Litchfield enquirer., 1872-10-24
A SQUARE FIGHT.

The nomination of William w. Eaton by the Democrats and Liberals of the Hartford District has been met by the unanimous nomination of Joseph R. Haw- ley by the Republicans. That MT. Eaton has changed the political views he has held 50 long, and avowed so frankly, no one pretends; yet he has the support of Messrs Bromley, Clark, and other Liber- al Republicans who have over and over again denounced his extreme State Rights view of the United States Constitution and his notorious predilections in favor of the old, pro-slavery leaders of the South. We are ready enough to admit that the fact that he carried his sympathy with rebellion to the verge of treason should not work his perpetual exclusion from office. We take our opponents at their word and drop old issues, but we must not forget that there are important questions growing out of those old issues which make us dislike, even seven years after the war, to see such men as Mr. Eaton elected tol Congress by North ern constituencies. DaTa!ue, :qut@.'
 First among these we would reckon his. position regarding the assistance to be given by the national government towards the education of the Southern blacks. Mir. Eaton's contempt for that race, and his view regarding the limited powers of the general government, both commit him in advance against any such scheme of education. Yet it is the ignorance of the Southern votsr that is filling Southern legislatures with fraud and corruption, and those States are so poor, so heavily taxed, and so sparsely populated, that the establishment of efficient local school systems is next to impossible Unless, in- deed, this matter is taken in hand by the general government. it is to be feared that tl,a next generation of Southerners, black ana white, will grovel in ignorance togeth- CT ..I..
 Acknowledging as we do the shameful character of many, if not all, of the South srn Republican State adm inistrations, we are inclined to think that the reaction against that corruption which has given Conservatism so many Southern legisla- lures within few years past, is progress ing quite as rapidly as it can do with safe ty. The tendency to violence so manifest in the late Georgia election shows that the white southerner still looks to the depres- sion rather than to the elevation of the black race for relief from his difficulties. The election of Congress holding such views as Mir. Eaton would, we imagine, be the signal for such Ku-Klux violences in every Gulf State as would render impar- tial suffrage farce. It works badly enough now, but it's worst results are be- ing corrected Even South Carolina has stopped all future abuses of the State credit by constitutional amendment That the conservatives would soon get control of nearly every Southern State govern ment, we have believed eyer since we have been aware of the fuli extent of the knayeries of the Carpet-Baggers. That after such result it would be far better that our national administration should be Republican, ready to prevent all reac- tionary violence, and ready to aid any reasonable scheme of southern education, seems no less evident. Under such circum- stances is it not the plain duty of every Republican, no matter how Liberal, to vote once more against honest Bill Eaton and in favor of honest Joe Hawley? f