New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-06-16
NETWORK, FRIDAY, JUNE I6, 1871

against the validity Of the xIyth and XVIII Amendments
and the whole of the reconstruction laws, and II the
Democrats did this he believed they could elect tne can
ddate for President. asked him how they wouid get
rid Of the Amendments In they did elect their can
date to which he replied that Frank Blair pointed out
the way in The President would treat the Amend
ments as utilities, would withdraw the troops from
the South, and let the people manage their
own affairs and restore their rghtful gov
ernments "But do you maintain that the fres-
dent has the right TO decide what Ia and what Is not
part Of the Constitution :" inquired. Certainly
do, and Congress does not mpeach him for his decision
1t holds good In like he refuse to execute
any law that he does not believe to be constitutional In
elect Democratic President, and he should de-
clare the Amendments part Of the Constitution we
should be strong enough in Congress prevent ipeach
ment and the whole matter would be settled ut once III
the simplest manner possible"
There are!many Democrats who have no sympathy
with such views. and Of this class, Mr. Ben Hill may be
considered TO be representative He accepted the
situation last December and got roundly abused ior
what was termed bis aposacy but he has the graft
fcaton to see the Democratic party rapidly coming up
TO the position lhe assumed six months ago. He ex-
pressed his opinions yesterday, somewhat In TINS
way: 81 would sooner have cut my head OH tlan nave
supported the Reconstruction measures but now that 1t
is evident that they fnates which cannot De ds
turbed, 1t is folly to spend any moro time oppos-
the results Of the and go to work to make
the best OF the new order Of things People are very
stupid who think great war changes nothing and mas
results jeff Davis says no great questions can NC
determined by arms; but history shows us that the
greatest questions that Interested the human race
have been settled by The sword Our four yeavs contest
settled certain questions and produced certain changes
and IL true we acknowledged 1t. Until lately de-
plored these changes and believed that they were in
furious TO the South but now / see clearly that
they will work for our great advantage III the FUTURE
For the time being they seemed to be huruui 10
US, and We despaired Of the future, thinking we
were ruined. When goes from q bad
climate to good he feels I'll at first for the change.
All great changes hurtful The South has passed
through great revolution, socially, politically and In
dustrially and it was necessarily accompanied with
much suffering But that Is all over now, and we are
fairly on the road prosperity The improvements that
are going on in Georgia to-day remarkable we are
recuperatng from the losses OF the war with WONDERFUL
rapidly, and In five years the State Will be weahler
than 1t In 1900 counting the value OF slave properly
them can see now that 1t will be for good that the
war ended as 1t did, and that Slavery was
abolished and 1 believe 1t was ordered by
Providence. What we want now Is peate-peaee
between the sections and peace between the
States Our people want to drop the political questions
that have kept alive hostile feelings between the North
and the South and attend to developing their industrial
interests with the aid of Northern capital and emgra
ton am denounced for these opinions by such men as
Toombs who promised to drink all the blood that would
be shed on of Secession but have Travelled
over the State a great deal, and am satisfied that
majority the people with mo- The views OF these
three men, given above, appear TO be petty inr
reflex Of the opinions of the three classes into which the
white populations of Georgia divided politically mot
counting the small number Of white Republicans viz
the old Wings whose union with the Democrats Is tenn
porary and who appear likely in time to become Repub
Iicans; the Bourbon Democrats. who like JEFF Davis
accept nothing and bitter and hostile as they
were in 1885, and the Progressive Democrats, few In
number rapidly increasing who are glad to drop the
old war issues and consider them as ftnalities