The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-06-19
evening State Sn,.raal.
General Grant ana His RcyIIants.

THURSDAY EfENlNU. JUNE IL, 1Sfd
General Grant and His RcylIants. 4
To the Editor Of Ats State Jo,rnntf.r liig sril 4
Since the days of Mr.. Jefferson no presi.
dent has ever been so recklessly assailed as
President Grant, except President Tyler.
If he acts on principles heretofore approved
by all the. constitutional men OF the old
Democratic party, he is assailed for having
done so. Ii he adopts the iavorite Wing
maxim of hostility to the one man power,
and refuses to exercise his veto freely, he is
denounced as tool and unprincipled imbe.
cile. If he attempts to give peace to the
country by refusing to take part improper
ly in state controversy, and maintaining
simply the constitution as it is, he is charg.
ed with being leagued with the negro race
to overthrow the white race. | propose
briefly to inquire into the truths of these
accusations, and the political character of
the accusers. =
First, then, as to his maintenance OF
constitutional doctrines:
General Grant at the close of the war
found himself, not by his own seeking, at
the head of an Infatuated, reckless and
overwhelming party, called the Republican
party, which, having overthrown the South
in arms under his lead as soldier, flushed
with victory and drunk with power, deter
mined still further to PROSTATE that South
and deprive it of all political influence.
That being really the purpose for which the
war had been waged, and the fury Of fa-
naticism invoked to make it successful,
all those odious, if not infamous, measures
called the reconstruction laws, were passed
by Congress, while almost every prominent
man at the north, especially OF the Wing
party, sustained them, and the
men who passed them, and voted
for amendments to the constitution which
were intended to render the repeal of them
impossible.
Appeals were made in vain to the press
and people Of the north to stay this ruth
less warfare under the name of peace upon
a subdued and impoverished people who
had done nothing but simply to ask that
they be let alone, and permitted to
carry out the fundamental principles Of the
government, as announced in the declara-
ton Of independence and bill of rights, to
wit: to form their own government.
Time and again the northern people were
warned that this wave of ruin would come
like an undertow and sweep them away,
but no cheering word was returned, no sign
OF help was given, not a single life-boat
was launched uponthe pillows. Men and
women were murdered under the forms Of
law, and the great north applauded,
until the acting President repented him Of
the part which he had borne in the
devastation, and he launched little life
boat, which was soon submerged and
dashed to pieces; and for that act of
humanity he was charged with treason to
his flag and his life was sought. Such
was the condition of things when
General Grant was placed al the
head of the government. The southern
states were IN the hands Of the military
without any constitutional government, un-
armed and defenceless, with none but the
military to protect them. When he ae-
cepted the government he unfortunately
announced that the will of the people, as
expressed through their representatives,
should be his rule of action, and he has
adhered to it. For this he has been de-
nonnced as the author of all our woes,
although he had no voice in passing the
laws from which they sprung no power
to repeal those laws, and no function but
that of an erecatice officer to enforce them.
Was ever denunciation of any man more
unjust and more nnfounded?
The had been president when these bad
laws were passed, he might have exercised
the one man power and vetoed them, but
not being president he could not veto, and
by nothing in the constitution is he author.
lied to repeal a law. r
Secondly. In'Louisana most unhappy
state of things exists. Two men, utterly
without principle, got into the lead under
Z the action of these very laws, which have
said General Grant did not aid in passing,
and has no power to repeal.
In an evil moment, and in the lust of
power, the white mans party, or the Con-
servative party, as it is called, formed a
league with the worst of these two men,
according to their own previous description
of him, and agreed that they would make him
senator Of the United States if he would
make one Of them governor. In the cleo
ton which followed, each claimed the VIC
tory and each charged the other with the
most atrocious frauds. Which is right,
have no means of determining doubtless
both are right to some extent. regret as
much as any man that McEnery did not
succeed for am sure he is far better
man than his opponent (though by no
means wise one in my opinion) and be-
cause, if he had been elected, the violent
and bloody scenes which ensued would not
have taken place, and the better class of
people would have controlled the state.
The question s'who wasrightfully elect
edo was, however, first submitted to the
federal and then to the state judiciary, and
severally they decided that Kellogg and
not McEnery was elected. An appeal was
then made to Congress, which had really
no control over the subject except by force
Of its own illegal prccedents in the recon-
struction laws; and although it had again
and again assumed the right to declare
state government illegal and to set it
aside and although under the humiliating
influence Of defeat, the fear of future and
greater wrongs, as well as the intoxicating
desire for power, the Conservative
men had abandoned all constitutional
ground, surrendered in effect all
objection to unconstitutional law, and
pleading necessity as their justification, had
appealed to Congress to set aside a state
election, and overturn state government.
That body so eminently distinguished by its
past acts for its adherence to the constitute
ton, refused to interfere, and the President
was then appealed to to do what the Con-
gress could not and certainly would not do,
and as the head of the government, he was
urged to remove the federal Judge, upon the
ground that he was a drunken rascal and
no lawyer. Wisely and properly he re-
fused to do either. The supreme court