The Republican journal., 1874-06-11
The Question That Must be Met.

Mr.. Eaton, the newly elected Senator
Of Connecticut, recently delivered an ad-
dress to his fellow-citizens. in which he
referred in general way to his political
opinions. These opinions are altogether
toierably We'll known to everybody who
has followed the course of politics with
any attention. and it does not seem very
probable that Mr.. Eaton will make any
change in them He declared that he is
now, and always has been, and always
would be. a State rights Democrat OF the
old Jetfersonian school" He said also
First. first, first the State of Connecticut,
and then the Federal Union which, Of
course. is essentially the position formerly
taken by men like General Lee. Il shall
Try, added Mr.. Eaton, Ito take away the
Federal bayonets from our brothers in the
South, so that every State in this land
shall have the same right of local govern
ment and the same exercise OF it as our
own State"
Inc regulation way OF answering all
THIS IS to stick label on Mr. Eaton'S back
certifying that he is a Bourbon and cop
perhead, and to call attention to the fact
that he was by no means sound on
national issues during the war. But even
after all this was done, there would still
remain question in the background which
Will have to be met fairly in the face some
day or other. The extreme length to
10 which State rights theories We're pushed
IN 1850 and 1861 brought about reaction,
ana That reaction has led many people to
lhlnk that State rights belong to the dead
and-gone class OF questions, and that any
man who talks about State rights is sutfi-
GENTLY answered when he Is called =
Bourbon"
III IS unnecessary to say to any Intelligent
reader that this view is a miserablv shallow
one, and that in reality the rights of States
II govern themselves is as dear to the
people as ever it was. And it ought to he
dear to them, for when they abandon it
they Will have utterly i0rsaken the system
Of government established under the
edcral Constitution. They may set up
something else in its place which may be
called by any name that may please the
persons then living but it will not he the
government designated by the founders of
the Constitution 1t may be civil policy
based upon parliamentary rule or it may
me monarchy OF despotism but it Will
no longer be a constitutional republic such
rs we have seen here for nearly a hundred
wears
W c say then. that when Mr. Eaton talks
of the necessity of maintaining State
rights, and OF giving the citizens of South
Carolina the same freedom which the cit-
Zens OF Connecticut enjoy, it is not enough
10 aIlege that he is copperhead and to
illng at him the missiles which darkened
the air between 1861 and 1860 If the cit-
zens OF the South are living in 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 continuation. and.
therefore, the sooner the injustice is re-
dressed the better. All such questions 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
into corners and cover them with the
"battie-hag" OF with any other parapher-
MALTA. 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 discoveries but
to persist in those mistakes after discovery
and to pretend that religion and morality
requires us to persist in them-this is
course which we certainly shall not take
the responsibility of recommending to the
The Southern States are not living under
n fair free Government-so Mr. Eaton
and many others allege. Well, is the as
sertlon true Look at South Carolina
The facts in reference to that State seems
TO be about as well established as any his
torical facts can be, and they amount to
this-the negroes, assisted by rascallv
whites, have held sort of grand orgic in
tho State Sayaral
swallowed up among them pretty nearly
All the private property in the State, have
ruined what may be called the native citi-
zens even more thoroughly than the wan
had done, had robbed and halied like so
many highwaymen, and have reduced the
State to a condition which must shock
The Very 16v%rnor1s 4 Chef i nj 1;;3.g it.
lature is a gang Of thieves. Is this a re
publican government such as the Consti-
tuition guarantees to all the States? We
venture to say that it is not-that. on the
contrary, it is government OF which the
republic has every reason to be ashamed
No doubt the system introduced as
war measure into the South after the
war-chietlv upon the advice Of Senator
Sumner and Ihaddeus Stevens-was ey-
perimental; but can we wonder that peo-
pie everywhere begin to ask how long the
experiment is to last? There should at
least be some signs of Improvement visi-
bic 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 gov-
crned as she was under purely military
rule. The same must be said, mHatfs
ml1Ha31djS, of Louisiana, Mississippi. Texas
and Arkansas
Now it is folly to suppose that the Re
publican party, as an organization. Will
continue much longer to look on with sat
lsfaction at this great failure. The lead |
ers Of the present moment may not pay |
any attention to the subject, but if they do |
not other leaders will arise who will see |
that justice is done. Last week we all |
witnessed the United States Senate en-
gagged for about tWenty-tour hours at a |
stretch in passing bill for the benefit of |
the negro merely out of a sentimental sort |
of Difference to the wishes of deceased |
Senator Respect for the dead is incun- !
bent on US all, but legislation should be !
based on q careful and wise regard for the |
welfare ofthe living. not upon mandates |
real or fictitious of the dead The negro !
has had a very fair amount of protection. |
1t IS important before gong any further |
to find out what use he has made Of the
freedom given to him. in what way he
has exercised the vast political powers
with which he has been endowed; what |
sort of government he has helped to set
up in States where he is most powerful;
whether in short, he at this moment
stands in need protection from the white
man or the white man stands in need of
protection from him.
If Mr.. Eaton intends to raise these qnes-
tons, depend upon it he will obtain an
audience, and he cannot be suppressed by
bowls and groans, and we for our part
shall not join in any such attempts at sup
preston We should like to sec the ques-
tons taken up by Republicans Mr.. Car
penter made a great beginning in refer
ence to Louisiana. Such work would
be Tar more conducive to the prosperity
of the party andtp the cause of good gov