The daily phoenix. (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, March 28, 1868, Image 2
COLUMBIA.
., ? . :-.-.j1 f, , ,., , ., i-.--f!
Saturday Morning, March 28, 186?
It would seam that the little Stat
of Florida has become so intense!;
. loyal, that, emulating the exampl
of Rhode Island, it has framed tw<
' Constitutions instead of ono, ns re
quirod by Congress. Tho Conven
Mon called to frame n Constitu? ioi
eoon became twain, and organizer
under different officers, and in sepa
rato places, to do the -work ordorot
by Congress. We were led to think
however, that General Meade, wh(
mado a special visit to the sceno o
this disorder, had reconoiled tho bel
ligerents and brought order out ol
the confusion. Such was the tenoi
of the information that reached tu
somo time since. But it tarns out
that two Constitutions were framed,
as we learn from the New York Tri?
bune's Washington correspondent,
who says:
"The Reconstruction Committee
bad under consideration the Florida
Constitutions. It appears that two
sots of delegates ave nero with two
Constitutions, both claiming to be
genuine. They were heard before
the Committee, tho purpose being to
Sit the Committee to decide which is
e genuine dooument. No decision
hos been reached."
It does not appear from tho above,
nor from anything that wo havo seen
elsewhere, that tho people of Florida
have decided which of these docu?
ments is "genuine." That is left to
the Reconstruction Committee. Tho
Lynohburg Virginian suggests that
they take both and "dovetail" thom
tho boat they can, and then declare
that Florida has a Government * re?
publican in form," no matter how
that carno about. A State that is
loyal enough to make two Republi?
can Constitutions, when Congress
would bo satisfied with one, ought
not longer to bo kept out of tho
Union.
State Convention.
Tho Democratic Club of Richland
District respectfully invite a conven?
tion of delegates from all tho Dis?
tricts of the State, to bo held at
Gregg's Hall, in this city, on Thurs?
day, tho 2d of April next, at hnlf-pnst
7 o'clock P. M. A full representation
is earnestly dosired.
J. P. THOMAS,
F. w. MCMASTER,
EDWARD HOPE,
PRESLEY BROWN,
W. C. SWAFFIELD,
Contrnl Committee.
Tho gentlemen elected vice-Presi?
dents of the Democratic Club of
Richland District, aro requested to
report to the President of the club,
in Columbia, at their earliest conve?
nience. R.O'NEALE, Ja., Sec'y.
-
The division of Texas into threo
States is a measure said to bo deter?
mined upon in Congress. This, the
New York Times says, will bo dono
in direct opposition to tho will and
wishes of tho peoplo of that Stato,
and cannot but bo regarded as among
tho most oppressive and revolution?
ary measures of which tho prcsont
radical caucus, called Congress, has
yet been guilty. Although covering
a vast era, Texas does not possess the
proportionate population to justify
such a division. Moreover, its inte?
rests and tho interests of its peoplo
will snffor a rUrnnt severe injury
byamoasuro, tho sole object of which
is to add to tho representation of tho
radical party in Congress.
POOR Or,D FOOLS.-Forney is la?
menting over a Pennsylvania appro?
priation for pensions to the soldiers
of 1812. Tho Now York Repress an?
swers with bittor irony: "Why pay
the old rascals anything? What did
thoy fight for? Radicalism and tho
colored individual? No, 6?r. Na?
tional iudopondenco and tho rights of
white citizons! Let them starve, tho
old fools!"
The Relations between tb? Whit?
?nd Black Maa Considered. ??j
The foriowirig correspondence will
bo road with general interest and at?
tention. . Wholeaomo truths an ri cor?
rect ideas are conveyed in plaiu aud
unambiguous language, which cannot
fail to be understood by the most il?
literate:
COLUMBIA, S. C., March 25, 1868.
Mr. T. J. Robertson-Sui: In thc
address you made last eveniug to tho
colorod seronaders, nm I correct in
affirming that you said, in effect, ns
follows: That your hearers must mark
every man who goes up to atteud the
Democratic meeting called for Thurs?
day next; that snch men were no
friends of theirs; that if they dared,
they would enslave tho colored mau
ngain to-morrow; that they conceded
7\o rights wh?tever to the black man.
Permit me to soy that I, a private
citizen, address myself to you as one
who is now in public life, and that I
desire to be satisfied that I have not
misrepresented your remarks. My
object is, further, if you assent to the
accuracy of my statement, to call in
question, bofore the popular tribunal,
the tendency and correctness of your
allegation and briefly to discuss tho
point at issue. Yours respectfully,
J. P. THOMAS.
COLUMBIA, S. C., March 25,18G8.
Capt. J. P. Tliomas-Sm: You have
called on me, formally, to know what
I said in a short address to the colored
men who serenaded me last night, and
desire me to answer through tho same
channel.
