The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-27

as " they alone are the South" or the political
aspect in which the Federal Government can
rightfuilv recognize the distinctions OF race, or
ne called noon TO consider the peculiar claims
fundamental law OF the land that all men have
equal civil rishts and all that the Federal Gov
eminent can ri9htfhlly do, in any direct action,
il to see that no State violates this paramount
law In tts ieglsl ton. At the same time, It can
do a vast deaf indirectly, by discountenancing
that system Of politics which relies upon and
employs the antagouisms OF raoe a means Of
obi lining or holding political power.
In the second place, the good that Gov Tilden
can do,ts Democratic President, toward Sc
curing Tor both races a full and equal fruition
OF the great purposes of the constitutional
amendments, and thus inducing both of them
to devote all their energies to the feconstruc-
ton OF their wasted prosperity, must OF neeces-
sity constitute his highest and his sole ambition
In respect To the South. lie eau gain nothing OF
fame, nothing OF lasting influence, nothing Of
secure power and nothing but disaster and de-
feat, by handing together the whites against the
tlacks. IL will indeed be his DUTY. 80 far as hts
power may extend. to relieve the whites from
that kind Of oppression which has resulted
from the Republican policy " banding together
tue blacks as a race, In political antagonism to
the whites as another race but even this he
must do by enforcing, as FAR as his limited
official means may extend, the great principle OF
the constitutional amen 1ments which makes OF
those races one people, gives them unity Of
Interest IN all national and all local concerns,
and contempt ,tes no political divisions but
those which obtain everywhere In our free coun-
try. Here, here, Ia his great task and here lies
the arduous but glorious path OF his ambition
feel on this deeply interesting and import mt
subject, no candid man who has read his re-
tion need Tor moment doubt.
ldo too much credit to the soundDess OF your
nnderstanding TO believe that You WILL on re-
hection, he governed 10y the sentiment that all
which the viii reople Of the South have suf-
Tered since the war II nut Just retribution for
their attempttO break up the Union. All people
VINO undertake to make a revolution and fail In
that attempt, necessarily suffer terrible conse-
quences. when all Is over. It becomes a aues-
mt mo la fftua
motives OF humanity and maRnanimity, hut
from motives OF ohcy and self-interest, to con-
sider how the evils can tie alleviated or lessened,
and not what retrihution might dem nd. Pun
isbment, rs applied to a whole people. II inflicted
by human power, not tnfrequently reacts upon
Those who inlict IL. Nothing short Of Almighty
wisdom can " draw UP an Indictment against "A
whole people" 10 that infinite wisdom and that
awful Judicature we NAV leave all those con-
sequences which How from the natural laws that
connect suffering with failure or with SIN. We
do not need To add our judgments to the judg-
msnts OF Heaven when z eat communities nave
To experience the consequences OF not achieving
what they have dared TO seek nor can we do
welfare Of a defeated people without injurinR
ourselves. Here now we have on our hands a
chronic sore, In tue condition OF the Southern
States. IL our own temper. our own measures,
our own methods Of dealing with tn I condition
have only aggravated II and made II neeulessly
dinicuit TO relieve the situation, what comfort
or satisfaction 10 there IN the reflection that,
AFTER all tue wnite people OF those States have
deserved 10 sun T will not help the statesman 10
considering bow zoe are to avoid what tct suffer.
have thus underworld to answer the Repuo-
ltcan case. rs ! stated II. But | will now 70
back and consider whether some OF the eie-
ments which emoraced In that case are true.
These elements are CON rehended in the Asser.
lions that the white people OF the South are
III the same In their tendency to regard the
negro as outside OF tho pale Of humanity. the
same In their hostility to the North ami IN their
hatred OF the Union, as they were before the
W.T. These assertions are not to tie regarded
tue when applied To the mass Of tue white peo-
pie In any OF the Southern states II one l. to
give rational effect to the evidence that IL
within the reach OF eveiy Intelligent man. II 1t
was true that tue condition Of slavery. lasting
for generations. had IN de tue whites reg ri the
negroes as All Inferior race. "a serfs and chattes
IN tue eye Of the law, 1t never was true ot the
great mass OF southern society that thev re.
g.rded the negroes as not belonging to tue hu-
man family. Ia spite of all the eruss inconsis-
tencies between the law OF 81 very ami the law
OF nature. the humanities were not disregalded
by the IN sters. Aside from all other proofs II
this, let me remind you that 1t was always muir.
der oy the lw of taose States to XVI a negro
slave, lust "a much as 1t was to XIII free wnite
man; and the law WAS enforced in tue one case
as OF, en- ana az conscientiously as In the er.
mere chattel, tue law should have made no
more account OF his life tn u It made Of the M.
