American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-16
The ReSult---The Situation.

Grant as a kind of declaration of
war against the Southern States,
and not only anticipate but predict
that the South will be more harshly
dealt with than ever-that the ku-
klux law will be more riSidly and
arbitrarily enforced than ever, and
that our section will be oppressed
and tyrannized over in every con-
ceivable shape and form. Some
even go so tar as to say that we
have had our last presidential cleo
tion-that republican government is
at an end-that Grant, feeling him
self all powerful and invincihle ~
fore the American people, BECAUSE
of his overwhelming majyNy' Will
perpetuate his reign, ~nd deciaie
himself Dictator in 1916.
This is certs'd1y a very gloomy
view of the sffure, aud We confess
we do notsympathize with it to any
nreat extent. We take a more hope
ful view of the situation. There is
nothing in the result of the late
election in the South to embitter
the Administration against the
South. Her majority against him,
both by States and popular vote, is
very small-not as large as it was
in 1868. 1t is believed that many
Democrats voted for him; at all
events they didn't vote for his op
ponent. Seven Southern States. to-
wit: Alabama. Arkansas, Missis
sippi. North Carolina, South Car
DINA, Florida and Virginia.
The majority against him in Ten
nessee is merely nominal; and
in Kentucky. when the real De
mocratic majority of ninety thous-
and in that State is consider
ed. Greeley's meager majority over
Grant is the greatest triumph he
has achieved. No. Grant has no
cause to hate the South, or to wish
to prosecute or punish her farther.
His highest ambition should be sat
isfied. Like the earlier and better
Presidents, Washington, Jefferson,
Monroe, Madison and jackson, he
has been elected for q second term
by an overwhelming majority of
his countrymen, and next to that
his greatest desire should be to be
the President of the people and not
IF a party-to administer the Gov
eminent with perfect fairness and
impartiality.
We cannot forget, nor do we pro-
pose to forget, just yet awhile,
that General Grant was at one time
a friend of the South and of South
ern men. He was magnanimOus in
his terms of surrender with our
brave old General Lee at Apo
mattox, and afterwards, when An
dy johnson Che who has just been
buried out of sight in Tennessee
wanted to have Lee and Joe john
ston arrested and hung, that "trea-
son" might be "made odious,'
General Grant came Is to the front !"
and said che had received the pa
roles of those gentlemen-they had
kept their paroles of honor in good
faith. and if any measures were
taken looking to their arrest, he
would resign his sword as General
of the Army" But for this, those
our greatest and best Generals
would undoubtedly have been ar
rested and subjected to the same
punishment that was inflicted upon
jefferson Davis. johnson and Stan
ton and an entire cabinet were bent
upon that course. Grant prevented
it. After this, General Grant was
sent on a mission to the South
to ascertain the state of feeling
of our people towards the Fed
eral Government. He performed
that duty, and on his return to
Washington reported most favOra-
bly, of our section. Since he has
been President, General Grant re-
fused to put Georgia a third time
under military rule, though strong
ly importuned to do SO by distin-
guished members of the Radical
party, both civil and military nor
do we believe that he proposes now,
or will listen to the proposition, to
reconstruct Georgia again be.
cause of the Macon disturbance at
the October election. We do not
believe that Grant is, or ever has
been. in favor of depressing white
men to pander to the prejudices and
passions of the negroes and their
allies. His antecedents are not in
favor of that suppOsition.
Upon the whole, laying partisan
prejudice aside, We do not see why
we may not "turn our backs upon