My reply is: That I do not remem?
ber the precise words that I used,
but they were to this effect: That the
Democrats wore tho political enemies
of the colored man, and the party to
bo organized hero on Thursday noxt
(2Gth) would deprive them of their
political rights, if they could do so,
on to-morrow; which would be worse
than slavery. Tho ballot being their
only protection, &c.
I hope tho abovo explanation will
satisfy you on the points alluded to
in your inquiry. I am, sir, very re?
spectfully, yours, ?fcc,
T. J. ROBERTSON".
COLUMBIA, S. C., March 27, 18G8.
Afr. T. J. Robertson-Sm: I have
received your note in reply to tho
inquiry I felt it my duty to make. I
regret to say, that tho character of
your response constrains me to pur
suo the subject. Inasmuch as you
have not disavowed the language im?
puted to you in your address, and
inasmuch, further, as I have every
reason to assume that I have not mis?
represented your remarks, I feel that
I may, with justice and propriety,
concludo that you did speak, as al?
leged, to the colored men who called
you out.
Your remarks, as alluded to in my
first communication, embraced, first,
a suggestion to the colored men-to
wit: to mark every man who might
go up to unite in the Democratic
meeting of Thursday, the 26th inst. ;
and, secondly, three separate allega?
tions, viz: that such men were no
friends of theirs-that they would
enslave the colored mun again to?
morrow, if they dared-and that they
conceded no rights whatever to the
black man.
I propose to consider theso points
made by you in their order.
And first allow me to ask, what is
your meaning, when you advise the
colored man to mark the white citi?
zen who quietly goes to exercise a
right of which even radical legisla?
tion has not yet sought to deprive
him? Do you mean to suggest to
tho negro thoughts of vengeance and
schemes of injury? You understand
tho force of words. Have you reflect?
ed upon tho construction whieh
ignorant men might placo upon your
language? Have you thought what
ovil you may bc working, when thus
you throw ambiguous words among
tho popnlace? But, apart from these
considerations, let me remind you
how ofton it is that an evil invontion
returns to plague the inventors.
Hicnsieui GuiSlotin ieii Dy tho guillo?
tine, and many au engineer has beon
hoisted by his own petard. It would
not tako long for the black man to
discover what a poor adviser you aro
on the point of marking or spoiling
men who. in broad daylight, under?
take to exerciso a freeman's right.
Supposo that the white men who
havo work aud givo aim work-sup?
pose that tho employers of tho coun?
try-wero to mark overy colorod man
who unites with tho loaguo or tho
radicnl faction-would not this ay fi?
tem of proscription operate most
injuriously upon those whoso friend
mu in i iiiii i i 11 ir Jiin '.]
abd champion you profess to be? Do
iou not propose to put in the negro's
anet ta two-edged sword-a' sharp
too], which is to. wound tho riser?
Tho fact is, yonr arl vf-A i? Sr&^igfc*
witti evil, and evil only, to the black
man. You place him in direct hos?
tility to the whites of the State; yon
invite him to a fatal antagonism, and
thus you paye tho way to his injury
nnd ruin.
With respect, now, to your first
allegation, that the men who might
rally under the Democratic banner
were no friends of theirs, let me
remark that this is ft subject upon
which there may bp an honest differ?
ence of opinion. I believe that such
men ate the best friends of the negro.
It is true, that they may not have the
same uso lor the negro that your
party has; it is true, they may not
make such magnificent promises
may not iudulge them in such inti?
mate association. Bot if geuuine
friendship consists iu telling its ob?
ject the unvarnished truth, iu provid?
ing for its substantial and ultimate
good, then must the colored mau
look for his friends outside of the
party which, with false lights, would
load him to his doom. But may I not
with great propriety, inquire what
right you have to doubt the friendly
spirit with which I, and others of
your fellow-ex-slavoholders, are dis?
posed to deal trith those lately our
slaves? Do you feel that you have
superior claims over us because of
more humane aud generous treat?
ment of these people when wo held
the power over them? I will not say
that you were a worse master than
A, B or 0, but I will say that there
is many a christian gentleman in this
community, who was ns good and
generous a master as yourself, who
went up to the Democratic meeting,
and has never considered it his duty
to join the party to which you have
attached your political fortunes, and
outside of whose mottled ranks you
would make tho colored man believe
he has no friends. Not eveu iu the
persou of some generous man in
whoso family he was reared and cared
for, and whose memory may, to tho
freedman, bo associated with the
kindest recollections of a service that
was never too exacting, and of a
kindness which in sickness or health
never varied. But, sir, you have
gono further-you hn?e permitted
yourself, in tho tinny, I hope, of
an impromptu speech, to make the
strong and irritating declaration that
these men-alluding to the Demo?
