Wilmington journal., 1876-08-11

| may prODaDly DE correct; out Wnen
they SPEAK of honesty and honor, with
their broad, comprehensive meaning,
then they can with no propriety
apply those terms to Tom Set,
tie. Our moral philosophy never
taught us to call a man honest
who affiliated with 1ogues, and who
stood by and countenanced them while
they plnndered the people. The good
a man a thief The principles OF hon.
or and patriotism which were instilled
into our young mind by the purest
and most venerated Instructors of the
old school. taught us that an intellii-
gent man " no would ego back on his
country, his people, his race, his
"color and previous condition." was,
| instead of being an honest man, an
unmitigated scoundrel and traitor.
Probably under the new order of
things in this very moral age, those
old ideas about strict public honesty
aud honor are all wrong, and We
should look with leas degree Of con-
tempt upon political thief and rene
gade; but it will be a long time before
We call any such unprincipled poiiti-
clans honest or honorable, personally,
socially, OF i'll any other way.
We don't mean to criticise our
brethren at all, for we have no doubt
1T was written carelesely and thought
lessly. But we do think that that
kind Of talk and feeling towards such
men have done more true injury to
the democratic party than anything
else. Weak-kneed, weak -principled
men have joined the republican party
who would have been good democrats
to-day, had they been made to feel the
weight Of the public indignation and
the lash of public sentiment, and this
Is the reason that North Carolina, with
her large white population, has been
radical, and Virginia and Georgia With
a less majority have long been over
whelm1ngIy democratic.
We have as much respect as any
man for the right each man has to
his own political opinions, and to OK
ercise these rights, but we at the same
time claim similar rights, and if he is
ignorant and uninformed in his politi-
cal opinions, we claim the right to
treat him as such, and to pity and ex-
cuse him, and if he is a scoundrel in
his political opinions, we will treat
him as euch-with contempt and scorn.
We should treat political and public
rascals in the same way We do per
sOnal and private rascals. There is no
true reason for difference. A. man |
who by political measures robs rs of |
the fruits of our honest toll, is entitled |
to no more regard or respect than the |
thief who robs our hen-roost, and u
man who would violate the sanctIty |
and purity of the social circle, by the |
Civil Rights Bill is as great an object |
of adherence and disgust as the vile |
fellow who would at |
tempt to personally force upon the |
society of our families low dirty ne>
gro. No, gentleman, "we take none
of that in ours" when its necessary
we call a "shOvel a shovel"
[ From the Raleigh Christian Advocate. |
President Grants Letter.
Our province is not politics, and we
would not, if we could, influence
through our paper the political senti-
ments or vote of any reader of the DID,
UOcdte, We have our party prefer
ences, it is true; but as far as we are
able to prevent it, they are not allowed
to ''crop out" even, in our columns.
And we do not think we violate our
rule in that regard when we condemn
and rebuke the intemperate and heat
ed letter of President Grant to Gov
of South Carolina, con-
cerning the recent unfortunate occur
renee at Hamburg, of which we gave
an account last week The affair was
lamentable and disgraceful, and the
guilty parties deserve the condemna-
tioD of all the people from the Presi-
dent down, rs we'll as the severe pun
oh, Of 10 NJ hn
Pr esident of the United States perverts
an official letter to the purposes of
political harangue, and taking the
general onslaught upon the South, he
deserves the censure of the public
press and the people whose ruler he is.
The President says: "The scene at
as cruel, bloodthisty, wan
Jon, unprovked and uncalled for as it
was, is only repetition of the course
which had been pursued in other
southern States within the last few
years, notably i'll Mississippi and
Louisiana. Mississippi is governed to-
lay by officials chos N through fraud
md violence, auch as would scarcely
De accrediated to savages much less to
/ civilized and christian people.
Nothing is claimed for one State that
9 not freely accorded to all others, un
ess it be the right to kill negroes and
without fear of punish
nent and without loss of caste or rep
ltation. This has seemed to be a
claimed by few States"
Aside from tlte fact that the letter
vas written before a full Investigation
md statement ot the facts connected |
With the Hamburg affair had been
made, and was therefore based on as
'umptlons or &c l0artc statements,
which might or might not be. true.
here is severity OF tone and All in~
of feeling manifested
which does not comport well with the
dignity of an Official document. He
yoes ''dehOrs the record" too. to re-
1ect severely upon the other Southern
States, III such a way that a foreigner
lpOn reading it would believe that
the South gene raj state
IF affairs has existed. similar to the
1ne at Hamburg. His attack upon the
people and rulers of Mississippi was
1ncalled for by the purposes of his
to Governor Chamber
ain. And when it is remembered that
the committee of Congress, appointed
TO investigate the alleged Mississippi
election friuds and riots. has not yet
reported the intemperance and reck-
Iessness of Mr.: Grants language will
more clearly appear.
Life. liberty and property are as
safe in the South as in the North.
affairs may occur OCCASION
ally, just as outrages may occur In the
North; but they are sporadic and not
of the general condition
of |
wide spread feeling of enmity between
the races.
The authority of the law is respect
ed aud courts are able to enforce obe.
dieuce to its mandates; and while some
outrages have occurred. shocking to
and disgracefui to .civiliza-
tinn still tha Southern naOnla are to