Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-30

The New York World labors to prove that the
Greeley party is the democratic party. Itmight
pare its pains; nobody is inclined to dispute
that proposition. Whether it is truly demo
cratic, in the original and best sense of that
much abused word, is another question The
pith of the democratic creed according to thi,
authority, is local self government against cen
traization. As applied to the present political
situation this is equivalent to a denial of the
power of the general government to protect its
citizens in the exercise of the rights guaranteed
to them by the constitution. To provide that
black men may vote freely without intimidation
or subsequent harm is Odious Capitalization. To
stand cooly aside and see them prosecuted even to
death, because they have chosen to vote other
wise than as their white neighbors desire to
have them, is the democratic policy. Who
ever may be elected president this year,
there can be no doubt of this, that
eventually the people OF the United
States viii settle this question in the only right
way. They will establish so that it can no more
be doubted, the right of the government to pro-
tect its citizens against attempts to deprive them
of those political rights which the constitution
promises 10 all, and charges congress to guard
aud enforce by appropriate legislation. The
government has the power and assumes the
task Of carrying the mails; by its own laws and
officers it Furnishes those who interfere with its
exerciseof this function. 1t has the power to
coin money, and by its own laws and officers
it Furnishes counterfeiters. 1t has decreed that
no man shall be denied the right to vote for
certain reasons, and by its own laws and officers
it will punish those who conspire to prevent
the exercise Of the right thus guaranteed.
Sooner or later this doctrine must be settled,
and it can be settled only in this way. If the
republican party prevails now, this will be add
ed TO the list Of questions once disputed and
wrangled over, but no longer open, and the agi-
taton Of the issues of the war and of reconstruc-
ton viii have come to an end. If Greeley should
be elected, on the other hand, the agitation of
these questions must continue Here at the
north, since the war closed, il has been an ex-
cited, sometimes an angry, agitation, but il has
been conducted without bloodshed or physical
conflict. In the south, however, the case has
been very different Many thousand lives have
Deen saclheed within the last three years by the
malignant opponents Of equal political rights. If
Grant is reelected those scenes Of murder and
outrage will not be repeated; but if the Amer.
lean people should be so misled as to elect the
democratic candidate, we must look forward To
renewal Of that struggle whose result cannot
be doubtful, but in whose course infinite misery
and wrong must be suffered. This is the opin-
ion Of men who havelived through the period Of
reconstruction in the southern states and know
well the ienper Of the people there. As gen
tleman from Georgia said to US yesterday, on
one side are the democrats, a maj jrity of the
white people, and on the other the negroes. Tn,
former are impatient Of negro equality ano
determined to put an end 10 1t, no matter b.,
what means, but restrained at present by th,
laws, and their conviction that the presiden
will execute them; the latter smarting from re
Gent wrongs aud fearful Of the future, but trust