The New York herald., 1874-08-28
The Black Elephant OF tho Repub-
lican Party.

ornamental than useful, and, us the granger
Hence the term ''white elephant" in its
general application to any cumbersome and
costly undertaking by government, party
or an aspiring politician. For example, the
late peculiar institution" of the South was
the white elephant of the democratic party:
and as an object of veneration it was some
what profitable withal, until the pampered
pachyderm turned upon its keepers and
trampled them in the dust. The republi-
can party then came to the front, and,
after Staying the democratic white elephant,
as ST. George slew the dragon, in right
royal way on the field Of battle, set up in his
place its black elephant or, as Mr.. George
T. Downing defines him. 'sthe American
citizen Of African descent" or as the dis
gusted one line democrat describes him, ''the
almighty Niger" And from 1860 to this day,
in following his banner with its strange de-
vices the republican party has had the VIC
torious career of grand combination men,
agerie and circus on summer campaign.
Beginning with its revolutionary victory in
1850, under the bold declarations of mo fur
ther extensions of slavery and the abolition
OF those twin relics of barbarism, slavery and
polygamy," the republican party, in the re-
peal Of the Fugitive Slave law, in the abolition
of slavery in the District of Columbia in the
emancipation proclamation, in the war
against slavery and in the thirteenth, four
teenth and fifteenth amendments of the con-
stitution, has marched from victory to VIC
tory. But with the legacy from Charles
Sumner to the republican party of his Civil
Rights bill, its black elephant, we fear, is
overloaded. Logically this Civil Rights bill
may be necessary to complete the work, to
cap the pyramid Of civil and political equality
as between whites and blacks under our new
constitution; but practically the bill promises
nothing but mischief to Southern whites and
blacks and to the republican party and its
carpet-baggers
General Grant expressed the opinion some
time ago that the republican party was carry
ing such heavy load Of monstrosties that
the time had come for throwing some of them
overheard. And he set the party some good
examples in tightening the ship in casting
overheard such deadweights as the would-be
Governor Davis, of Texas, and the would-be
Governor Brooks, of Arkansas. And since
the settlement Of the Arkansas gubernatorial
squabble the President, in declining to be
used by the Southern blacks in their local
riots against the whites and among themselves
in Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and
other Southern States, has shown that he, at
least, has had enough of armed Intervention
in the local concerns of those States, and that
he believes it will be we'll to try for season
the constitutional experiment Of giving to the
Southern States the same general jurisdiction
over their State affairs that is exer-
cised by the Northern States. We dare say
that General Grant is opposed to this sweep
ing and dangerous Civil Rights bill, now only
awaiting its passage by the House Of Repre-
sentatives and its approval by the President
to become law, and we dare say that upon
the test of this bill, if made law, the republi-
can party will be disastrously defeated in
every Southern State excepting South Caro-
lima and Mississippi
AS the bill stands the general hue and cry
even the republican carpet-baggers to special
pleadings and explanations. But the South
ern opposition elements say this bill was
adopted in Congressional republican eau
Gus as a party measure that as party
measure so decreed it was passed by the
tempts were made to rush it through the
House, and that if defeated by Southern re-
publican votes, cast against it in every at
tempt, the bill may yet be passed at the next
session of the same Congress, when the State
elections of this year will no longer be in the
way
Many Southern white republicans recoil
with indignation from the civil rights pro-
posed to be enforced under this obnoxious
bill, particularly the right to enforce the mix
ing Of black children with white children in
the public schools on a footing of equality,
and under the power of the Executive and the
Judiciary, and of the army and navy of the
United States if necessary. Evidently in
several, if not in most, Of the Southern States
the blacks are estimating at too high q figure
the advantages they are sure to gain under
this Civil Rights bill They even seem to
think that in anticipation of this bill they
may do as they please, and that the govern
ment is bound to sustain :hem. We are
gratified, therefore, to perceive that they, too,
are to be taught submission to their local laws
and authorities and that government bayonets
are no longer to be used in support of the
colored citizens of the South, whether they
ore orderly or riotous, right or wrong. We
have had quite enough of the supremacy of
aha federal bavonet in the local affairs of the