New-York tribune., 1877-09-29
THE PRESIDENT IN THE SOUTH
TOPICS srccrsTEp BY THE VISIT.

ERN TENNESSEE,
lrpou -. srAFP CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBusRl
w,suScroy. Sent. 27-During the Presidential
,our through the South a good deal of talk was
hoard here and there about the probability of the
formation of new party. Ii came from conserva-
tive men who have acted with the Democracy since
the war from necessity, they thought rather than
from any natural affinity for that organization ana
who, while desirous of supporting the President are
unwilling to join the Republicans They thnK that
the Republican party in the North is divided INTO
two clements one desirOus of botting out sectional
lines Of fostering broad National feeling ana OF
ACCOMPLISHING reform in methods of administration.
the other seeking TO prolOng estrangement between
the North and the South, cultvating spirit OF
hostility toward one section for the purpose OF re-
tanning political power in the other, and
opposing any interference with the oid-tash-
ioned machinery of politics. The Northern
Democracy appears to them TO be a party so
devoid of intelligence and OF principle that they De-
gin 20 be ashamed of their association with H. III
the South the Republican party ceased TO eN'st
when II lost control of the offices and was deprived
OF the support of the Federal power Ihe southern
Democracy mas two elements which begin to jar
against each other, and. sooner or later must IAN
apart One Is liberal and progressive, the other oS
oted and reactonary One seeks TO bury the preu-
dces and passions of the past the other one TO keep
tben alive One feels the glow of n renewed sentl-
inent of nationality, the other wraps ltsei III sec
tionasm and sits down amid the wrecks ol lis hopes
and blows upon the fast expiring hatreds OF the war;
Opeextends cordial hand to President Hayes meets
him al the threshold and says, Come In ana sIt
down among us +; you are the Nations Iresueht-
our President as much the President OF the
North; the other sulks and swears mutters some
thing about fraud" and talks about not recognlz-
ing President elected by the enemies OF the
South"
"Now." say these gentlemen who would like to
see a new party organized, "why should not the
moderate liberal men of both sections. who want
good feeling and good government come together
on the simple patriotic platform laid down by l'resi-
dent Hayes. leaving those who oppose 1t to stay
where they arc IN the old parties, or 20 where they
please
On several occasions the President was asked his
opinion on the question of q new party, and was
urged TO give his countenance to some movement for
starting one. lie gave encouragement 10 the
idea. As matter Of course. he is warmly attached
to the Republican party, having been actively con-
uected with il since his youth and having received
from it succession of honors, ending with the great
est it can bestow Besides his theory Of the forna-
ton Of new parties, as all his friends know who
have talked with him on the subject Is that they
are not made by few politicians or newspapers
and least of all by Presidents, bat that they gernl-
they show any signs of existence on the surface oi
affairs The attitude of public men and of leading
Journals re regards as indicating the direction OF
public opinion, not because they make that opinion
but because they watch its movements and ia1 III
with Them Often both the press and the politicians
are behind the people, because they have not OBJ
served with sufficient the undercurrents Of
thought among the masses. When the times are ripe
for new formations in politics the President thinks
they will occur and The force that cry5tailzes them
viii be irresistible because it is not spasmodic but
has been steadily gaining strength for long time
in the convictions of large bodies of men. l do
not assume to quote the President, but only
TO say chat this is his wcll-knOwn view. Further,
hc looks upon the Presidential Office az one that
should be dsassociated from party politics. 80 fr'
Of least as that its occupant Should refrain from
seeking to build up organizations or destroy old
ones To cndeavor 20 create party to sustain his
Administration is venture to say as far as any
thing can be from his thoughts. II lac wished to see
such party come into existence-and there is not
tn slightest reason for supposng that ne does-tnat
large measure of common sense, which everybody
knows he possesses would teach him not to follow
In the footsteps of Andrew johnson. People who
eay that he has been travelling the South TO drum
NJ supporters for his party only show their ignor
ance of bic character and opinions.
I see that some OF the Republican papers which do
not look favOrahy upon the Presidents course to-
ward the South are trying hard TO pick flaw in his
Atlanta speech. They achieve an apparent success.
but it is by disingeniousy separating sentence
from It's coIaext and assigning TO il meaning which
the context shows it was not intended to have.
Speaking To the cx-COnfederate soldiers, the Pres
dent said: $50, with no dscredit to you, and with
no SPECIAL credit 20 us the turned out as it did"
The critical newspapers apply this sentence to the
general principles upon which the was fought,
and pretend to believe that the President meant
that there was no discredt in the rebellion,
and no special credit in putting it down.
lie meant nothing Of the kind nor can anybody
fairly extract such a meaning from the speech He
referring, when he used the sentence quoted to
the equal sOldery skill and bravery OF the men on
both sides OF the contest and to the fact that the
side which had the most men won. Everybody
knOws-0r at least every soldier knOWs-that the
war dId not turn out it did because of any dis
credit Oh the part of the Southern armies account
OF lack of courage, OrOf any special credit on that of
the Northern troops for greater amount of courage
than their adYersarieS possessed. There was great
leroism aud fOrtitude on both sides. People in the
North who take offence at the Presidents words at
Atlanta are as thn-sklnned as the southern news
p.pers which got mad because POStmaster-GencTal
Kew spoke of himself and his feOw-rebcls as "err-
jng brethTeni" The two conspicuous monumen al
facts of the rebellion are that the southern people
committed a colossal bunder IN bringing on the war
and that they fought IL through with extraordinary
courage
While writing of topics growing out Of the Presi-
dents tour / may well speak of the attitude Of
the East Tennessee Republicans, which appears to
merit more notice than could be given it in brief
dispatch from Knoxville. East tennessee is
troed 10y white Republicans who have a compact
disciplined and exceedingly faithful party, resting
upon the memories OF the war. there vivid than
elsewhere, because there the was III