Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-12-21
The Southern States.

ecnt ciitlcS assume. Of course the ,alk
OF The old guard Of slavery about the
hlghtful overthrow of liberty in those
States by the "ignoble Incubus" and "us-
urief, Whom they used to call with the
same propriety butcher troubles the
country very little. 1t sustains him by
increasing majorities, wisely deeming
liberty somewhat safer with those who
stroFe to perpetu&te it. There is very
PLAIN logic upon this subject in the Ameri-
can mind and the Democratic critics, al.
though too du-l tc see it, would yet help
their cause hy changing their pcint and
methoa-of ASA llt.
" say that the problem IS not simple.
VI hen the war ended We were Of those
who thought the better policy was to
maintain for some time tie complete ma
tlonai supremacy IL i Southern states
But another policy prevailed, and we have
to deai with its results. There were thee
classes Of parsons III those Statcs-the
Old slavc-holding proprietors, the poor
whites, and the freedmen. The first txo
classes had been rebels ard the last had
been honestly loyal. IAe first class com
prised the persons Ct properly and educa-
ton, the traditional political leaders; the
other two classes were iguoranT and Poor.
The state OF feeling was, Of course, de-
plorable. The old proprietors an the
poor whites were morbid with hate OF The
Yankee, and bitterly Inundated By their
deteat. The easy contempt Of the first
for The late slaves had changed into 4
feeling of&veraion, anda resolution, which
was not surprising, to do what was posi-
bic still to hold them as interiors. Tie
jealousy which the poor whites felt
for class from which they were separa-
ted only by caste became hatred whcu
caste disappeared.
The first attempt If the proprietary class
was to recover political control of their
States, and to remand the freedmen to yir-
tual slavery. THIS could not be allowed
and BY laws of prohibition, of diSfran-
chisement, and ineligibility on the one
hand, and of equal civil and political
rights upon the other, it was defeated.
The operation Of these laws was ncces-
sarily depIorable in many ways, but the
alternative was still more deplorable Po-
litical power was taken from the old PFC
prietors and given to the new men; but
had it remained with the old proprietors,
the condition CT the new men would I'M
questionahly have been such that the
United States could not have tolerated it,
and would have peremptorily changed The
situation. Indeed, that was really VERY
much the course of events, the original
settlement being milder than that which
followed. The Ku-Klux was, as the M
ton says, naturally developed from this
situation. Hate of the victorious Union.
and of the freedmen who represented it,
with the Indignation at laws which were
believed to submit the whites to the
blacks, took expression in secret conspi-
racics which aimed at the control of the
blacks and their friends by terror; and in
certain parts OF the Southern States the
Ku klux has unquestionably produced
anarchy.
Meanwhile the disabilities have been
gradually removed, and the President
now suggests that they be made to dis
appear entirely. But in the degree this
has taken place the situation has become
worse in the Southern States. Ii is
alleged that the exclusion Of part Of the
old proprietary class from political power
and from Office has thrown the conduct
of affairs into the hands of ignoran;
knaves, white adventures, and ductile
! blacks. But the number Of those actu-
ally DISTINGUISHED has long been very
small, and the explanation does not suf-
fee Then it is said that where knaves
leeisldte we must expect the Au-klux,
and hat it is useless TO hunt The ku- Alux
if honest men do not control the govern
ment. But is it gravely meant that the
United States must patiently see It's ci5i-
Gems farried, whipped. murdered, and ter
rolized in certain States until honest men
are elected to office there? 1.-THE diff
Guilty is that there is dishonest and ig-
norant men in the Legislature, and if dis
abilities are removed and there is equal
suffrage, so that tie ordinary chances of a
free government are provided for all, must
! honest citizens submit to be scourged and
shot upon the plea that where Legisla-
lures are corrupt public disorders must be
expected? What can any honest citizens,
white or black, do except vote for honest
representatives And ifhe and his friends
can not carry the election, are they to be
murdered because they have not been sue
cessful, while the United States TRANQUILITY
| remark that the principles Of free govern
ment require the sacrifice?
Nothing more preposterous can be i'm
agined. If the old proprietors and the
poor whites, all disabilities being removed,
! can elect honest officers, We shall all re-
joice; bat if they Can not, they really
must not expect to be allowed to shoot
their political opponents. We have long
favored the completion of amnesty. But
amnesty has been for some time practi-
cally fact, and it will be found that the
completion will not remorc The trouble !:
it will remove only one of the excuses of
the trouble. A wise government will
avoid every reasonable pretense for disor-
der; it will do what it can to secure equal
rights; and it will then take care that dis
order is not tolerated HuTpers Weekly
THE LADY's FRIEND FOR JANUARY
a splendidly embellished number, lead.
ing off with spirited skating picture,
afT