New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-12

sitnaton such a policy required an carly ana com
pete removal of oil those pol,tlcm '.s1biilties
which restrained largo AMI en""i numoer OF
white people from all direct partcipHOn IN the govern
ment OF their affairs while the cored people were ex
orcsng it, That policy dill, indeed, not preclude the
vigorous execution Of constitutional and Just awI, ana
you will rot understand me as thus desl-pa"hS -" '"e
laws that were made but It dld not preo'uoc ING o
l, meut of the conferred by sueh laws III" pnr
noses OF a partisan color which impeacded tho I'M
naru,lity OF the National Government, and thus
injured its moral authority. 1t did pre-
cluhe above all things, every unconstitutional
stretch OF interference, which by an assdu0us
example Is always calculated o. encourage and nce
awess and revolutionary spirit among all classes o
society That policy required that the National Govern
ment In ali Its branches should have rrnly u'Sco"u,
enanced the adventurers and boodsucers who preVei
upon the Southern people, not to appear as ther
protectors and allies IL required conscientious en-
ployment OF those moral influences which the N''lona
Government had at its command II was not that' iu
the distress and confusion winch I"mwea
the war; Southern people, white aud black shouu
have turned their eyes the National Government or
aid and guidance; that aid and guidance might have
been given impeding and bafi ng but In encour
aging seli-government and 10 follow It's hishest ai
and duties Every Federal Office In the South shouu
have been carefully filed with the wisest ana oes' INA"
that could he found. Now, here, was the persoh''
character of the officer Of higher importance Tor oeihg
olothea nv bis very connection with the National
Government with extraordinary moral authority, every
one Of them could without undue interference Win ocai
concerns by the very power OF his example MAKE 'na'
moral influence most bencHcally felt in his surround
ing am not sangune enough TO believe that hao sucn
o policy been followed, local selfgovernment would at
at once made every Southern State perfect model
OF peace and order. ! know 1t would not, but II
is my solemn conviction that 1t would
have been infinitely more productive OF good twond
have been infinitely more efficient in grad
ualy developing satisfactory state or Things IMAM
all your force laws, than all the efforts OF Government
officers maintain their party ascendency and all tue
usurpaory acts OF military interference III the same
direction And above all things, such policy would
have left principles intact which give life TO con-
sttutiona government II would have spared us shcn
an appalling aspect that which to-day wo are behold
ing in Louisiana. II would have relieved the American
people of the anxious inquiry What Is now TO become o
their Government II Was the policy naturally sug
gested by the genius OF institutions. the true pory
! OF Republican America.
| THE USE or BRUTE FORCE.
But there presented itself also, another method OF
dealing with the violent and dsOrderly tendencies in
the South 1t whenever or wherever disturbance
occurred 10 use brute force TO suppress 1t; 10 employ
every TO keep in every State your parsans III
place, aud to trample down all opposition
| no matter what stretch Of power 1t might re-
| quire no matter what constitutional re-
| striction OF authority might have to be broken
through; aud such method, II supported by military
force sufficiently strong may also be made quito enec
tive for Il time ut least THUS you might have brought
every nalefactOr IN the South 10 swift punishment;
wherever three OF opponents met you might have
STYLED IL an unlawful combination OF banditti and have
the offenders arrested you might have maintained III
| governmental power in the South whOmsoever yon
! liked; yen might have made every c0orcd
man perfectly safe, not only IN the e1eI
else OF his franchise, but IN everything else;
you might struck with terror the evdoers every
where; You might have made the National Government
so strong that nothing coud resist it, That also an
effective method TO keep peace and Order and WORKS
admirably long 1t lasts. 1t is employed with re-
markabie in Russia and may be in scyera! other
countries but If you had by such means secured the
safety OF those who disturbed or in danger wAat
would have become OF the liberty and rights of
| all of usf The method would have been effective
! bus 1t would have been cruel stroke OF irony
| TO call tho United States any longer
Republic 1 do not mean TO insnuate
that you wanted to do this. know you did not. You
! did not intend to employ such means, and you would
have recuiled from such a result You tried o middle
| course You respected the sefgovernment OF the
States point FORM but while you and the Executive
omitted those moral Influences which would have
inspired that self government with healthy tendencies
you passed comforting upon the National Govern
ment dangerous powers OF doubtful constitution
aty; at least so thought, and opposed them.
The effect was deplorabe in several ways. Your
partisans In the Southern States, and among them the
greedcs corrupest OF the Kind began to look
Congress and the National Executive rs their natural
allies and sworn protectors, bound to sustain them in
power by whatever means. Every vagabond in the
South calling himself Republican thought himself en-
titled to aid from you when rushing on TO Congress with
an outrage story Tho cOlOred people began 10 think
that you were bound to protect them III whatever they
| might DO, instead Of depending upon precedent
and honest Of their own political rights 10 es-
tablish their position. TAe Federal ofilcehoders in
the South became than ever the cencrs OF partisan
intrigue trckery The Caseys and Packards carried
of state Senators United States cutter and
shut up Republican Governor IN the Custom-bouse,
guarded by United States soldiers to ep out another
Republican faction. Nay, more than that the same
Packard during the last election campl N in Louisiana,
being at the same time United States shll and Chair
man OF the Campaign Committee Of the kellogg party,
managed not only the political campaign but also the
movement OF the United States TROOPS to enforce the
laws ito keep his political opponents from innidanG
his political friends. But, more than that In
State after another we see enteiprsing politicians
start rival legislatures much in the way Of Mexican
pronunciamieDos, and rival governments, calculating
upon the aid they may get from the National Govern
ment and the Attorney General of the United States
called upon 10 make uumake State governments with
the wave OF MS hand and the Department OF Justice
al most appearing like central bureau for the regula
ton Of State elections; and still more than that Fed
eral Judge in Louisiana, by midnight order unver
sally recognized as gross and most unjustfabe
patton virtually making ate government and Legs-
lature the National Executive, with the army sustain
ing that usurpaton and Congress permitting 1t to DO
done; and now the eliminating glOry-Fed-
eral soldiers. with fixed bayonets. marching into
the legislative hall OF State, dragging out by force
men universally recognized claimants for member
ship and having been seated; soldiers deciding a