New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-07-15
YHE PRESIDENT and The SOUTH.


suaded of the excellent intentions OF the
President toward the Prostate State, but not
specially hopeful, it would seem, az to the
practical effect Of Gen. Grants good wishes.
Che President can do nothing unless perhaps
he can indirectly contribute to the overthrow
of the Moses despOtism by refusing TO employ
United States troops in the collection OF taxes
He cannot change the present condition OF Things
By a redistribution of Federal patronage, be-
cause, SAYS Mr.. Robertson, congressman c0ntrol
.. the amendments, and the President cannot
:. he expected TO be familiar with the record
4" of every man whom he is called upon to
appoint to Office But in fact Mr.. Robert
son has no idea that, with any amount OF
Federal patronage. a reform within the party
is possible There are some good Republl-
cans IN South Carolina " but | do Mt think
d" that they can be elected" he says; they
d" don't possess the strength and | honestly
| " helieve that none of them could secure the
nomination."
Is it true that Gen. Grant can do nothngf
A delegation from the most respectable tax
PAYERS in the State went to Washington some
weeks ago to explain the situation to HIM and
consult with him about measures OF relief.
Even few words of friendship and sympathy
then would have been worth everything to
them. The robbers in Office were watching
for the faintcst indication of the Presidents
disposition. The oppressed citizens were lis
tening for the signal to pluck up heart and
20 to work But the President, as Mr. Rob-
ertson alphabetically explains. was in gruif
temper" Instead of listening to the Tax
payers complaint, he poured upon the
whole Committee flood of invectiye
on account of certain remarks offensive to
him personally which one of their number had
made in a speech some time before, and then
he sent them about their business mortified,
astonished, and discouraged. The President
could not have more etfectually aided the
South Carolina Ring if he had cried out to
the Governor, $50 on Moses; I'll back you"
Take another instance. The South Carolina
thieves keep their power by the corruption OF
the franchise, and their organization Is so
complete that although the frauds at every
election are notorious it is impossible to bring
the offenders to justice. At the last election
in Charleston the cheating was even more
fragrant than usual. Ex-COngreSSman Bowen,
who was one of the Republican candidates,
made a contract with a steamboat captain to
bring up from the sea islands a large cargo
of negroes to vote for him in Charles
ton. and the fraud duly carried
out There was chance of getting con-
viction for this crime in any of the Charleston
courts but it happened that the captain, III
order to bring up his large gang OF passengers,
had violated the conditions of his license by
greatly overcrOwding the vessel. lie was
prosecuted in the Federal Court under the
navigation laws, and sentenced to a moderate
fine, and decent people i'll South Carolina
began to rejoice that somebody was to be
punished for an election fraud at last, how
ever iEade4uately, when the startling news
came from Washington that the man had been
Immediately pardoned by Acting Secretary
Sawyer-a functiOnary toward whom the
President never ceased to show remarkable
tenderness.
These are illustrations Of the tremendous
blunders the President and his subordinatcs
have made in dealing with South Carolina IN
particular; but the truth is the policy OF the
Administration in the South must be judged
as a whole and not by its effect In separate
States There can be no doubt that the sup
port given to Kellogg in New-Oreans has
strengthened Moses in Columbia. Casey,
Packard, Durell and their associates maraud-
ing along the Mississippi, with the Presidents
commissions in their pockets, the flag OF the
United States flying over their heads, and
Maior-Gen. Emory subject to their orders,
strike at free elections, honest returns, decent
administration, pecuniary honor, and individual
liberty not only within their own jurisdiction,
Int all through the South. There is not n
rogue in the reconstructed States who does
not take courage from the favor shown at
Washington to the Louisiana usurpers, and
the refusal of both Congress and the President
to disturb them even after the astonishing
revelations of the official inquiry. There is
not a peculating politician in the whole Of
that unfortunate region who does not believe,
with the Hon. Mr.. Lynch of Mississippi, that
50 long as an Office holder is regular Admin
istration man he may steal and cheat without
fear of being disturbed
Ii is folly to pretend that Gen. Grant is not
responsible for this, and Mr.. Robertson affronts
the intelligence of his constituents when he
tells them that the President is not to blame
for the prostitution of the Federal patronage
to dishonest purposes, because the Congress
"men control the appointments" That Is
not true and if it were true it would be
no excuse for the Chief Magistrate, who has
a brand new set of Civil Service rules made
expressly to help him in the performance of
his duty. When has he shown the slightest
inclination to give the South a faithful set Of
officers 7 When has he withdrawn any cOun-
tcnance from the favorites who have noto-
riously abused their authority When has he
done the first thing or said the first word,
until within a week or two, 10 show that he
wanted the South to be decenty governed,