The Republican journal., 1874-12-24

NC, iiu even CoHCtutS Lndt lllelt feDcllION
is already virtual. triumphant The gov,
ernment forces, disheartened and decima-
ted by sickness, are no longer able to with
stand the reckless impetuosity of their
enemies Fevers of numerous descrp-
tions. dropsy and anemia ravage the camp
of the royalists AT last reports the rebels
had encamped in the province of Colon,
the sugar FL Dorado OF the island, and
only about one hundred and thirty miles
from Havana All efforts of the govern
ment thus far to check the westward ad
vance of the insurgents have resulted in
discontinue, and the latter have undoubt-
edly won the key to the possession Of the
remainder of the island.
The Belfast journal has an entirely original
way OF stating the origin of the Nicksburg
troubles 1t says that the Nicksburg tax pay
| erS. who complained that the Sheriff had not
given proper bonds, obtained an injunction
| restraining him from discharging the duties of
| the office, whereupon the sheriff called upon
the colored men to renstate him in office and
on their way to the city conflict ensued and
tainly new name to give to the unlawful act
OF body of six hundred determined men who
| proceeded in a body to the Sherif'S office and
forced him to sign resignation. Here at the
North such proceeding against either Il col
| ored or white officer would be recognized
t the unlawful act of Il mob, and the partcipa-
| tors in it would be punished accordingly. In
| junction" indeed. Lewiston journal.
1t will be seen that our enterprising CO.
temporary over on the Androscoggin has
got his indignation up to fever heat 1t
is lest to keep as cool as possible about
these things. 1t was only a week prcvi-
ous to the explosive wrath Of the above
article that the journal talked as philo-
sophically as this
| The war at Vicksburg is over and all is quiet
| Between one and two hundred negroes who
| periehed in the misguided attempt to capture
| the city, have been buried. 1t will probably
| be some time before the merits of the singular
| fight are fully understood at the North. and it
| is probably safe to say in this case, in most
others, that there was good deal to be said on
| both sides.
| And on this connection it is we'll to call
| attention, in the dispatches of Saturday,
to this paragraph, which does not appear
to have found a place in the Journal
| Ihe negroes engaged in the tight AT onyuer's
! Bluff were brought to Nicksburg Yesterday on
| warrant for the murder Of a negro named
James Gray. Silas Oliver. one of the prison
ers. admitted that he shot Gray under orders
| from JEFF Tucker, prominent Black Lacquer,
| for informing the whites of the proposed at
| tack> on Nicksburg.
| This appears to be a portion, and an
| essential one Of the "good deal to be said
| on both sides" That there was a ''mis-
guided attempt to capture the city, the
journal admits. The people who resisted
| horde, believed that the intention was to
| burn the city, and massacre the white in
habitai4is What would the men of any
Maine community do who believed that
! their property, their houses and lives Of
their wives and children were at stake ?
In regard to the sheriff matter out of
which this conflict grew, there seems to
| be no doubt that with the duty OF collect
| ing 100000 of taxes, the sheriff had given
| worthless bond We all know too well
what negro and carpet bag rule has done
for South Carolina and Louisiana, to doubt
that a scheme Of robbery under legal
forms would follow. A legal injunction
was moved by one portion OF the whites,
but another party went tor the colored
sheriff, and frightened him 50 that he re-
signed and has since run away. This was
an illegal act. But after the experience
OF those southern men, you can't expect
entirely cool heads, and obsequience de-
terence to laws under the forms of which
they are being robbed. Human nature
down there differs but little from what the
Creator has made it elsewhere-and the
people of the North, were the same state
of things existing among them, would do
Just about the same.
Running through the history Of these
and preceding events in the south, there is
vein Of philosophy which those who re-
gard them by the light of history cannot
fail to see. 1t is the same lesson that is
taught by the history of Russia and Po-
land, of Austria and Hungary, Of England
and Ireland. If we are obliged to govern
a certain portion Of the people for all time
by the power Of the bayonet and the de-
crees of martial law, then was the war for
the restoration of the Union a failure.
This government was intended to be one
resting on the consent of the governed
and when it fails of that support, it fails
to be what is trainers designed
Ten years have now elapsed since the
war ended and the republican party en-
tered upon its work of restoration. If it
has progressed no further than the Lewis
ton Journal represents, during a period
covering one tenth of the national exist
ence, it is selt-convicted of failure The
reason must be looked for in the faults of
the governing party. Instead OF ten years
of failure, to which the republicans are
obliged to confess, the democracy assert
that in one year after accession to power
in the nation, all strife and bitterness will
have passed away as etfectually as it has
in the states OF the south in which the
great national and fraternal party now
wields the powers of government
w eston has at last walked 800 miles
in six days. Now, for heavens sake, let
him retire