OF a horse. excepting that the negro WAS pecu-
niarily the more valuable animal. hut the
southern law did not protect III. life of the ne
gro as the life OF a valuable ANIMAL II
being. and punished the homicide alike
whether the negro was bond OF free; whether
he hal master to suffer loss, or was his own
master. Emancipation, therefore, so FAR az the
fundamental principle OF tho criminal law Of
those states is concerned. has nd ed nothing to
the security Of negro life. In this re poet. tho
local law needed no change aud has undergone
none; and this Is very nigh evidence that tnc
negro Mas never regarded AS outside tie pale OF
the human race, by that general sentiment OF
the govern ng class which Is always the source
OF the law Of any community IL, on a compari-
son ~ the present state OF things with that which
existed Uefore tue war, there sppe n to be more
homicides of negroes by white men than there
were formerly, the lust and sound Inference Is
that tneN are to he attn0ute1 not to sudden
growth OF feeling, or To the continued exist
ence OF feeling. that negroes are not human
beings. and, therefore, TO Nil thon is less a
crime thau to Kill white man, but to dis
turDed condition of society. Ia which. from the
,ides OF all kinds are more frequent Than tney
were, botn Ia hot blood ana in cold It
would be very unjust to regard the Hcts
OF individuals. whether done with or
without SUFFICIENT provocation, AS evidence that
the mass Of the southern white people feei now,
what tney never felt In the days OF slavery. thAt
the killing of negro Is less crime In the sight
OF God aud 10 toe eye Of human law than the
killing OF white man. IL We we're to believe
that such has become the prevailing feeling
among the southern whites, We should 10
obliged to resch tue conclusion that emAucpi-
ton anu negro suffrage nave produced feeling
that never existed before; wherea-, the truth
und ouotedly Ia that the alleged feeling does not
exist now any more tnan II existed 1ornsry,
aud that neither emancipation nor suffrage. but
"a disordered general condition u society. - to
be regarded as the cause OF the Increased fire.
quency OF crimes against The person. But. Ia
ths name OF common sense, let 1t be remem-
voters Of the Democratic party are men. cti-
zens, aud CHRISTIANS: and TO impute to them
ANY disposition to excuse the uuJustlhaDle
homicide OF negro. IN tho South or anywhere
else, because he was negro. Is lust ns absurd
As II would be to impute such folly ana sucn
" ickedness to any other BODY OF the American
people Before the criminal Justice OF the |
Southern states Can be made to WORK certainly |
aud surely ia all cases, we must eliminate from
our politics the temptation TO make political |
capital from personal outrages anu crimes OF |
violence. for IN the nature OF thtngs political |
motives, ~ the primary cause Of such crimes.
% not begin to make the sum total Of those
complex and mutitudinous Influences winch |
produce greater number OF personal crimes at |
one period as compared with another.
As to tho assertion that the Southern societies
arc still hostile to the Union, there 10 one dis
tine ION tDat viii go far toward its complete
1t has been too much tho habit OF |
the Republican leaders and politicians to regard |
their party as ths Union OF us the representa-
tive Of the Union. l have seen great deal of
evidence Ia tho South among the white people
since tue war OF dislike OF the politics, the
methods and aims Of the Republican party, and
Of a very strong feeling that the whole Republi-
can policy has done them great Injury by put
ling Their State governments into tue hands of
rApacious and unpriucipled Adventures, who
have loaded them with enormous public debts
aud Tunous taxes. Hut have seen no eyi-
dsnoe Of hostility TO the Union, and no disposi-
lion To impute to the Union tho evils under
which they have suffered, and now continue to
suffer. lhey know fun well that these evils are
The fruits OF = vicious y rty policy, aud not tbs