cratic citizens of this community
would enslave the colored men again
to-morrow if they dared. Give me
leave to say th ' oeoycely know how
to reply to this irge. But imitat?
ing the mildnef ' speech which led
Paul to say, "1 ?un not mad, most
noble Pestos, but speak forth the
words of truth, of soberness," I
would remark that your statement is
entirely unfounded, so far, at least,
as it regards tho great body of the
Southern people. They desire no
re-establishment c?f slavery. Tho
Democratic party advocate no such
proposition. In tho Providence of
God, African slavery wns established
and extended in this land. It did
much for the black man. It brought
him from the wilds aud barbarism of
Africa, and under its auspices he was
improved morally, intellectually and
physically. It placed him in contact
with tho whito race; aud, as time
rolled on, tho colored people ol the
Southern States becaino the most
highly inproved portion of the Afri?
can race in the world. But amid the
changes wrought in the great conflict
between the States, this institution of
slavery was abolished; the people
of tho Southern States iu convention
assembled, and theso conventions
composed of tho ablest and truest
men of our section-of men who
hud been prominent in the cabinet
and in the field-giving their assent
thereto. To say now that any body
of naen, or any party at the South,
desires to re-euslavo tho negro, is a
gratuitous assumption, unsupported
by the shadow of evidence.
But you say, also, to these men,
who am aconotomed, I presume,
to attach weight to your words,
that the mon you ave cautioning
them to view with so jealous au
eye, aro opposed to conceding them
any rights whatever. This you will
perceivo, sir, is a comprehensivo
statement. But whero is tho autho?
rity npon which to baso this sweeping
allegation? Let mo suggest, that re?
marks like these do but mislead tho
colored man and eugonder strife. If
I am not mistaken, the men most ex?
tremo at tho South and North at least
advocate security to tho colored mau
in life, liberty and property-that he
should be "encouraged and protected
by.ego?l laws.". Bot there are many
m?n, good and true Southern men,
now ranged nuder the Democrntio
"flag in th?- political contest of the
cczctry, ?hu are prepared to go !
further.
They accept tho situation as they
find it. Tbev find iii tho Southern
States 4,000,000 Of blaok meu-free
and having equal rights. What,
now, is the proper course to adopt
towards these people? It is to seek
to iuiprovo and elevate them, to use
their lubor in building up our waste
and burnt places-to divert them
from the wild vagaries which they
have conceived-to deal with them
fairly and generously--aud to con?
cede to them, on the basis of merit,
whatever rights they may be eutitled
to, under a high aud enlightened
view of what humanity may suggest.
Weare in the South, so far as numbers
are concerned, as two to one; we have
the prestige of race-the advantages
of brains nnd wealth. We eau nfford
to be geuerous and maguanimons to
these people. But, ou the other
hand, it is proper to say, that if, re?
jecting our proffers ?ud arraying
themselves against the whites, they
persist in a policy of proscription
aud antagonism, upon them and
their blind leaders will rest the ro
spousibility. The white people of
the country are disposed to deal
fairly with the colored man-to give
him all the rights that he can reason?
ably expect-to acknowledge his
fidelity in the past. But tho colored
man must remember that he can
never govern in the South-can never
pass fundamental laws for tho go?
vernment of tl- > white man. In very
few of the Southern States, he may J
obtain political supremacy for a j
time; but it cannot last. It will pass
away with the breath of that party
whoso outrageous course threatens
tho country, North and South, with a
mutilated Constitution and an era of
anarchy and strife. The colored man
has now to select his future; and
feeling a genuine sympathy for tho
race, I say, in all sincerity, that I
trust he may choose wisely. Let him
seok to soar to mountain heights of
power and place, and he falls, sooner
or later, a stricken bird, to the
ground. But let him resume his
trust iii tho Southern people, in
whose midst Providence has cast his
lot; let him confine his political
aspirations to the plano of reason
and sense and decency, and he may
live on, a valuable element in our
midst, add to the material wealth of
this section, and promote the har?
mony of the whole country.
I have, sir, thus discharged a duty
which I thought good citizenship
demanded at my hands. I am no
politician, and have no aspirations
in that direction. I seek not the
suffrages of either white or blade.
But I have deemed it my duty, as due
to truth and those whose views aro
identical with mine, in this manner,
thus coolly and fairly to correct your
misrepresentations, and to suggest
the tendency of your teachings.
Yours, respectfully,
J. P. THOMAS.
i.*_ .._ - . . . . -j
?jooal .Ttems.
The Ladies'Industrial Association
acknowledge, with mauy thanks, the
kindness of Messrs. Jackson, Kinnrd,
Shiver, Dial, Lowrance and Brown,
in assisting them to fit up their work?
room.
POSTPONED.-The performance an?
nounced for last night, by the South?
ern Dramatics, was unavoidably post?
poned until Wednesday evening next,
the 1st of April.
