Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-11-21
R.uubl,oap Form Of Government.

We learn from Washington that the
House Judiciary Committee is engaged
in the mummery of pretending 10 inquire
whether Maryland aud Delaware have
republican forms of government The
committees Investigations, so far, we
believe, extend to obtaining the particu'
lars OF an assault committed in the for
mer State by white man upon a negro
for which the negro was awarded one
cent damages, aud TO hearing details as
TO how private individuals, here aud
there, have at odd times given ex-
preston to what are called " disloyal
sentiments. The telegraph informs us
that nothing Mt all bearing upon
the point as to whether the State gov
ernments of Maryland and Delaware are
republican in form has been ELECTED
and from the modus operandi we very
reasonably conclude that the committee
does not expect to elicit anything Of the
sort. Il will be remembered that Ken
lucky was included in the resolution
providing for this investigation, but thus
far Kentucky has been given the go.by
by the committee AS an explanation
OF this we are told that, the chairman of
the sub committee charged with the in
vestigation having requested the mem
Der of Congress who originated the in
quiry to furnish allegations thereon, and
he having failed to do it, the commit
tee was never called together This is
all well enough. Congress did a silly
and vindictive thing in passing the
resolution, and the best thing the com
mittee could do was perhaps to pay no
attention to IL. The judiciary committee
would have escaped great deal Of just
ridicule had the same course been pur-
sued with reference to Maryland and
Delaware. No member Of Congress
supposed, when Kelsey, of New York,
proposed to inquire if Kentucky had a
republican form of government, that he
knew or believed anything to the con-
e. ary. The State government was essen
tally the same under which Kentucky |
had so long held her place in the Union.
1t was the same under which Clay, and |
Menifee, and Crittenden had lived, and |
certainly in their day no one thought of
questioning its republicanism.
These Investigations were instituted,
not because Congress at all doubted that
the State governments of Kentucky, |
Maryland and Delaware were republican
in the constitutional sense, but because
the Radical leaders wished at once to
revenge themselves on those States for
their Democratic opinions, and to secure
the permanent ascendancy of Radical.
ism by process of reconstruction SINH
lar to that which is now in progress in
the South. The effect of the fall
elections has, fortunately, been such as
to nip this pleasant little scheme in the
bud. After such convincing evidences
as we have recently had of the odium
attaching to negro suffrage in the popu-
lar estimation, the Radical leaders are
not insane enough to think of negroizing
and rsdicalizing the Democratic States.
They find their reconstruction policy at
The South burden so heavy that the
wisest among them are very reasonably
doubtful whether it will not crush them.
1t is difficult to overestimate the bene-
fetal effects of the elections which have
ately taken place. Had they been such
IS to sustain Radicalism, there would
nave been an end of all republican free
lom and government; for hereafter
nothing more would be requisite to bring
lpon State military despotism
Or negro domination than the vote of her
citizens against the candidates and prin.
,iples of the Radical party. No State
government would be considered republi.
IAN in form where the people opposed
Radical heresy. Louisville Courier.