The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-02-25
The Southern Question.


The Boston Advertiser, leading Republican
newspaper, makes the annexed comment upon
Southern affairs:
The House Committee on Louisiana affairs
have returned to Washington, and may be ex-
pected to make an early report of the results
of their investigation. The special committees
who have taken testimony, IN Alabama ana
Mississippi are also expected to report within
a few days. The report of the Arkansas ccm-
mittee is already published. These reports
will bring up the whole Southern policy of the
Administration for review and criticism. The
time is short for debate if anything IS to be
done Serious and critical as the matters are
thew must be disposed of summarily or lett to
seethe and tester through another year. The
subject is not simply party question OF su-
preme moment, but its relations to the peace
and prosperity of the country are so Immediate
that it will be the height Of unwisdom to at
tempt to wrest the circumstances to party ad-
vantage If since 1861 there has been sub
iect before Congress requiring to be considered
and settled as pure question OF constitutional
right and patriotic Duty this is such question:
The attempt to settle it upon any other basis
will be sure to entail incalculable mischief
and must fail.
IF through misinformation concerning the
facts, or rash mistakes, or culpable neglect, the
Republican party has heretofore gone wrong,
it has nothing to gain by persisting for the sake
of consistency or for the sake of saving any
bodvs feelings. It's plain duty is to face about
without delay confess its errors, and earnestly
set about correcting them. Whether or not at
this stage of the case such course will save
the party, it is at all events the only chance OF
salvation. The people are now so aroused TO
the ominous significance of the present condl-
tion in the South, and so resolved to know the
very truth, that it is vain to imagine they can
be paci6ed by misrepresentation. AT the
grand assizes Of the national election they Will
sit in Judgment on the case, and the whole tes'
timony from all sources will be heard. Ii the
of the Republican party are
anxious to have their work stand In that trial
it must be so reasonable and just that it will
deserve to stand. 1t is idle TO expect the pres
ent excitement to blow over. No compromise
will put it out Of sight No settlement will
avail to prevent reopening of the issue unless
it be so clearly right that it cannot be attacked
without attacking the common rights and COM
mon security of all the people under the Con-
stitution.
By force of circumstances Louisiana occu-
pies a representative position. The Repubi-
can policy will be judged by what it attempts
for the rectfcation of the situation in that
State. 1t matters little what may be done IN
other States until Louisiana is righted there
can be no peace. 1t is of little use to say the
President has thrown the responsibility on
Congress, and Congress has neglected its duty.
We have a Republican Executive and Re-
publican Congress. Whether the one or the
other is responsible, or they share the respon-
sibility, the Republican party is responsible
and cannot escape, nor ought it to expect to
escape. being called to account. One thing is
certain-that either the President or Congress
could at any time have corrected the mistakes
committed in Louisiana, and neither has done
it. Foisting the blame from one to the other
does not in the least relieve the Republican
party from its predicament. The past negli-
gence is shameful. Continued negligence will
be fatal. The American people are not yet so
Indifferent to their heritage of constitutional
liberty that they will stand by unmoved if a
State as independent in its self dominion as
any other of the thrty-six is repeatedly forced
by the army of the United States to submit to
the fraudulently imposed rule of the minority.
No excuse or apology for such acts is of any
account when it is not accompanied by
prompt correction of the wrong done.
The Republican party and the country is
now looking to the committee which has just
left New Orleans for either ample and conclu-
sive proof that Kellogg is by right Governor of
Louisiana and that the Conservatives returned
to the Legislature were rightfully debarred by
a. legally constituted authority from taking
their seats, or the proposal of direct and
efficient measure to disposses the usurpers and
restore the offices, executive and legislative, to
those whom they belong. What the persons
-, ,otb;pt. tn tbo
For their conduct in office they are responsible
only to the people of Louisiana, not to the
President nor to Congress. What measure the
committe shall propose it is not for US to say,
but for them. I'VE know there are great per-
plexities and embarrassments connected with
this question. The difficulties are vastly great
er now that they were two years ago, but less
now than they will ever be again. In our
Judgment the simplest way is the best, and the
SIMPLEST way would appear to be an instruc-
ton in some form to the President that in the
Judgment of Congress the use of the army to
sustain in office men who were not elected, or
to keep out of Office men who were elected, is
repugnant to the principles of republican gov
ernment and to the sentiment of the nation.
IF it is necessary to desi gnate the particular
cases, let it be done.
The Republican majority in Congress is re-
stricted to the alternative of showing that the
grievances complained of by the people of
Louisiana have no warrant in the facts, or OF
redressing these grievances so far as the Ma
tional Government is responsible for them
The politics of these people have nothing to do
with the question. The Republicans Of Il Lou
isiaua acquire no rights on account of their
Renublicanism, and the Democrats lose no
rights on account of their Democracy. 1t is
not for Congress to consider what stripe of pol
iticians the people ought to have chosen for for
legislators, but who, in fact, were legally
chosen. We should have been glad if the peo-
ple of Louisiana had chosen Republican Gov
ernor, and so we should have been glad if the
people of Massachusetts, had chosen Republi-
can Governor But we believe that in both in
stances they failed to do it, and we no more
approve the imposition Of Governor not
chosen in the one case than in the other. If
such thing has been done the sooner the work
is undone the better If the Republican party
has been guilty of doing it, and sustaining it,
no matter by whose agency or under what