The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-30

icau Biunuers In tho Hanos Va
President Grant.
There are two important points upon which
the American people are so strongly opposed
to the policy of the party that has held control
Of the national administration since the cessa-
ton of the war of the rebellion as to render it
probable that they may determine on making
change in the government at the approaching
election. These points are the treatment OF
the Southern States and the management of
our diplomatic affairs. The republican organs
in the interest of the administration evince
their sense of the unpopularity of the Recon
struction laws by foregoing any defence OF the
unconstitutional treatment of the South. and
by combining their replies to the charges OF
their opponents to the plea that all this has
been the work of Congress- and not of Presi-
dent Grant who is now before the people for
reelection. They argue that the President
had no hand in the framing OF the bayonet
Inv, under which the Southern States are now
held in the grasp Of the military power
as in time of war; that, as required
Congress the fact that disturbances of the peace
existed in certain Southern districts, and that
Congress in the exercise of its power passed
such q law as it deemed necessary to meet the
exiQencies of the case In like manner there
has been an attempt to lay the blame OF our
diplomatic blunders on the same shoulders,
and it is asserted that the United States Senate
is accountable for our humiliation at Geneva
in having recommended to the President the
e. ;,,I: ID
and the acceptance of the Granville article
supplementary to the Treaty of Washington.
1t was certainly sharp movement on the part
Of Secretary Fish, after leading the nation into
q serious dilemma, to fasten upon the Senate
the unenviable responsibility Of deciding on
which Of its horns we should impale ourselves.
But without entering into q oontr9yersy as to
the relative blame attaching to the Executive
and legislative branches of the government for
past errors, we can fortunately point outa way
by which the popular sentiment can be salts
fed and q complete change in our Southern
and foreign policy secured. a4 D'
Fortunately for the country, Congress is not
national affairs is wholly in the hands of the
President, under the restrictions of the consti-
tuition. The Ku Klux, or bayonet law, which
lies at the root of all the evils of our Southern
policy, is law which delegates certain ex-
traordinary powers to the President which he
can exercise or not in his discretion. Under
it's provisions and through the cooperation of
the federal officers and Courts oil the acts of
oppression and injustice practised towards the
white citizens of the South are done. Troops
are drawn up round the ballot boxes; civil
law is suspended; reign of terror prevails
such as existed in some localities during the
war-such as ought never to exist under free
government in time of peace. While the
odious law is in force citizens have no civil
rights; they can be arrested without warrant,
confined as long as their captors deem neces-
sary and discharged without trial. It is noto-
rious that through this law and the action Of
the federal courts and United States mar
shals combined the attempt is to be made
to terrify white citizens from exercising the
right Of franchise conferred on them in
mockery by the Amnesty BILL forced from
Congress in its last hours through dread of
the Cincinnati movement. Now all this evil
President Grant can remedy if he will. 1t is
for him to enforce the Ku Klux law all over
the Southern States as the election approaches,
as it is enforced in North Carolina at the
present moment, or to confne it's operation to
those districts-if there are any at all in the
South-where federal tyranny is absolutely
necessary to preserve the peace and protect all
citizens regardless of color. The President
has it in his power to abolish military rule
altogether; to remove the federal troops from
the Southern States; to restore civil law; to
leave power in the hands of the local
authorities, where it ought to be, and
thus to show to the people of the
whole country, North and South, that
he declines to become the autocrat
Congress would have made him. He can give
to or withhold from the white men of the
South those constitutional rights and liberties
which heir fellow countrymen of the North at
present enjoy He can stop the outrageous
acts of the federal dependents in the Southern
States, and allow fair election to be held
The suspension of the military law and the
restoration of civil law, the replacing of fed
eral troops by the proper State authorities,
would at once put a stop to the abuses Of the
federal courts and the infamous attempt ut
the intimidation of white voters, because the
civil law and the State Courts would then be
supreme ~
President Grant cannot then, evade re-
sponsibility for the present unconstitutional
and cruel treatment of the white citizens of the
South, because the enforcement of the Ku
Klux law rests with him alone, and
he can at his will use it for its original
Legitimate object, or as an instrument to con-
troll the ballot box by military terrorism and