New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-04-06
Rebels Cracking the whip Over
their Northern Allies.
The Reconstruction Acts and the Recent
Amend ments


The discussion of these topics 10 Georgia has
attracted the attention of the New York World,
! which condescends to say elf Judge Stephens
| or any other Democrat wishes TO reopen these
/ questions and discuss them anew, we have no
| objection, provided the disputants are willing
/ to be bound by the convention in 1872, and
| defer to the Judgment Of the party as to the
expediency OF again presenting those subjects
as party issue"
/ 1t may as well be understood first as last
| that the Democrats in States tyraniged over by
carpet-bag rule do not intend to surrender the
| right OF discussion and redress of their griev.
ances to the decision of Democrats in other
States who have never felt these wrongs and
cannot be supposed to have the same interest
In the question of redress. The Democrats of
New York and other States outside of Garnet
| bag rule, would no doubt willingly drop the
whole subject and devote themselves to others
| in which they have q direct personal interest.
When the South was in trouble, brought on by
Northern denial of justice, the South looked
valnly to other States for sympathy and re-
dress, so she took up arms to vindcate her
right to selfgovernnent. Where were the
Democrats Of New York then? In arms
against her. Those fifty thousand Democrats
whose dead bodies were to be marched over by
| the Republicans before the South could be
Those valiant champions of the right Of self
government became suddenly converted Into
war Democrats to fight the South
1t may be agreeable to these champions TO
Ignore the past, and set down ever twrong done
during and since the war as dead issues. 1t
would we'll suit their views of expedency to
strangle in national convention in 1872, the
voice of Southern indignation and silence the
demand for reputation of past unconstitutional
| action. But it is not probable the South will
complacently submit her throat to the political
garrote.
What the Democratic National Convention
may conclude to do or to declare 1t is not in
the power of Southern men to determine or to
foretell One thing is certain it will not be
permitted to do with impunity: it will not he
permitted directly or implicitly to signify, with
lmpunity, that the reconstruction measures
forced on the South at the point of the bayo-
net, and the amendments to the Constitution
fraudulently adopted are now beyond the reach
of public Reproduction, and are to be maintained
as established law. If Southern Democrats are
to be muzzled and choked down by a majority
vote IN National Convention, they had better
not go into 1T. They may agree among them
selves to be silent on these subjects, and not to
| raise any troublesome questions of the kind to
embarrass the Northern Democracy but if
| they do this they will have comparatively few
sympathies with it as a national party; for of
what especial value to the South will an alliance
be with national party which surrenders con-
stitutional questions to the will of majority
and abandon principle the moment they are
out-voted.
The Southern Democrats never will recog
nize the validity of the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments, nor of the reconstruction meas
ures, until better claim to their sanction can
be set up than that of successful fraud and
force.
specifically, most of the Southern States are
now beyond the reach of Radical malignity,
and can protect themselves by their numerical
white majorties from the humiliation of negro
rule.
They do not need to ask national Democratic
conventions to protect them. But they will
not for this reason abandon to that fate their
less fortunate Southern sisters where the negro
vote predominates. They will strive on and
strive ever until they are rescued from that
degradation and from the no less atrocious rob
berry and oppression of carpetbag and scala
wag rule, backed by Federal bayonets.-
augusta GA. Constitutional.