The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-07-15
THE QUESTION Of 70.
A Review Of the Great Issue by
Harper's Weekly.

From very thoughtful article II
Ha,per's Weekly we take the follow
ing suggestive r, Elections:
No man who takes time to thinl
of the subject can suppose that :hs
tremendous conflict of the last hal
century upon the question of slavery
which was not a question of labor
only, but of political convictions ano
sympathies, of theories of the Gov
ernment and OF social philosophy
could end in a long and terrible wal
that destroyed a whole industrial sys.
TEN, and radically and totally chang
ed political and social relations, with.
out leaving situation which is not
settled because of what is called re-
construction. 1t does not follow that
everything is precisely as it was be.
fore, with the exception of slavery
merely because there are no armie.
in the field, and because the States
have resumed their relations in tn,
Union. Reconstruction is not com
pleted, as we sometimes hear assert
Ell, because in the nature of things il
is very gradual process. Certainly
the Democratic party is DO. strong
among the whites OF the Southern
States because it is a party of Union
of liberty and equal rights, but be
cause it IS known to be hostile to the
party that maintained the Union anG
proclaimed freedom and established
justice. And with equal certainty
the Republican party is not opposed
by the same class because Of its alleg
ed corruptions, but because of wha,
is called its unconstitutional exercise
OF power, the proof being its protec.
tion of the colored class. If this is SC
and as general statement it is un.
deniable-if the policy of reconstruc-
tion, as the most intelligent Of the
Southern Democratic journals con.
cede, is not accepted" but is merely
acquiesced in under protest, then the
hostile spirit remains, and reconstruc.
tion is still but formal, and is in nc
proper sense completed.
1t is not surprising that this should
be so. 1t is only surprising that any
one should suppose that it is not so
1t would be most serious mistake
to enter upon the election of 1876
with the theory that there is the same
kind of homogenelty in the Union that
there is in the State of New York,
and that the only question at stake is
one of persons, and of the economical
administration of government in
which all agree. 1t would be as il
the English Wings in the beginning
of the eie hteenth century had suppos.
ed that because the Jacobites were
not in arms, they were friendly to the
revolution and the new dynasty. The
Democratic party, as we have Otter
said, will necessarily be controlled by
its strongest element, and that ele.
ment is not composed of the theorists
of Northern newspapers, but of South
ern leaders, who have a great and
substantial purpose to achieve. That
purpose is not renewal Of the rebel
lion nor all attempt to dissolve the
Union, but 1t is to perplex and defeat
the policy of equal rights, to subor.
dinate the colored citizens to the
white; and, to this end, to render the
amendments nugatory by obtaining
control Of the national government
by refusing to pass the necessary
laws, or to execute those which are
already passed; by repeating what il
called unconstitutional legislation; by
changing the constitutions of tn,
States, and making the late slave
States political unit against the
general policy known as Republican
This is the purpose of leaders VIII.
have no especial affection for th'
Union nor any strong faith in Repub
llcan government; who are, many O
them, intelligent and proud, but VIII
are Americans mainly in name and b,
birth, not by profound conviction
Their predecessors, whose theories ant
purposes they have inherited, wer
accomplished politicians, who studie,
men and were trained up in publ
affairs. They long controlled the gov
ernment through the Democratic par
ty,and when they thought they coul
control it no longer, they attempte
to destroy it. Many of them still SUI
vive, and they have educated thos
who are to succeed them. These lead
ers have been very patient and wary
They believe that the the people {
the Northern States have no real syn
pathy for the colored race; that the
are essentially traders, mercenary an
timid; that they can be easily satig,
ed and readily divided under plaus
BILE pretex,s Of conci!iation; and thes
leaders hope by apparent deferenc
to the wishes of their allies in tn
part Of the country to regain the a