National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-17

At the last session of Congress bill,
hastily drawn and still more hastily passed,
was enacted into law, abolishing the
form of government then existing in this
District, and providing for the appoint
ment of committee whose duty it should
be to devise form of government for US
in the future. Since the act in question
was passed, the country has been swept
by political hurricane; the political COM
plexion of a majority Of the States of the
Union has temporarily at least changed,
and new duties and new responsibilities
devolve upon and confront the party in
charge Of tie Government. Let us con-
slider what they are. -
l. Since the late elections the leading
organ of the Democratic party in New
York, the World has printed a series of
articles. limiting at, if not boldly avowing,
that in the event of its party coming into
power in 1877 its first and principal duty
would be to investigate the reconstruction
legislation of the last ten years, particu-
larry the legislation bearing upon the re-
cent amendments 10 the Constitution. 1t
has charged that much of this legislation
is unconstitutional; that it will be the duty
of the Democratic party to repeal it. In
other words, every statute which aims to
secure the rights of the negro in the South
ern States must be blotted from the statute
book.
9 One of the Richmond (Va.) Demo
cratic papers, emboldened by the recent
successes of its party, and following the
leadership of the organ in New York, goes
a step further. 1t maintains that negro
suffrage is at the bottom of all the trouble
in the Southern States, and in almost as
many words says that it should be abol-
ished. 1t points TO the abolition last spring
Of the late government in this District as
the proof of the truth OF its assertions.
8. In every State in the South the policy
Of the Opposition is a policy looking to
the humiliation of the results of the war.
Take North Carolina. At the present hour
the Democratic papers of that State are
flooded with letters, written by leading
Democrats, in favor of revision of the
State constitution. Why the revision2
Simply to deprive the colored man of the
suffrage and perpetuate the rule of the
White Mans party in that Commonwealth.
The same condition Of affairs exists in
every State south of the Potomac, in
Louisiana and Arkansas, in Georgia and
Alabama and South Carolina.
What is the Republican party in Con-
gress going to do aboutit? In the forma-
ton of a government for the District Of Co.
lumbia, where the experiment was first
made Of comforting the suffrage upon the
black man, shall it admit that that suffrage
has been failure2 Is it ready to disfan-
chise the men whom it enfranchised? Is
it prepared TO make the admission that its
theories are all wrong; that it must undo
what 1t has done? Here at the capital of
the country is it going to set precedent to
every Democratic State government in the
South which if followed will be certain to
drive it from power and surrender all that
it has, as party, won? Nearing the Cen
tennial of American Independence, is the
Republican party ready 10 acknowledge
that in the political centre Of the country,
where Republican Institutions are supposed
to bear their blossom and fruit, democracy
is s failure2 The party cannot afford to do
it. No Southern representative dare vote
for the bill, if it shall be presented, which
DISTINGUISHES the black and white citizens
Of the District. Weappeal to the thought
full men of the party to consider what such
bill would mean. The party would be
simply putting a sword in the hands Of its
enemy with which u slaY itself.