New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-11
DOES THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ACCEPT

Another Presidential Election is in sight. 1t
rests with the party now in opposition to de-
termine the issues to be therein decided. If
that party shall see fit to say, ave accept and
I" will obey and enforce the Federal COnstitu-
ton as modified by the XlIlth, XlVth and
"XVth Amendments,o the country may safely
regard the issues raised by Secession and the
consequent Civil War as closed, and proceed
thereupOn to the paramount consideration OF
Economic and Financial questions This
is the shape which 1--WE judge) most
intelligent and patriotic citizens prefer
that the next canvass should take. We
have been mainly quarreling about Slavery
and Negroes for the last twenty years. If
only for variety's sake, it is high time for a
change of topic. Slavery was weghty theme
in its day, but Slavery is dead, and its death
involves logically the clearing away of all the
wreck and debris of the late arduOus struggle.
The negro is no longer a slave: what can he
be hencefOrth but q mani And, if man,
why should he not be accorded the rights,
privileges, franchises, responsibilities and obi
cations of manhood-no less, no mOref The
Kilkenny cats having demolished and devOured
each other, is it necessary that their tails
should keep up the scratching, splitting, and
caterwaulingP
As a Republican, we have no right and no
wish to direct the future course of the party
to which we shall at any rate stand opposed.
If that party shall see fit to chal-
lenge us to fight over again the battle of
1868, we shall of course take up the gage with
great and well-grounded confidence of success.
We have no fear that the American People
will reverse in ~ the verdict they recorded in
the election of Grant and Colfax. In purely
partisan aspect, we should consider this our
I" best hold"
But there are other considerations of grave
moment by which that of party advantage is
cOunteracted and OverbOrne. 1t seems at least
probable that, whenever the late Rebels shall
have been thoroughly convinced that the
negroes are to be benceforth their fellow-citi-
zens, sharing fully and equally every franchise
and immunity of citizenship, they will stop
killing them. 1t is the hope of paralyzlng
with terror large portions of the Repub-
licans, White and Black, of the South, as
those of Georgia and Louisiana were paralyzed
in 1868, that inspires the Ku-Klux atrocities
now rife in several Southern States. These
cannot be melted by any rational expectation
the calculation evidently is that killing some
will awe the rest into a surrender of their
rights as essential to the saving Of their lives.
In short, the Ipresent Ku-Kux demonstra
tons at the South are simply more cowardly
phase of the Rebellion. They are fulfIlment of
the Rebel menace that the Civil War could
and should be prosecuted for twenty years
after the overthrow and dispersion of the
Rebel armies It's object is to "Let the niger
"know his place"-which, now as ever in the
Rebel conception, is under the heel of the
White man.
Until this skulling warfare. with masks in
stead of banners and torches in place of
erenades, shall have been somehow tcrmi-
mated. the Republican party cannot change its
attitude. nor can it give that attention and
emphasis to questions of Political Economy
and Finance which the public good mpera-
lively requires. Pledged by all its glorious
,ast to inlexible and paramount hdeilty 10
The NIGHTS of Man, it cannot, while these are
assailed ann imperiled devote much attention