New-York tribune., 1872-07-22
SELF-GOVERNMENT.

Mr.. Secretary Boutwell,, in his remarkable
speech TO the people of North Carolina, apollo
gized in a limping sort of way for the desDot-
ism of military rule which the President has
persisted in maintaining over the reconstructed
States. II Federal troops stood guard over the
polls and surrounded the civil courts, ard
Major Generals exerted the combined authority
of Governors, Judges, jures, and constables,
it was because the Administration knew Oetter
than the people what was good Tor them'
President Grant did not like such things him
self. His heart blcd whenever he made a
military arrest, and almost cracked when he
ordered military trial. They might depend
upon it the President would stop such pro-
ceedings as soon as he felt it safe to do So
Mr. Boutwell,, indeed, was so ingenious ana
so entertaining that we are tempted 10 Dc
sorry that he has taken our advice ana gone
home to look after the Treasury.
Now contrast with these absurd official eX-
cuses the manly language of the Cincinnati
Platform in its Fourth Article:
"Loca sclfeovcrnmont with impartial suffrage. will
guard the rights Of all citizens securely than any
centralized power. The public welfare requires the
supremacy OF the civil over the military authority ana
freedom of person under the protection Of the habeaS
corpus We demand for the individual the largest lib
erty consistent with public order; for the state SELF
government and for the nation return to the inethod
of peace and the constitutional limitations OF power"
These principles are the foundation of our
whole political system. De TOcqueville, in
his democracy i'll America" shows how
local government, extending downward
even to the township and the village, is the
very life of republicanism, and the secret 0l
the extraordinary success OF the American
experiment in popular government. We dare
say President Grant has never read De Toe
ouevile's work, but Secretary Boutwell, Is
not ignorant of it, and before he makes
another speech he will do well to re-
fresh his acquaintance with the first few
chapters, and to study the commentary
upon them which has been adopted by
the Liberal Republican and Democratic Con-
| ventions. The policy of the President cannot
| remove the disorders of the South. Military
| occupation will not reconcile an oppressed and
dissatisfied people. The reconstructed States
| are dscOntented because their functions are
usurped by a "paternal administration" al
! Washington, and constituencies are irTitated
| by petty and useless disability laws, which
ought long since TO have been swept away
| In the approaching change of government
| they see the certain prospect of return tC
| the true American system. and the admirable
| temper in which they hail that prospect Is q
guarantee that the Liberal cure for Southern
misfortmes will be instantaneOusly effective
The same principle of decentralization which
our platform applies TO the general functions
of government is applied also to the partic-
| ,,Ior issue of thc Tariff Each Con yTpSs dis.
trict is left free to express its own preferences
upon this subject without regard to political
considerations; and so the people themselve'
are allowed to settle a question which GER
tain little knot of patcrnal Free-Traders have
assumed to settle for them. Self-gOyernment
in word, with equal rights, is the motto o
the new alliance. Under tins banner peace
and prosperity are certain. Under the Grant
policy we need look for nothing but quarrel
ings and disorder.