National Republican., 1873-01-31
THE NEW pEp,RrrnR.

THE NEW DEPARTURE.
signitCant-thC most signifcant-even
ot the session took place In the House Of Req
rcsentntivcs yesterday, when Republican,
aud Democrats gathered around the desk o.
the Hon. Benjamin +. Butler and paid hin
the rare tribute of hearty and generous ap-
Pllusc as he declared that II was the New
Orleans of 1919 aud not the New Orleans OF
lsdl-62 that he wished to remember. Com
Ing from Gen. Butler, the radical Of radicals
this stern, uncompromislng American Crom.
WELL the Butler who laid his iron hand upon.
New Orleans; the Butler who in his famou,
"contrabaud order solved the slave problem
before Lincoln solved 1t, the incident rise,
up green and fertile spot In the desert o.
drcary aud prohtlcss debate, and petty scan
dal aad malignlty, and defamation that bio,
the pages OF the Congressional Globe durin.
the last six weeks. So far as Gen. Butle.
himself is concerned, Il was no new doctrine
with him, but II was, as far rs the House o.
Representatives was concerned, an unlocked.
fOr manifestation of q feeling that is full o,
good omen and OF good cheer tor the republic
For what, after all, does 1t mean2 |,
means that the North Is ready and willing I,
extend Its hand to the South; to clasp hand
across the bloody chasm, about which W.
heard so much in tho late campaign. Tht
opponents of tho Republican party In th,
late canvass skilliully GndeayOred to place a.
In the position Of hostility to the South; /,
was charged with Keeping alive the AM.
mosities aud the hatreds of the war
OF expressing and tyrlnlzlng over thos,
who followed the Confederate flag In the wa.
oi the rebellion. From the day that Genera
Lee surrendered his sword to General Gran,
tAo Republican party Of the North has beci
anxious for peace and goodwill But III,
stormy administration Of Mr.. johnson inter
Nened, aud through all tho South ther,
smoaldered the lires Of civil war and treason,
which II was hoped had been extlnguished.
ihe Democratic PARTY Of the North, led bN
the ScynONrs and the Bairs, did all they
could to pcrpctuatc the strife and animosity,
They opposed tho constitutional amend
ments. They fought reconstruction. They
held out the hope that all the war legislation
as 1t was called, should be repealed; that thr
south should have her own again-should
have the right TO trlmple upon and dlsfran-
chlse those whom the logic Of the bayonel
and the bullet had enfranchised. The De-
m0cracy Of the North kept alive the spirit OF
opposition to the Republican policy of tn,
North, and from timc 10 time 1t broke ont IA,
ku-Klux perseCutiOn-ln horrible outrage,
upon colorcd men and white Republicans.
This loyal party Of the country, who had
saved the Union In the field, was forced into
taking In peace almost as stern measures a,
u was compelled to take lu war. But under
meath all the seemingly harsh current Of Re-
publican legislation there was spirit OF
hndAness aud charity aud love-a yearnlng
10 put an oad to the war aud the strlfcs ana
struggles and heartburnings that followed II
1t was ever uppermost in the thoughts OF
mCn like Butler and Morton aud Stevens
long before Stevens, great name and fame
passed iGtO history.
During the last eight years the North has
been always ready to meet the South upon the
basis of loyalty aud love for the Union,
Northern capital has been ready to throw Its
golden streams over the fields desOlated by
war and the march Of victorious armies.
But the conquered SOuthcrncr has ever since
stood upon the dividing line of Mason and
Dixon and declared that so far should IL 70
and no farther. To-day no one knows better
than the South itself what a terrible blunder
1t made. The Northern muscle driven back
from the South went to build up the far
Wet 10 make the hated New England
greater aud stronger and richer than she was
before The south scOrncd and spat upon
the healing policy which Gen. Grant an
nounccd as the keynote of his adminIstra.
tiou. When offered peace 1t chose war.
When offered prosperity 1t chose poverty. |,
remains to be seen whether II will persist in
this insane and fatal course; whether 1t will
again refuse the olive branch which General
Butler yesterday offered 1t amidst the
applause OF the representatives, of the Re-
publican party OF the country. II is to be
hoped that 1t will have the wisdom to accent
that which II has so often rejected The Re.
publican party, in the flush of lis greatest
victory again asks for peace and good will
the restoration OF the Union In fact US well
as In name. 1t would bind the South to the
North by the memories Of the earlier DAYS
and the earlier victories. 1t would draw the
vOil over 1850 and 1851, and remember only
the battles and the campaigns In which the
South stood side by side with the North
against common enemy. IL Is now nearly
eight years since the war closed. The scar,
and the wounds of the conflict have been
healed so fur as the North Is concerned. Ii
has forgiven Great Britain the cold and cruel
blows that she struck against 1t. 1t has takel
the hand Of France aud the hand Of Canada,
proclaimed universal peace and amnesty, and
an era OF good feeling with all the world |
VIII the South alone refuse to be reconciled : |