The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-25
The Failure OF Southern Republican Re-
construction.
from the Cincinnati En1uirer.l

Iron the tiflflHHttl TdIulIfil
Senator Morton, IN. hls Misslss,npl
resolution, gives howl ~ despair. Inc
iast election In that State was not 10 hi.
lying n did not result ~ he supposed
II would. There are In the State proba-
Div twenty thousand more negro voters
than white. Nevertheless, what IL I'M
deratood to be the white ticket pre-
Nominated by a large majority. Missis.
sinpi bns but followed the example OF
NH the Southern States, with the cxcep-
tion of South Carolina aud LOUISIANA.
tho latter tending In the same directlon.
What troubles Morton anu ms ,,lemus
IL the failure Of tho so-called Recon
str,,ction acts of Congress, commencing
m iaG5, Al the time they were the sub
jecta of violent political antagonlsin
lint they have passed into history. Ihey
bnvn anent their force. We can now
view them as we view the Crusudes or
Tho War OF the Roses. We can sec
their dement's and their inpcr'ectlons
They proposed to make the negro tne
master OF the white race In the South
ern political organization. ~ WINS 70 ge
efYeeted through the action OF the Fed-
ernl Government. The latter made tho
blacks It's wards IL organized the Freed
mems Bureau. Il In " measure became
responsible for the physical wants 81
fhnse who were Of African descent; u
furnished them food and clothing; ~
had n large schoolmasters' department.;
II gave them tho right Of suffrage IT DIS
franchised the white, PARTIAL ~ voting
and almost entirely In eligibility 10
Office.
limited States Senators, Judges. Con
grcssmen and Foreign Ministers, the
only voters were the poor and ignorant
negro servants who waited upon the
former. This was to bc the permanent
condition Of the South. When we look
buck upon this legislation. now all s'i-
peraeded by the progress 81 events, VIC
are lost In wonder at Its stupidity ana
malignity. The hand cannot. govern
the head The inferior cannot ., dlcu s'se
to the superior. IL was not possible Tor
the negro to be the ruler Of the South.
He had backing Mt Washington from
the Federal Government OF the most
Formidable character. In any difficulty
between u negro and white man, no
matter how originating the former was
the favorite and had It's sympathy. All
he had to do was to complain. HIS COM
plants were answered. The white man
was set down as rebel and traitor.
The negro was u loyal patriot. In re-
expected to vote the Republican ticket.
He had been a slave. He could not read
or write. But the late Chief Justice
Chase said, In mn advocacy ct that time
Of their rights OF suffrage, they could
take piece of paper and deposit II IN
the ballot-box." This was u high esti-
mate Of the privileges OF citizen. u
it a matter 81 establishment that the CT.
fort to govern the South by means ot
adventurous from other. States, backed
by the negroes there, whom they could
control with the assistance Of the Freed.
mems Bureau, the. test oath and dis
franchising conditions, should have
been inadequate2 ;.
Az sure az water will not naturally
flow up 30 u Ia certain that the lower In
social and political condition can not
govern tho higher. The domination OF
the negro quickly ceased. to be succeed
cd by that of the white man. Intellt-
gencc and property are not to be trodden
ance. The Republican reconstruction
acts were against the principles OF
nature, not TO speak of the original
ideas OF the American government: The
Republican statesmen OF 1865! What
shall we say of them! They were as
blind ~ moles. They were us deaf ns
adders to what WIS In the immediate
future. Their "reconstruction" has
persisted. Those who begot 1t are like
the bloated spiders who regret The de-
struction of the mcshes which they
have contrived most faithfully, but
which fail In their object. There Is. u
great difference between those who
carried through the war from 1861 to
1866 and those who succeeded them
from 1865 TO 1876, There was more that
was unconstitutional and revolutionary
In the conduct of the former. But for
1t they could plead military necessity"
AS poor substitute as that. after 1t,
nevertheless, may amount TO some
thing.
The country was under a high state
OF excitement 1t was IN excitement
that bordered on frenzy. At the bottom
OF u was u feeling which was entitled
to great regard-the desire OF prcsorv-
ing in tact the American Union and the
Federal Government. Much Gun be
pardoned In It's exercise. The lion OF
force succeeded In his desires The
South was crushed. II lay manacled
authority. But after the lion there
came In his trail the iackal. II could
annihilate and devour that which II had
not conquered, and before the face Of
which Il had originally shrunk. The
Confedcracy had gone down under the
cannon OF the Union. Then was the |
time to have let IL up and attached II to
us by the policy OF magnanimity.
But by narrow-minded politicians of
the Morton stamp IL was thought best
to add to the sting OF defeat In battle.
that Of dependence, humiliation and |
disgrace. They put fetters on the South.
They were fetters OF the most shame
full kind. They were the letters Of par
ty malignancy. They were the letters
or partisan cowardice. They have been
gloriously broken. The reconstruction
OF the days OF Andrew Johnson. against
which he protested, Is over The South
is once more on its feet. The power
which Congress put in the hands Of
Northern adventurous and the negroes
they have ceased TO retain. The men
Of talent and the men of worth have OBJ
tanned control OF the States In which
their destiny has been cast. Cincinnati
En1,li,pp.