National Republican., 1877-12-04

1851, he entered the service Of his country
as first lieutenant in battery A, First Wis
consin Artillery. subsequently he was ap-
pointed captain in tho Second Wis
consin Cavalry, and then lieutenant-c colonel
of the First Arkansas Cavalry. At the close
of the war ho was appointed Adjutant-
General of the State of Arkansas,
which position he held until 1867. After
this Gen. BISHOP served as register in bank
ruptcy for several years, when, in 1874 and
1875, he filed the Office Of president Of the
Arkansas Industrial University.
In 1876 he was the Republican candidate
for Governor in the State of Arkansas, and
has since then been engaged in the practice
of law at Little Rock, in that State. lie
graduated at Yale in 1853, and had among
his classmates the Hon. b. X. PHELrs, Of
New York city, now its district attorney |;
President WHITE, of Cornell University (;
HENRY G. ROBINSON, Of Hartford, Conn;
RICHARD WAITE, of Ohio brother Of the
Chief-Justicc of the United States Supreme
Court, and other citizens of distinction.
We have been thus explicit in regard to
the public services and standing Of our cor
respondent that those who are not acquainted
with him and his history may have better
appreciation Of the weight that attaches to
his views and opinions, which are outspoken
and manly, and we think eminently peril
nent to the hour:
LITTLE Rock, ARK, Nov. 90, 1877.
Hon. A. NJ Ciapp:
DEAR SIR: In the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
Of the 2lst instant you comment upon the
question, "who Is responsible for tho crushing
out of the Republican party at the SouthS' and
your view Of tho situation will be accepted rs
the truth by ninety mine one-hundrcdths Of
all Southern Republicans, whether they hold
office or not.
In the present anomalous condition Of affairs
this latter class will preserve the silence that
a profound respect for their salaries demands;
but at heat they probably think as little OF
the Presidents blunder as the rest Of us.
To cure disease is one thing, to kill the pa
ticnt another and this particular attempt TO
emancipate voters from an alleged control by
ofiicc-holders will be the greatest fiilure in
American politics. 1t would be misnomer TO
call it craftsmanship.
Here in Arkansas, as elsewhere In the South,
we have suffered from the misconduct Of OIL
cials and tho confidence of the masses has
been given to some Republicans who have not
proven to be worthy of II; but, nevertheless,
no one thinks Of operating party without the
general aid Of those who receive the honors
and enjoy the emoluments Of public station.
THAT order" has accomplished all you
charge to 1t, and, instead Of resulting In the
emancipation Of the action Of voters from tho
control Of ofiice-holders," 1t has operated in
the South at least like death-damp. and
down here Republicans stand aghast at the
future, aud feel that unless the high chiefs of
tho party at Washington and throughout the
North protest against this surrender to the
Democracy, (for this is practically what 1t is.)
and unless there shall be q change Of front by
the administration, it will bo q hopeless un-
dcrtaking, for two years at least, to rovive the
Republican party in the South.
And yet whatever may be true Of other
Southern States, there are 10000 Republican
voters in this. The colored citizens, As a class
are disposed to be true to the Republican party
There are many Northern men scattered
through the State who are true to it, and thert
are Southern Republicans who were ilivini
here when the war broke out who are true to 1t
But the President seems to act as though tn,
Northern men especially who are here are oil
of the speculative, good d-for-nothing, dishonest
class. and unworthy Of his confidence. Yet II
should never be forgotten that not only in Ar.
kansas, but all through the South, the close Of
the war left in the territory that they had
aided to conquer, thousands Of men, who per.
lied everything for the sake Of their country
who abandoned their callings to defend tn,
flag, and are now in the South in the most per
feet good faith, and striving, each in his owl
way, to live and let live.
pronounced Republican in the Southern
States Is politically as obnoxious now a. ever
and If he thinks proper to be active in politi
cal campaign he is radical" in what 1
attempted to be made an opprobrious sense o
the term, and no distinction is drawn betweeI
those whose personal conduct Is above reproacl
and some men who unfortunately have one,
been trusted by their party but never will b,
again.
Party strife Is bitter, and those Democrat
whose Confederate record Is the clearest ar
the most trusted. The ruling element in tn
South believes, as it always has believed
that the American Union Is simply a confed
eracy of co-equal States, and not great ant
indivisible nationality, and conciliation from
this element in q party sense there is not
from present indications, the slightest hope :,
expect, and yet tho country is witnessing 81
attempt by n Republican national administra
tration to placate an adversary by method
that are rs unwise in theory as they viii
prove to be utterly deceptive in practice, 70
the Presidents policy" II 1t be "policy,
has now been fairly tried, and in this connoc
tion the New York Times does indeed prcsen
an accurate review of this overture to South
ern Democrats, on the one hand, and of tn,
collapse of Southern Republicanism in certain
of the cotton States on the other.
Arkansas, moreover, can be added to the list
and when the Washington correspondent of tn
Cincinnati Gdsetie asks what has HAYE
done to change the political situation in Ten
nessec or Mississippi or Texas, or any othe
OF the Democratic States of the South ~ it |
very easy to answer that he has done epeTyihin
/ that IL nnpnSSary IN phunVn