The Grange advance., 1877-03-28
The Southern Question.

Reports from Washington inform
us that the Southern Question is
about settled. A special commits
sion, with Vice President Wheeler as
chairman, is to visit louisiana and
ascertain what is needed to be done
by the federal authorities to secure
quite and order IN that State, and
arrangements seem to be already
agreed to for the restoration Of peace
and good government in South Car
olina. No authoritative statement
is made as to what are these arrange
ments, or what the commission to
Louisiana is expected to do; and we
are, by no means, sanguine that the
solution of the difficulties in these
two States is so easy or so near at
hand as the reports intimate. 1t
seems to us hardly possible that a
condition Of affairs which has exist
ed for nearly twelve years, and
has for several years past been grow
ing worse, can he radically changed
in few weeks or months without
the use OF forcible means, and that
harmony shall so soon succeeded
outlawry and anarchy. While, then,
hesitating to assure our readers that
the good time is really at hand, we
can only assure them that the ad-
ministration will do whatever it pos
sibly can to bring about the wished
for re-establishment of good govern.
ment in those unfortunate States.
Again, we cannot avoid the
conclusion that, no matter what he
may do, his conduct in the settle
ment of these difficulties will arouse
against President Hayes great out
cry. Certain it is that Messrs.
Packard and Nichols, in Louisiana,
and Chamberlain and Hampton, in
South Carolina, cannot all be gov
ernor; hence, one in each State
must somehow be deposed. Ordia-
arily we would say that this is not
matter for the federal government to
interfere with but how are the ex-
isting difficulties to be overcome
otherwise than with the aid of feder-
al interference Where does the
power reside which is to overthrow
either dynasty in either State, if not
in the federal authorities ? In the
State courts Aye, truly, but if
these shall decide one way or the
other, they will be denounced as
partizan, and those who shall be de-
posed by their edicts will be encour'
aged by partizan adherents, inside
and out of their respective States, TO
resist the DEGREES which oust them
from official positions. We have
just listened to very general and
violent denunciation of those judges
of our federal supreme court who
took part in the settlement Of the
presidency dispute. Even yet hard
ly a day passes that they are not
the subjects of outrageous abuse,
and for what ? Because they de-
cided question Of vital Importance
to this republic, one which im1ni-
nently jeopardized the continuance
of our institutions, and decided it
in the only way it could be decided
consistently with the almost univer-
sally prevailing sentiment as to
what was right and just. When we
remember this, is there not appar-
emily good reason for experimenting
that judicial decisions in either South
Carolina or Louisiana would only
tend to further .compllcating the
situation and augmenting the dan
gers ? We think so, and we do not
believe that such DEGREES would
have any practical effect, unless the
general government shall interfere
to secure their endorsements.