New-York tribune., 1876-05-22
SOUTUFRN GOVERNuFNT.
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The Spencer Investigating Committee, after
ruling out nearly all the important testimony
offered by the Alabama nemoralsts, nave
reached the conclusion that Mr.. Spencer Is all
right and must not be disturbed. AT the same
time report comes from Washington that the
entente cordiale between the Alabama states
man and the head of the Federal Administrd-
ton has been restored, and matters are to go
ON in the old way which has proved so fruit
ful Of blessings to Alabama and honOS to the
Republican party. In token OF reconciliation
Gen. Grant sent into the Senate on Satur-
day the name of Charles +. Mayer as
limited States Dstrict-AttOrncy for the
Nor,bern District Of Alabama. Charles +.
Mayer and Lou II. Mayer were two OF the
| most active of SpenceI's agents in the notorious
bogus Ku-Klux and drugged whisky campaign
of 1872, which the memOrialists have been
val " endeavorng TO induce the Senate to
| investipate. and Charles is now chairman of
the (Spencer) State Central Committee. But
as he is not a literary pirate we see no reason
| TO doubt that the Senate will confirm the
nomination. and things will thus be in trim
for m active display of "outrages" in the
! Northern counties of Alabama as soon as the
political canvass fairly bcgins-deputy mar
shals shooting holes in their own hats and
then shouting for more troops, cavalrymen
arresting respectable citizens for constructive
intimidation of the freedmen in discharglnS
idle field hands, and Federal commissioners
sending accused persons under guard the
whole length of the State for preliminary cx-
animation as far as possible from the scene OF
their alleged ofiense.
The nomination of Mayer as foreshadowing
q repetition of the dsgraceful scenes OF 1872
and 1874, is pretty serious, but there Is another
aspect in which it appears still more significant.
Some time ago there was rebellion against
Spencerism in the Republican party OF Alabama,
and the more respectable members OF the or
ganization took advantage of the redlstnctlng
of the State to remodel the Executive Com
mittee and elect ex-GOv. Smith chairman. The
regular State Convention was held Under the
call of this Committee last week, and elected
delegates to Cincinnati who are unpledged, but
| understood to be favorable to BristOw or Blaine.
Meantime, however, Spencer. through his man
MAYER called an opposition convention to meet
next Wednesday, and it is understood that this
body will send a cOntestng delegation in the
interest of Mr. Morton. And just on the eve
of its assembling Gen. Grant sets the stamp of
his APPRECIATION upon III NY HOhipdtiiS Hi"Jci
for an important Federal office.
The steady course of misfortune which has
befalen the Republican party in Alabama
since Spencer took control of it ought to have
taught the President wisdom. He might have
REINFORCED the lesson by a careful reading of
the letter of Attorney General Harris of Mis-
sissippi which we print to-day. Gov. Ames in
Mississippi seems to have pursued the same
system of personal aggrandizement which
Spencer practiced in Alabama, and with pre-
cisely the same result. The Republican party
in both States is dcmOralized respectable cit
izens find it utterly impossible to support the
thieves and blacklegs whom tho Washington
authorities send to rule over them; the
ignorant negro vote alone is unable to sustain
any government, and the Democrats, some
times by fair means, sometimes by foul, are
getting everything into their own hands.
Louisiana has been drifting INTO a similar con-
dition; and it ought to be evident to any in
tellgent observer of politics that a few years
more of Grantism would extnguish the Re-
publican party in every one of the Southern
States Nor, if Southern Republicanism is to
be the fraud that it has been, could decent
people anywhere find it in their hearts to
lament such a catastrophe. Nothing could be
more damaging to the next Republican candi-