Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-12
THE ONLY REMEDY FOR SOUTH,
ERIN MISRULE.
New York Tribune.

ERIN MISRULE.
New York Tribune.
Attention has frequently been called
to the fact, in connection with the
long, sad story of Southern misrule,
that the terrible condition of affairs In
the ~misgoverned States is perpetuated
by the action of the dominant party in
the country, which through the admin
istratiOn continues in the Federal Of
fees, and consequently in positions of
power and opportunities for mischief,
some of the most incompetent, dishon-
est and dangerous men in those States.
The habit of the party in power has
been, while uniting In the denuncia-
lions, which have been universal, of the
bad men who have held the
Southern States by the throat,
to disclaim all responsibility for their
acts, and to say that while it was all
very deplorable, there seemed to be no
remedy, since the conduct of the
Southern whites made it necessary to
overthrow slavery and give the freed.
men the ballot for their own protection.
and thus put it in the power of the
carpet baggers to use them for The pur-
pose Of controlling politics and plumb
ering treasures. All the time that
they have been enter ng these disclaim-
ers of responsibility they have reoog-
nIzed the men. who were making
all the mischief at the South as
members of me party in good standing,
as polltlcG4 associates and allies.
DenoUncingthe yillainIes of these men,
AS mIny of the party leaders and par
ty presses have done, or denying, as
most of them have, that the party was
IN any sense responsible for the con-
duct of those who bore the name and
won the victories and devastated States
in the name of the party at the South,
they have never failed to rejoice over
the political successes of these scOun-
drels as their own; never hesitated to
call them Republican victories; never
shrunk from association with them as
equals in the perfecting Of the party
policy, OF the carrying on of
campaigns; and in all this
period of misrUle put up SO
much as a whimper Of opposition to the
whole bad business. 1t was theirs 10
reap the rewards, rejoice In the victo-
rIes; use for party purposes the men
and their methods Of cheating and
devlltry, and then when the whole
country exclaimed at the outrages and
the robberies to which innocent people
al the South We're exposed, to raise up
then han2s in molly horror with the
rest, ard say they had no responsibility
Tor ITEM, and were only too anxious to
hayE a better state of things initiated.
In the discussion which has lately
arisen over the disturbed condition Of
affairs In the Southern States, it has at
last happened that the attention Of
those who alone can correct it has been
called to the tap-roOt of all the trouble,
the fact that the system of appoint
ments to Federal offices has kept in
place as bad a lot of men as ever packed
a convention or ever plundered a treas
ury, and that this alone has perpetual
ted the frigbtful misgovernment of the
past six or seven years. Under the
system Of Congressional appointments
the President has nominated to the
Senate for the Federal offices in the
Southern, as indeed in all the other
States, the candidates recommended to
ms favor by the Senators and members
of Congress from those States. The
government patronage has been, not
IN the hands of the President, but, as n
matter of fact, in the hands of the
Senators and Representatives. Car
Pet-bag Senators and scalawag
Congressman have asked the APP
poIntrsent to important Federal Offices
of ignorant, incompetent and dishonest
creatures Of their own, whose only SER
wee was to the member procuring the
appointments, and their only mission
the promotion of corrupt politics and
the perpetuatiQn Of a rascally ring
rule. Precedent had established the
custom, and party willed 1t that those
Senators and Congressman should con-
troll and distribute the Government
patronage. The President had only to
make the nominations they dictated,
ard a partisan Senate did not fail to
confirm them.
Evil consequences Of great magni-
tude have flowed from this pernicious
spolls system at the North. AT the
South they have been almost incalcu-
liable. Thoughtful men have seen for
A long time that unless this custom of
distributing patronage could be abol-
Ished, the South was without help OF
hope. The Rings are in absolute con
troll, and with a President who gives
them Government patronage and SEN
ate which makes no opposition to 1t,
they command all the facilities for
keeping themselves in power. The
power of self-perpetuation in such
a condition of affairs is
simply absolute. Nothing can hinder
such a political combination from on
tinuing in power cxcep. Il determine
ton on the part Of either the President
or the Senate to cut the connection. 1t
is a sign of earnestness IN the investi-
CATION that this point bias at last been
reached and the determination an
nouneed at least-we hope 1t will be
carried Quito change the whole sys-
TEN, by disregarding the recommenda-.
tions Of the Senators and Congress
men and making an effort to Sc
cure in Federal offices the SER
vices of honest and competent
men who are not entanglad with
existing rings. We are glad to learn
that the purpose has been expressed By
the Administration to make sweeping
removals Of ofiicehOlders Of the poll
tician class in some Of the States, and