New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-04-24
tFroD the National Republican
The Southern Question.

The Richmond Inquirer takes US severely
to task for some recent paragraphs that APP
peared in these columns in regard TO South
ern matters, and more especially about Viz.
GINA. 1t also requires Us to answer certain
neutrality-suspicious. that have been an
swered thousand times, ard that il seems
a mere waste of time and words to refer TO
at this late day.
The first foolish assertion OF the Inquirer
is that one Of the effects of RadicaIism,
(meaning Republicanism,) is 10 place the
negro above the white man. and adds, sit
may tell us that ia simply the result of the
general laws Of the country, granting equal
rights TO the two races" To this we an
swer, that If in any State in the South the
negro is above the white man, that condition
Of affairs docs not exist as one of the "eiIects
Of Radicalism," but as one of the effects OF
Southern stupidity, intolerance, and hatred
of the colored race. If the blacks Of the
South are to-day banded together; if, as in
South Carolina, they neutralze and over
whelm the white vote at the polls, the cause
is to be found in the action and antecedents
of the white party in that State alone. Be-
fore the blacks united as man against them
they had united against the blacks. At the
close of the war, when the most generous
terms ever offered to people conquered in
war were offered to the Southern people, "to
go home and obey the laws" what did they
do in North Carolina, for instance? Why,
they went home and fought the laws in every
way they dared to fight them. They pro-
claimed relentless war against the negroes !;
they marshaled the regiments of the dis
banded Confederate army into Ku-klux
lodges and Knights Of the White Brotherhood
and inaugurated a reign of terror in four or
five of the Southern States. In other States
the whites refused to have any participation
in the Government at all, and if we mistake
not the Enquirer distinguished itself in Vir-
ginia in countenancing and advocating that
exceedingly ridiculous policy.
The Enquirer tells us that Conservatism
means the safety ofthe State and Radicaism
its destruction, and points to Virginia and
South Carolina in support of its position. We
cannot see it in that light. At the same time
our contemporary must not misunderstood
our position. We will not deny or attempt
to ralliatc the corruption that obtained in
that State. We denounced it at tic time AS
severely as we could; so severely that it WAS
attempted to seek redress in our courts. The
case of South Carolina is precisely analogous
to that of New York. In South Carolina UNI
scrupulous politicians used an ignorant black
vote and obtained power. In New York I'M
scrupulous and unprinciped white Democrats
used an ignorant white vote in the same way
and plundered that State of millions and mil
lions Of dollars. In New York the so-Calied
better classes were indifferent; in South Car
DINA they rendered possible the very condi-
ton of affairs of which they are now COM
planning.
The Enquirer asks us to answer this propo-
stion: If in Pennsylvania or New York
there was majority of negro voters who
were banded together on the basis of their
race against the white race, would our Wash
ingtOn contemporary contend that the inter-
ests and rights Of the whites ought to be
made to yield to the passions and prejudices
of the blacks on account of the superiority
in numbers Of the negroes: This is plain
proposition, and the theory Of the Radical
party is brought to test in answering it.
In other words, do our political opponents
mean to maintain that wherever the negroes
are in a majority they should exercise the
power bestowed upon them by their popular
strength in legislating against the prosperity
of white men if they choose to exercise it ?"
We are not authorized to speak for the Repub-
lican party, but it is the easiest and simplest
thing in theworldtO answer our contemporary.
The material interests ofthe blacks and whites
in the South are identical, and there are dis
tnctions on account of color, if parties are
formed upon the basis of race, it is entirely,
as We Sdlu ucloic, tuC ituit vi tnc WhileS, WIN
should have known better than to bring about
such state of affairs. If the white South
Carolinians had only acted fairly by the
blacks, they could have divided the black
vote long ago; but they did not, and now,
like parcel of women, whine and complain
OF oppression and tyranny and of the evils
Of radical rule. five understand the process
Of reasoning Of these gentlemen in the South
just now, they desire the Republican party to
violate the law merely to aid them. If the
Republican party would tomorrow override
the Constitution and help them into power
they would applaud it as the greatest and
best party the world ever saw.