The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-06-04
THE KEPrBLIcAN PARTY AND THE
SOUTH.

Irr.m tIe New York Time.. May Al

Republican Journal,
TFrsm tie New York Times. May al
Mr.. Eaton. the neWIy-el ected Sena-
tor of Connecticut, reeently delivered
an address to his felloW-citiZens, in
which he referred in a general way to
his political opinions. These opinions
are already tolerabIy well known to
everybody who has followed the
course of politics with any attention,
and it does not seem probable that Mr.
Eaton viii make any change in them
He declared that he is now, and al
ways has been, and always would be,
State Rights Democrat of the old
Jeffersonian school" He said also:
First, first, first, the State of Con-
necticut, and then the Federal Union,
which, of course, is essentially the po-
sition formerly taken by men like
General Lee. g shall try" added
Mr.. Eaton, sfto take away the Federal
bayonets from our brothers in the
South. so that every State in this land
shall have the same right to local gov
ernment, and the same exercise of it
as our own State.7 The regulation
way of answering all this is TO stick a
label on Mr. Eaton's back certifying
hat he is a Bourbon and 4 copperhead
and to call attention to the fact that he
was bv no means sound" on the ma
tionaI issues during the war. But
even after all this had been done there
would still remain question in the
background which will haYe TO be
met fairly in the face some day or
other. The extreme length to which
State Rights theories were pushed in
1860 and 1861 brought about reac-
ton, and that reaction has led many
people to think that State rights be-
long to the dead-and-gon class of
questions, and that any man who talks
about State rights is sufficiently an
swered when he is called a Bourbon
1t is unnecessary to say to any intelli-
gent reader that this view is misera-
bly, shallow one, and that in reality
the right OF States to govern them
selves is as dear to the people
as ever it was. And il ought to be
dear to them, for when they abandon
it they will have utterly forsaken the
system of government established un-
der the Federal Constitution. They
may set up something else in its place
which may be called by any name that
may please the persons then living
bat it will not be the government de-
signed by the founders of the Ccnsti-
tuition. 1t may be a civil polity based
upon parliamentary rule, or it may be
a monarchy or despotism, but it will
no longer be constitutional republic
such as we have seen here for nearly
a hundred years. We say, then, that
when Mr.. Eaton talks of the necessity
of maintaining State ghts and giving
the citizens of South Carolina the
same freedom Which the citizens-of
Connecticut enjoy, It 10 not enough to
allege that he is sseopperhead," and
to fling at him the missiles which
darkened the air between 1861 and
1865 If the citizens of the South are
living In a state of oppression, Mr.
Eaton is right in calling attention to
their situation if they are suffering
from injustice, the nation at large will
never tolerate its continuance, and,
therefore. the sooner the injustice is
redressed the better. All such ques-
tions as these should be dealt with
frankly. 1t is very bad policy on the
part of the Republican party to try to
stuff them away in corners and cover
them with the "battle-fagV or with
any other of the war paraphernalia.
The people will not consent to see
either Poland or an Ireland created
on this soil. 1t is not impossible to
redress mistakes when they are dis
covered but to persist in those mis-
takes after discovery, and to persist
that religion and morality require us
to persist in them-this is q course
which we certainly shall not take the
responsibility of recommending TO
the Republican or any other party.
The Southern States are not living
.,p1ap a fai,. OFs fpaa erovopn M l1f-ce
Mr.. Eaton and many others allege.-
Well, is the assertion true? Look at
South Carolina. The facts in refer
ence to that State seem to be about as
well established as any historical facts
can be, and they amount to this-the
negroes, assisted by raseaIly whites,
have held a sort of grand orgie i'll the
State for several years past, have sWal
lowed up among them pretty much
all the private property in the State,
have ruined what may be called the
native citizens even more thoroughly
THAN the war had done, have robbed
and harIied like so many highway
men, and have reduced the State to
a condition which must shock every
one who sees it or reads about it. The
very Governor is a thief. The Legis-
Iature is a gang of thieves. Is this
republican government" such as the
Constitution guarantees to all the
States? We venture to say that it is
not-that, on the contrary, it is gov
ernment of which the republic has
every reason to be ashamed. No
doubt the system introduced as "war
measure" into the South after the war
chiefly upon the advice of Senator
Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens-Was
experimental but can we wonder that
the people everywhere begin to ask
how long the experiment is to last
There should at least be some signs of
Improvement visible as time goes on.
Nine years have passed since the close
Of the war, and is South Carolina
better governed than she was then?
She clearly is not So well governed
as she was under a purely military
rule. The same must be said, DautGt1S
nlutdndts, of Louisiana, Mississippi,
Texas, and Arkansas. Now it is folly
to suppose that the Republican party,
as an organization, viii continue much
longer to look on with perfect salts
faction at this great failure. The lead
ers of the present movement may not
pay any attention to the subject, but
if they do not, others will arise who
who will see that justice is done. Last
week we all witnessed, the United
States Senate engaged for about twen-
ty-four hours at a stretch, in passing
bill for the benefit of the negro mere
ly out of a sentimental sort of defer
enee TO the wishes of a deceased SEN
ator Respect for the dead is incum-
bent on us all, but legislation should
be based on careful and wise regard
for the welfare of the living, not upon
ssmandates' real or fictitious of the
dead. The negro has had very fair
amount of protection. 1t is import
ant before going any further to find
out what use he has made of the free
dom that has been given him in
what way he has exercised the vast
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