The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-03-24
CORRESPONDING.

$ party were ready to johnsonize with MIN
;. Now what was considered good republican
9 ism before the last November election was q
b commodity like this, which we clip from one
/ of Cullen's heavy editorials in the Ottawa
Republican, Oct. 10Th, 1876
r The real issue Of the present campaign
-, condensed into small compass ana a lew
{ words, is whether every American citizen
q legally entitled 10 vote, whether he De black
q or white, native or foreign born, fomaIl
. Catholic or Protestant, jew or Gent'lc, shai
be permitted to exercise ihatprlvilege accord.
ing TO the dictates of his own Judgment ana
conscience, without molestation, coercion or
D intimidation. That is the real question which
[ the American people are called upon 70 ue'
eide in the coming election. ,DE
A majority of the Southern states are today
! Republican by large majorities could fair
! and honest vote be had But this the White
Liners are determined to prevent. They have
, Organized themselves into military compa-
n,es, and, when a Republican meeting is
2 convened, these companies, sometimes num-
bering a thousand men armed with rifles re-
yOlverS and all the Announcements oil war,
well mounted, come at the'wori OF command
of their officer and the blast Of The bugle,
and surround the stand where the speakers are,
ALLOWED for peace sake, and because resistance
would be madness, the Republican speakers
are yelled down AMI Democrats put up and
the meeting finally broken up by violence
and not unfrequently blood-shed. or course,
Icolorcd and white Republicans too, unarmed
and detenceless, are glad to escape with thelr
lives, and thus is free speech eitectually
crushed.
! Cullen was entirely correct. That ards the
"real issue" on which Hayes got his 1877 hon
issue was whether the white conservatives, or
the niggers and carpetbaggers should rule
the south. Tariff, currency, civil service re-
form, honesty in ofiice-all were cast over
board by the republicans and the fight made
Exclusively under the banner OF the bloody
shirt.
Now, however, the Republican grows quite
meek on The bloody shirt question, and is
willing TO admit that if Hayes should re-
cognize the governors elected in South Caro-
lima and Louisiana by men EARNED with
rifles, revolvers and all the accoutrcments of
war;" driving the poor innocent republicans
from the polls, it Will be all right. Zone
point" 1t says, may at least be considered
Ias settled"
"The policy of President. Hayes and his al.
mnistration towards the South will be con.
IcilIatory. If the color line continues it will
be because the Southern Democrats are deter
mined to maintain It, Already Southern
Democrat has been taken into the Cabinet
Another, it is understood, will be appointed
to the bench of the Supreme Court and still
another will soon be appointed to the Collec.
torship at Charleston South Carolina. Others
will be appointed to important offices at New
Orleans and elsewhere Besides these, hun
dreds OF Postmssters will be appointed
throughout the South taken from the better
class of Democrats. Postmaster General Key
is receiving daily hundreds of letters from
Southern Democrats asking fer Postofilces
and that he intercede with the President in
their behalf"
We had on our exchange list no organ
more Intensely devoted to the orlflammc of
the bloody shirt before the election than the
Henry Republican. That paper now grows
quite enthusiastic over Mr. Hayes's southern
policy, and says:
We believe in equal and exact justice to all |
citizens, whether south or north, east or west,
and to this end we say, let the old flag, from
this glad hour float over sovereign states and
territories, and not conquered provinces. We |
believe in strengthening the hands of any,
and every man who is in the right, and doing
good whether he speak our shibboleth or no
And now let the people say amen, and so do,
and great as is the heritage received from our
fathers, our children's will be UNNECESSARILY |
greater.
1t seems almost like a waking dream to
take up the intensely radical Kankakee Ga.
.ette and read an editorial of whole column
in this strain:
The two sections of our country no longer |
need remain at daggeis points, for our inter.
ests are so nearly identical that we certainly |
ought to be willing to work in different parts
of the same team, as our destination is the |
same and the road leading thereto, Uhe high
way of progress) Is broad road and free TO
all alike.
And now as the President seems determin.
ed to surround himself with advisers, heads
of departments who are known to be conser.
vative, and whose broad and liberal views
are in unison with our own, is 1t not reason
able and just that the people give him fair i
chance to carry out the reform measures he |
proposes to inaugurate, and assist him in his |
laudable and arduous undertaking?
We could 60 on and give such extracts BY .
the column from all Of what were the hottest .
and most pronounced bloody shirt organs of
the party before the election. But they would |
be more tiresome than amusing They are
curious, however, as showing the readiness
with which great party" agree TO surren.
der the sole and only real issue" OF such an
exciting campaign as that was last summer,
and for the sake only of holding on 10 the |
offices are willing TO adopt an opposite poll.
cy and creed, which before the election they
denounced as "the very spawn of hell Ana
the funniest part of all is, that from present
appearances, Hayes was only fooling and is |
most likely after all 10 turn up pure bloody.
shIrtcr himself, when all these llltle editors,
as well as the EvartsCs Seizures and keveses