Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-03-22
4 Political Observation-Disclosures
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The political atmosphere at Wash
ington is stormy and dsqually just now
Perhaps we should not be surprised II
hurricanes and earthquakes were 70
ensue. considering that the breeZes
(which disturb the elements at the
national capital came from the trOpi'
cal. regions of st. Domingo and the
West India Island regions. A St
Domingo tornado has swept Senator
/ Sumner ont Of his seat as chairman
of the Committee on Foreign Rela'
tions. Whether IL be wise policy to
"swap horses while crossing the
stream. y as the lamented Mr.. Lin
coin said on a memorable occasion
win have to be determined by the re-
sniff which must accrue to the repub'
/ lican party out Of all this bOisteroni
business. There are many who thinR
that the time ia not ripe to dlstui
the status OF our Senate COmmittee
on Foreign Relations at this impOr-
tant crisis in our foreign policy, even
to substitute the wise head Of Simon
Cameron or Oliver P. Morton for the
scholarly brain Of Charles Sumner
President Grant, however, trained as
he is in the school of the soldier
welded as he is by education to dis
cipline in all things, and not brook
ing characterization in the ranks 0i
the party any more than he would
submit to it in a division, a brigade,
or regiment, no doubt considered
that the presence Ofan enemy to his
st. Domingo policy ought not to be
tolerated in 50 important a place as
Mr.. Sumner occupied. tt ..-
That the Presidents intentions are
good ami honest no one doubts. His
judgment and wisdom in dealing with
party difficulties and intrieaeies OF
faction, on the other hand, are OPEN
to criticism. He may have all the
iron frmness Of Andrew Jackson,
but his party to-day Is beset with
more dangers than threatened the ad-
ministration or the personal pOpulari-
ty of the man who could swear 'by
the Eternal' that his will should be
law. lis not only the question in
vOlving Mr.. Summers position which
has set all the disturbing elements in
the republican party in mOtiOn-al-
though, among all the deYeltries pitch
ed into the witches, ealdron this may
prove the wickedest. Here is the
Ku 4luX troubles in the South. In
North Carolina, especially, the opera
tions Of this body would seem 70 be
very terrible indeed, If We are to rely
upon the majority report OF the Sen
ate Committee solely, and ignore the
minority report altogether, which rep
resents q very different state of things.
Between two extremes there il al
ways to be found 'haOpy mean"
What is this reported cruel and
bloody Ku Klux Klan-this mysteri-
GUS league that plots In darkness and
executes in the light Of conhagration?
It is the afterclsp OF the war. It is
the wandering wickedness Of spirits
sorely embittered, and only half sub
dued, mansfesting iBelf in the rest
less way which men are apt to fall
into who are unwilling to accept the
consequences Of defeat. We should
be- sorry to suppose that much
of this trouble in the South was not
attributable to the ingeniousness
of political intrigue than to the
inhuman instincts Of any portion Of
our people. We know what the after
claps of a great war may be. We may
expect. for instance, to see the Franc
tireurs of the disembOdied French
army keeping up q kind of guerilla
warfare in France, inficting, perhaps,
much misery to no purpose. The
German uhlans, in like manner, may
torment the peace Of the frontier dis
tTiets Of France and the ceded prov
inces. These are the inevitable con-
sequences of great wars; for we can
not hope to control the irritability of
defeat or the passionate execution OF
conquest by simpletreaty of peace,
whether il be verbally agreed to by
two gentlemen wearing the uniform
and recognizing mutually the honor
of soldiers under the apple tree at Ap-
pOmattox Court House, or whether it
be done in due diplomatic form be-
tween two prominent statesmen at
Versailles-the place Of fallen kings
and the plaything Of dethrOned empe-
rors.
But we must not lose the philosophy
of our article iH historic memories. =
The republican party is seriously me-
naced with dissolution. iFWenty-six
inches from toe to heal and thirteen
inches from back to breast is the mill
tary rule, and II the republican party
would not break ranks and become
demoralized they must stick together.
But how can the panty stick together
upon any Bolitical issue while its
leaders are divided and its adherents
are Indifferent? .-r...' - -
1t is tossed about in the midst Of a
tempest, and what yuiee Is there to
still the storm ? The Southern States,
negro votes and all, have drifted into
the democratic ranks. The South
western States, led of, by Missouri,
with its earnest and not always judi
ciOus standard bearer ia the Senate,
are going in the same direction. Their
affiliations are with the South, aud
notably sOupon two points-detesta-
ton Of eaFpet-bagism and resistance
to the idea that war still exists, and
that military force is necessary in any
State or section of a State where the
civil courts are in operation.
But does it follow inevitably from
all this that the republican party un-
der the leadership Of General Grant
and this Sumner difficulty, and his
Domingo annexatiou views, and the
plans which he has in hand IN con-
nection with the policy OF securing
the trade Of the South American
States for this country, prove that he
has the capacity to be a leader-dOes
it follow, we say, that the party Is
past feeuperation Not at all. Mis-
fortune often binds up the wounds of
wrangling factions-puts their petty
quarrels to rest. Adversely is a great
healing salve for the ills of political
parties. Prosperity, like q plethora
of blood in the system, often breeds
diseases. If the republican party
have any manhood OF pluck in them
would they not rather rally together
and close ranks for good fight in the
face Of danger?
Columns and cohorts and torn stand
ards on the battle field have been driv-
en- to the last point of resistance and
almost to despair; but the sense Of
danger and the shame of defeat threat
ening them have sometimes rallied
the broken ranks, have brought a
fresh front to the enemy and convert
ed disaster into victory. Why not,
then, the demoralized cohorts Of the
republican party obtain strength from
the misfortune which apparently has
befallen them and unite more closely
for the defence Of their principles p
The result of the New Hampshire
election, nor the result Of the elections
to come in the Western and Central
States, SO far from daunting them,
may only serve to determine them for
a bolder struggle for maintenance. of
power. The dangers OF the .republi-
can party may, therefore, after all,
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