New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-01
A POLITICAL CRISIS.
THE GREAT ISSUE NOW BEFORE THE
COUNTRY.

THE GREAT ISSUE NOW BEFORE THE
COUNTRY
SHALL THE SOUTHERN STATS BE GOVERNED IRON
WASHINGTON OR BE ALLOWED TO GOVERN
THBMsKLvEs-rHE PROSPERITY OF TIE CooN-
TRY-rHE NATURAL PRODUCT OF HOME RULE
AND NOT OF WASHINGTON LEGISLATION
IrRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRipCNEj
WASHINGTON, Feb. 37.--CoDGress is in the throes
Of it's great agitation over the Southern question:
The discussion is voluminous, though tnc ISSUE
ia simple. This question is merely whether 'no
Southern States shall be governed from washington
or be allowed to govern themselves. One would
think that this is not very recondIIe prop''u
But IT is all there is Of it 1t creates the one divd
ing line between parties.
MI Hoar and Mr. Frye find, on visiting Louisiana
that they have such bad people down that way that
they require very good people to govern tocm
These of course can be found in Maine and Massa-
chusetts Mr. Hoar ought to see that NJ bottom ms
system is the carpet-bag system, only Win IN
provements And this system has not worked well
And il never viii work WELL as IL IL inherently
vicious Unless the nation is going to abrogate ilS
system Massachusetts, must be allowed to nave hor
own local government. and Louisiana must pe AZ
lowed to have hers. 1t shocks Mr.. Hoar 10 Ihu
how much lower the level of Louisiana c'Vliizauoh
s than that of Massachusetts. No doubt. But does
il help that TO govern Louisiana from washington
Tho voters Of that State are vastly more ignorant
than those of New England. This cannot DC dis-
puted But will it enlightcn them TO direct them
from Washington They havo broils and murders
down there more than In Massachusetts. Gan thcy
be cured by putting the state under national super
vision or even by sending down Massachusetts ana
Maine men to teach higher morality and better
fashioDsi
Mr. Hoar and Mr. Frye fall into errorby falling.to
view the subject from the proper point oil Wow
They see great evils, and they want to remove them
They think Washington legislation will do it. This
il their mistake There are some things legislation
cannot reach and least of all external legislation
applied by outside reformers. You cannot legislate
virtue into people nor vice out of them. This
eones only from internal growth. And in the pres
ence of such tremendous social and political rev.
CLINTON Az has taken place in the old Slave States,
IL becomes outsiders to be careful and reserved 10
plunge in with the strong of brGto force TO
settle difficulties aud enbarassnents growing out
of fundamental changes between the races, when
would compose themselves if left to time is unwISe
and hazardous The negro is freed the negro IL en-
franchised and the white man at the South cannot
change the fact 1t is a condition solidly mbedded
in the Constitution and tho laws, and there IS no
escape from it now or hereafter.
The negros progress under this change must DE
left 10 other influences Than irritating legislation
sent on from Washington and enforced by alien
hands. IL is system OF foreign ntermcddlinC. not
in harmony with our system of government which
composcs nothing aud discomposcs everything.
That there will be some injustice prac-
tIced. and some bardships to endure. in
tho transitonary condition of the South
is not only probable. but inevitable. But
they cannot be cIred by outside interference med
ding with every detail. The progress Of all cy2l-
ton and the ncndment Of human condition mas
ALWAYS been supremacy slow. The white European
has been thousand years in reaching his present
imperfect and still distracted state And there is no
patent method of securing an exemption from MI
trial and trouble to tho African race among rs any
more than to the Saxon, or by which OF he can
dispense with the two essential elements of time
and patience
content myself with tins presenting in the few
est possIbe words the one graf polite Issue
before the country, winch every voter must talc
Sides and prepare himself to stand in the immediate
future. II involves the question of tho pub
lie tranquility, and the pu0c prosperity, in
their mott vital relationships. The business of
the country, and the peace of the country are alike
concerned II is question whether The people oi
the States now all alike free, shall rule themselves
or be ruled by somebody else. 1t IS question
whether we shall close the civil war or continue IT.
IL is q question whether the Federal Government
shall be- an umpire or partisan III political compIl
cations arising within tue Union, from tho vas
changes of the last few years, whether it shall
honor itself by its wisdom Its reserve and It's b.
nightly or disIonor itself by active GrOyeIing pari-
sanslip in treating these subj tcts.
We cannot have any doubt on which silc OF this
question the people of all the States vii finally ar
ray themselves. Meantime there j. to he astrucSe.
President Grant and his pirtslns have oDenai wid'
the door the subject lt Is h. VINO has raised th'
ISSUE aud apparently Oh personal grounds lie
battle must be joincd whoever heads thu forces, or
whoever are ais leutonants. The country cannot
afford to have this running sore rcmain opcl. Il
must he closed. The public tranquility must be re-
assured. Confidence in tho future must
he established. Trade, commerce, all tho
mat ,rial Interests Of the country. denald
If. Jns,ice. a. restored m iomalty the harmony OF
is parts all moral and all political considerations,
exact it. Wilh9 ,s thu lyanqlL.y an9 without
This confidence. the c5intT especially the South,
cannot recover the colroi Of those moral and pIvs
cal resources upon whose unandcrod play its iu-
provcment and advancement alone depend. Every
man not naturally a partisan or bigot o1gAt 70
see this. Aud also that it cannot como from or by
Washington legislation, but simply aad solely from
Home Rule. j. 5. T.
REBUILDING A POLITICAL TEMPLE
low ARE REPUBLICANS TO CoUNTERACr THE RENO-
LUrIONARY TENDENCIES OF THE ADMINLSrRA-
IlON-rIE MAIN BODY OF TIE PARTY DISCERN
ING now THE EVILS THAT THE LIBERALS SAW
IL l813-rHE DUTY OF REFORM AND CoNsERyA-
TIVE REPUBLICANS
iFRoM ANoCCAsIoSAL CORRESPONDENT OF THH TRfDoSEl
N.aL Ecll 10 -Ihnrn il a pnnl lnal of