New-York tribune., 1871-05-06
W. Ill ;,+onco tho SantO Domingo ana the


". I'll .o,;os IN illustrate our meaning
Ct Dnr,;npo through its only rulers,
-. ~ government and proffered Annex
go Tho President gave no encouragement
.;u af.er an interval of months, the profler
VIZ, VIZ, ronovod. and action upon it urgently So
,;a;,od Then the President looked carefully
into the matter, and decided that our country's
vell-being would be promoted by our accept
ance of Baez's proposition. Perhaps this was
an error of Judgment, though we cannot so re-
card IT, Had he decided differently, we believe
the President would have been far more vehe-
mently assailed than he has been. just con-
slider what Democratic howl would have
gone up if, after we had offered 80 many Mil
lions for Cuba, Gen. Grant had refused to ac-
cept Santo Domingo virtually for nothing.
And, if it was right to entertain Baezs
proposition, then all that the President has
since done, in warning Hayti not to make that
proffer fulcrum for subverting by force the
independence of SantO Domingo, seems to us
not merely justifable but inevitable. What
CRY would have been raised if Gen. Grant had
stood tamely by while Saget overran Santo
Domingo, crying "Down with the traitor who
"has sold his country to the Yankees" 1t is
not fair to hold the President responsible Tor
the superseryiceable zeal and exceptonable
demonstrations of some of our Naval and other
functionaries in the West Indies. But, should
Annexation fail now, and the Democrats come
into power, we predict that they will take
Santo Domingo at their very first opportunity,
in defiance of all they now say against Gen.
Grants doing so.
Then as to the Ku-Klux legislation, and all
Executive action tending thereto or based
thereon. we hold the Administration most un-
| fairly treated by most of the independents"
| The President is bound by solemn oath to
| support the Constitution, enforce the laws, and
protect the rights and liberties of the People.
| All these are directly warred upon by the
Ku-Klux conspirators-nay their organization
has no other purpose than to war upon and
subyert or nullify the rights affirmed and pro-
tected by the XIVth and XVIII Amendments
to the Federal Constitution. We hold that the
President would have been unfathful to his
trust and would have had the blood of inno-
cent martyrs to Equal Rights on his head, mad
he not sought such legislation.
| OF course, it is easy to cavil at this provision
| and pick flaws in that; but the ku-klrx act
and the Presidents action under it will harm
no one who keeps the peace, Obeys the laws
and respects the rights of others. Our only
fear is that it cannot be so enforced as to crush
| out the villainies at which it is aimed. But 1t
is at the worst "a terror to evil-doers," and
all its influence will be felt on the side OF
Order and Peace. 1t is commended by the
spirit of the familiar distich:
"For none ever feared that the truth should be told
But those whom the truth would iDdict."
1t must be that the true Southern COnserva-
tives-the gentlemen who possess property and
desire peace and thrift-at heart approve this
measure, whatever they may feel impelled to
say. 1t is already doing good, and will do
more when the Presidents temperate but firm
Proclamation shall have been generally read,
and the truth that it means business fully
realized.
Such are the convictions which impel us
to say, as we feel, that the independent
press treats the Administration harshly, cap
tiously, unjustly. We would fain induce its
conductors to reconsider and modify their
course. They may fancy that they are only
disparaging and weakening Gen. Grant; but
they are in fact undermining and subverting
the Republican party.