The congregation of Christchurch
is informed that during the absence
of Rev. Mr. Pringlo from Columbia,
the services nt the Theological Semi?
nary Chapel are discontinued.
Osv. PAKE.-Wo aro authorized to
state that delegatesto tho Democratic
State Convention, i;i Columbia, io
be held on the 2d of April, will bo
passed over the railroads, to aud fro,
for one fare. Our country exchanges
will please extend this notice.
By Special Orders No. f>0, from
Gen. Canby, dated Headquarters,
March 23, 1808, Judge A. P. Aldrich
uns been removed from his position
ns Judge, and Tephamiah Platt ap?
pointed to supersede him. Wo have
no information whatever in regard to
Mr. Platt-cannot ovon inform our
renders from what Stato he hails.
mmm. -J
their apparatus to their new house,**^ I
. .yesterday. afternoon, and imbibed a
modicum ot lager on tho oec\vj^-^
The now house is convenient i: r\ o^
respect, aud is an ornament to tho
city. We tender our hearty congra?
tulations to our old confrere-, uni
hope that they may continue "to pros
! Per- v " . ?
! A SOUTHERN, LlTEUABY JpUI.NAL -
We have received from tho propri< -
i tors, Jehu Y. Slater ? Co., Bolti
J more, Md., several numbers of the
SoufJicrn Home Journal-a weekly
[ literary newspaper. The matter i.
interesting, and is furnished by suck
authoi-3 as Major Joan Eaten Cooke
and Edward A. Pollard, of Virginia :
Rev. E. J. Stearns, of Maryland.
' Prof. S. DeYere; W. Gilmore Sims.
I Paul Hayuo and J. Wood Davidson.
of South Caroliua; Jehu R. Thomp- fl
j sou; Mrs. Fanny Downing, of North I
Carolina; T. Cooper DeLeou, of
Maryland, and others. The papers
ave on file in the Plurni.c office for
inspection. The subscription price
is S3 per annum.
PETERSON'S "DICKENS FOP. TUE
MILLION."-Messrs. Duffie & Chap
man have furnished us with copies of
j two more of the above-"Christmas
I Stories" and "Sketches by Box."
These sketches, illustrative of every?
day life and every-day people, ave
now offered to the public at the very
; low price of twenty-five cents. There
are eight of these sketches, boir d in
a neat paper-covered volume, v ;h
forms the twelfth book of "Peter?
son's cheap edition for the million of
Charles Dickens'works." Tho Christ?
mas Stories contain five sketches
including the "Pictures from Italy."
Price of each book twenty-five ceuts.
This set is being rapidly issued, and.
when completed, will be sold at il.
making the cheapest edition of Dick?
ens' works ever issued in the work:.
We would earnestly call attention
to tho tableau exhibition announced
for the benefit of the Memorial As?
sociation. This association, be it
remembered, does not usk for funds
to dec?rale tho graves of our soldiers
? Alas! it is notfor us to roar the monv.
mental jiilo or costly mansoleum Over
[ the last resting-place of our heme-:
but the ladies into whose keeping
their sacred dust has been committed,
only beg for money enough to placo
a simple stone at the bend of cae1.,
soldier's grave. Can this be denied
them? To those who saw the ta?
bleaux on Tuosday evening, we neel
only say that the programme will be
materially diversified by the intro?
duction of new tableaux; und those
who did not, we would advise that
they should not lose this opportunity
of seeing classic pictures arranged
with tho highest artistic skill. Wc
confidently expect to see a large
audience, as wo feel it almost uuue->
? cessary to urgo the claims of ti^
? Memorial Association on the people
j of Columbia, feeling so sure thal
each one will gladly claim thc privi?
lege of paying this tribute to the
j memory of those who gave np their
i lives for us and ours.
MAIL ARUANOEMENT.S.-The poa!
office open during the week from Sl?
a. m. to 0 p. m. On Sundays, from
1)4 to 2}.< p. m.
Tho Charleston t>,2o. Western mail
are open for delivery at 2 p. m.. and
close ut 0 a. m.
Northern-Open for delivery a:
IO1., n. m., closes at 1 p. in.
Oreen ville-Open ?or delivery 5
d. io., closes at 8 p. m.
NEW AOVE.tiisKi?K.vr-?.-ACieii..< .. I <.
edt > the following advertisenn-i.!-. i-'ic?
fished tliis morning for ti.? fn.-i nun
J. O. Mathewson A Co-Corn. Cern
'J'. H. Wado-Tax Notice.
J. A T. It. ARUOW-Guano.
Olney & Co-Limo.
Mooting Tvnograpbical Union.
H. A- \\. C.'Swaftiold-Spring Clothing.
I. Sulzbachcr-Cloche, Ac.
R. O. Sams-School Notice.
M. W. Rvthcwood- -Auction Sale.