Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1874-08-28

"The talk about general war Of races
is too preposterous to receive serious at
tenton. Neither race wants that; but
the time seems to have fully come when
the question must be peacefully decided
at the polls whether the whites are to rule
or the negroes to ruin the Southern
States"
The Indiana Democra tic Convention
'views with adherence the attempt on
the part of the Federal government to take
control of all schools, colleges, churches,
hotels, railroads, steamboat is, theatres and
grave-yardB for the purpose of establish
ing negro equality, and enforcing it under
numerous penalties of fines, dana ges, and
imprisonments."
The Alabama Democratic Conven-
tion denounces the colored citizens as
an ignorant and barbarous race" and
repeats the words Of the Indiana resolu-
ton. And Mr.. Eaton just elected to the
United States Senate by the Democratic
Legislature of Connecticut, announces
that he ''shall try with ether honest
Senators TO take away the Federal bay
onets from our brothers, meaning that
he shall try to commit the blacks in the
Southern States to the care of the
whites.
The situation in the Southern States,
bad as it isis mainly due to the Demo-
cratic party. 1t is not the result of
the policy of reconstruction, but Of the
conditions and circumstances which
shaped reconstruction. If the Demo
cratic party had had absolute control of
those States from the surrender Of
Lee to this moment, the situation would
have been different, but it would have
been very much more threatening,
because injustice would have been or
ganized upon the largest scale, and the
monstrous consequences Of such poll
cy to the moral tone of the whole
country were shown in the influence of
slavery for seventy years. And yet at
the end Of the war had the white
leaders in the Southern States shown
themselves equal to the situation, had
they learned of Governor Orr and Gen
eral Longstreet, they might have con-
trolled affairs. But they sulked and
defed and protested, and passed the
most Infamous black codes, with the
full sympathy Of the Democratic press
in the Northern States, which openly
sneered at General Longstreet and all
the late confederates who showed
signs of sense and of statesman-like
instincts.
Two courses were open to Con-
gress: one was to hold the recovered
States in Territorial condi ton, the
other was to restore them as ra pidly as
possible to practical relations in the
Union. Public opinion scarcely per-
mitted the first course to be considered;
and in adopting the second, Congress,
instructed by the overwhelming facts,
having the completest evidence Of the
revolving spirit and intolerable policy
with which the colored population
were to be treated if the old Demo-
cratic ascendency in the States should
be suffered to re-organize the govern
ment at its pleasure, justly took all the
risks and made both races equal citizens.
That great confusion, much misgovern-
ment, and injustice in many ways have
followed is not to be denied; and the
only consolation is that much and much
more permanent evils must have re-
resulted from adopting any other course.
If, by an unhappy chance, the Demo
cratic party could have obtained pos
session of the government, the condi-
ton of the colored population under
black codes and vasrant laws, and at
the mercy Of Democratic ex,slave
holding State-sovereignty legislation,
would have been only less shame to hui
manity and civilization than the slavery
which under another form it would have
perpetuated.
Plainly the wise and patriotic, the
peaceful and necessary, course for the
country to pursue is to maintain the
equal rights Of all citizens in the fullest
and completest manner. This can not
and will not be done by the Democratic
party. 1t declares, indeed, that the
rights of the colored citizens must be
protected. But it "abhors" an equali-
ty which it calls social, but which is
not social, being merely legal. Itspeaks
with MIR. Eaton of ''our brothers" in
the Southern States, meaning those who
denounce the colored race as barbarous.
Its animating spirit is one of hostility
to the policy that gave political and
civil rights to the colored people. 1t
is additionally servile to the class that
held them in slavery; and while the
Democratic party does not declare that
the colored race should be depriv-
ed of the suffrage the manner in which
it would protect that right can be in
ferred frcm every Democratic journal
and orator and convention; while
Democratic contempt of equal civil
rights is openly and vehemently ex-
pressed. But equality of citizenship
and the disappearance of prejudice
against that equality are simply impos-
sible when the law stigmatizes any
class of citizens.
This is the very time to insist that
the policy which has been adopted
shall not be abandoned. To hesitate,