The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-24
SPIRIT or THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL oPIEIoEs oR THB LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT TOP1os-COMPILBD BvERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
Fright of the Republicans.


fonnle into minis As soon as the members re-
tnrn IN their homes Before the meeting OF
the Democratic National convention, there
was general understanding that Congress
would adjourn about the middle OF July, but
n change has come over the spirit of their
dream. The members are anxious to disperse
and look after their political prospects, but
their confidence Is so h4ken in the stability
of their negro reconstruction that they fear to
leave its bedside. They watch over it like
nurses in a sick-room.
When the Chicago Convention met it con-
graduated the country, in its platform, on the
assured and trump phant success of the recon
struction policy. We regarded those congra-
tulations at the time as hollow and ridiculous,
and the tlutter of alarm into which the party
is now thrown proves that we did not misjudge.
The following despatch to an evening paper is
one of the many symptoms of uneasiness and
misgiving-
Special Despatch 10 the EUeaing Post,
WAsHINGToN. July % "A meeting Of South
ern men, including most of the new members
of Congress, with delegates from Texas. Mess-
sippi and Virginia was ueld at the Washoe
House this morning, TO decide what legislation
is needed by the South before Congress may
safely adjourn
the meeting was addressed by General Ere.
mont, who SAID ~ wodid be highly injudcious
for Congress to adj i3urn without lSaviug addi-
tional protection tor lie newly-consJituted gov
ernmeD's in the South.
Resolutions were adopted which asked legis-
lation authorizing an election in Virginia, and
for investigation of frauds in the Mississippi
election, or the institution of provisional loyal
governments in these states.
A resolution for impeg clment of the Presi-
dent the articles TO De b tsed ON his recent veto
message, Is pending ac' ion at an adjournment
OF the meeting to be held to- night
A new impeachment of the President, new
patching up of the Reconstruction acts, and
prolonged session OF Congress-, are deemed
necessary to the salvation OF the political party
which SO lately bore itself with an air of inso-
kr,, Th.fr IA
Their reconstructed State governments bid fair
to "retuTn to plague the inventors" If
Congress will adj Ourn and leave things as
they stand, every Southern State can be
carried for the Democratic ticket, ana if
Congress should prevent the counting of
the votes, the superiority of numbers
demonstrated at the polls will constitute
preponderance Of physica strength against
which it will be vain to contend. Since
our Convention, the Republicans understand
that the Democratic party is thoroughly in
earnest, and is determined to bring this
reconstruction business to an immediate
crisis. No outcry about "revolution'' will
deter the Democratic party from doing its
whole duty. We have borne with patience
much that We would not have borne at all,
but for the expectation of relief in this
Presidential election. The time has now
come when a majority of the people of the
whole country Will assert their right to
control the Government of the country. II
the Republican party are majority of the
whole country, we will submit; if they are not
majority otthe whole adult male population,
they shall submit, or else eve will know the
reason why" If they exclude us from the
polls, or refuse to count our votes, we shall be
none the less a majority in consequence of
such exclusion, and being a majority, and
having the preponderance of physical strength,
the Democratic party will not be found so
wanting in manhood as to be ruled by reck-
less, usurping minority. The Democratic
party has been una jority of the whole people
for the last two years, and as We are pretty
certain to remain so until November, it may
as well be understood that We shall not there
after permit the minority to continue their
violations of the Constitution. If they refuse
to count our votes at the polling places, we
have arithmetic enough to count our own
sinewy arms.
The newest project of Congress is an attempt
to prevent our coming to a knowledge of our
own numbers, by causing the election to be
conducted under reign of terror. Arms are
to be sent TO all the States and given out by
the radical Governors to overawe Democrats
and prevent their voting. Senator Hendricks
exposure of the design of this bill is well worth
reproduciDg:-
MIR. Hendricks, Dem. Qnd.) in reply TO the
remarks which had been made, said that he
considered this most dangerous Dill, because
IL proposed TO arm one political party against
another. IL placed the control of the arms to oe
distributed with the Governors of the States
designated, and this toO Immediately before
the Presidential election. In regard to the
ratio OF distribution, he asked what Maine
wanted with 1000 muskets, Massachusetts with
$4,000, and Indiana with l3 600 And in order
to illustrate his argument, ne referred TO
the fact that the Governor OF Indiana
being a candidate 1or reelection, those
arms, placed at his disposal, could be
sure. And so with The Other States He
commented on the action of the Senate, last
night, in rejecting Mr.. VickerA' amendment,
providing that the distribution OF arms; etc.,
shall not take plsce prior 10 the hrst or Janu'
ary, unlC IS the President snall d EN- IL nSces-
sary for the prevention Of disturbance In the
Southern States. This fact, he remarked, was
significant of the design OF the bill, Arms We're
TO be distributed 10 all the States with the ex: :
ceptiOn Of Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas, ana
these states were omitted because there was to
be no election there. Therefore, he argued that
the only purpose of Inls distribution Of arms
before the election was 10 m AXE military force
out OF one party TO oVerawe the other and thus
control the election, All he asked was q fair
election, ana thatth people may vote without
Gen Grant had said, in the last sentence of
his letter Fpting the nomination for the
Presidency, we want peace, Lei us have
peace" All parties should desire this and quiet
in the country. After This expression OF the
desire for peace on the part of the candidate OF
the Republican party, We 1nd here hre- brand
"a measure calculated 10 excite passion, on, anu =
produce strife and perhaps bloodshed, With Q
measure so threatening and dangerous IN lts
character. the people would be slow TO believe
that that party desired peace. He hoped lha
the President WOulG exercise the power no DOS
sessed 10 prevent this bill from becoming a law
The President owed this not only 10 his consti
tutional duty, but To the peace and quiet OF the
country He shou d defeat a measure so full o
peril TO the country, and which invited q con
diet between the whites and blacks.
The proposal of the Republicans 10 resort Il