Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-14
GRANTS NEW AND ALARMING
POLICY.

POLICY.
No wonder the organs wereal dumb
founded by the Arkansas message,
They had Just written articles lauda-
tory of Poland's committee report re-
commenting no interference, when
Grant came down on them unawares,
like a thunderclsp. Besides, how could
they foresee that Grant was about tc
60 back on his own proclamation %
the 14th Of last May, which opened
with:
Whereas, certain turbulent and dis.
orderly persons, pretending that Elisha
Baxter, the present Executive Of Ar
kansas, was not elected. have combined
together with force and arms to resist
his authority; and whereas said Elisha
Baxter has been declared duly elected
by the General Assembly Of said State
as provided il the Constitution thereof
and ought by its citizens to
be considered the lawful Executive
thereof"
This same proclamation closed as
follows:
''Now, therefore, I, Ulysses S. Grant
President Of the United States, do here.
by make proclamation and command
all turbulent and disorderly persons to
dispense and hereafter submit
themselves to the lawful authority OF
the said Executive.
How could the organs know that,
nine months after, Grant would wen
ture" the opinion that Joseph Brooks
was elected, after having thus branded
him as a turbulent and disorderly
person." But Grant now has policy,
and there need be no more laundering
on the part Of the faithful The Wash
ingtcn specialist Of the Ne10 York Her
aid portrays the situation thus:
The message was certainly a bomb
shell. 1t was written by the President
himself, and was sent IN by him with
out being previously laid before the
Cabinet. at is as distinctly a piece
of my policy as any message Of An
drew JohnsOn's," said a. Republican
to-day, adding: "The President seems
more and more to assume Johnson s
attitude of opposition to Congress.
He does not speak SC much of my
policy as his predecessor, but in South
ern affairs he is as little inclined to
defer to Congress, to wait upon its in
formation or directions, or to give up
his own policy, as johnson was.
Even the NetO York Times tells Us
that "the Republicans talk very little
about the message. 1t cannot be said
to have met with a very cordial recep-
ton from them, and no one imagines
any action Will be taken IN respect to
Arkansas affairs at this session. The
fact that Brooks was defrauded Of his
Office by Republicans, and not by Dem
ocrats, in the first instance, alters
greatly the moral if not the legal
aspects Of the question. The World
correspondent intimates that the Joint
action Of both houses virtually forbid
ding his interference would probably
deter Grant, but that nothing else viii
stand in his way. New England Sena-
tors say the Republicans might as we'll
abandon all attempts to carry New
Hampshire or Connecticut this spring.
But a Washington special, Of the
9th, to the NelU York Tribune lays bare
Grants ultimate policy IN its most
alarming light:
1t is the first gun Of q new and most
dangerous policy. In explaining to a
friend to-day the occasion Of this mes
sage, Gen. Grant said, that while in
terms It referred to Arkansas alone, It
had, in his opinion, been made neces-
sary by information he had received
from other parts Of the South, which
fully convinced him Of the purpose of
the white people Of the States in which
the Republicans still retain power to
overthrow the reconstruction State
Constitutions. As the adoption Of
these Constitutions was essentially the
condition on which the Southern States
were readmitted into the Union, the
President believes that 1t Is the duty
of Congress to make provision in ad-
vance to meet these grave issues as
they arise. In other words, the Presi-
dent seems to think that it Is the duty
of Congress TO prevent by positive
laws any material changes IN the Con-
situations of the reconstructed States,
and he hints that if the legislative
branch of the Government does not do
+bIu ba eb,n