-but not to control |
t, and not to the apprehension of the white |
people Of the South. Its facts are correct, |
put it's deductions are fanciful, and hope, |
,ather than experience, is at the bottom of it's
ogc. The negroes of the South |
we're a simple and ignorant people, |
They only knew that the Union SOL |
Tiers brought them emancipation when
he war ended. They knew that the recon-
;truction acts brought them the ballot. They
we're told that the ballot was their only
weapon of defense for the preservation Of the
startling privileges which had been showered
lpon them. Under such circumstances they
could but act with the parties that claimed to
,ring them all these things and no Southern
nan feels any bitterness towards them on
his account. AS Butler said to one Of the
witnesses before the Potter committee "We
wish you to distinctly understand that it Is
he tempter and not the tempted that we
,lame" 1t is not the negroes, but the miser-
lhle adventures, the Republicans, who