New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-03-04

to carry out his policy there is room for
speculation. But as to his general policy
there can be no doubt. So far as the pub
lie knows President Hayes has always been
loyal to his convictions. If he has ever
faltered in his devotion to the principles of
the Union cause, c9ntended for equally in |
the councils of the nation and on the field
of battle from 1861 to 1865, his sin has not |
found him out. Ia defense of those princi- /
pies he offered his services and risked his /
life. In support of them since the close of |
the war, in all his published speeches, |
there is abundant evidence of his love |
of justice because of its intrinsic beauty, |
of respect for law because it is law, |
and Of strong determination to |
establish and enforce the right tor |
the rights own sake. Nor does he lack |
ruggedness of character. lu a speech
delivered in 1867 he quoted with approval
| General Jaekson's menacing injunction lin
| 1881 to the Rev. A. j. Crawford, of South
4 Carolina: Take care of your nullifiers;
! you have them among you; let them meet
with the indignant 1rown of every man
| whe loves his country" HeRbhors Oppres-
! sion and injustice. Iu the same speech he
! said: "The practice (slsveryl founded upon
| THE denial OF the declaration of independ-
enee, protected by law and sanctioned by
usage, was our great national trsnsgres-
sion, and was the cause of our great
national ealamitv." If any man believes
that President Hayes is prepared to CON
sent to the direct or indirect notification
of the guarantees of the constitution in re.
lation TO the rights of oolored citizens, he
utterly misconceives the character OF the
new chief magistrate. OF them he said in
1867:
Their labor, privations and sutfsIings,
unpaid and unrequited, have cleared and
redeemed one-third of the inhabited terri
tory of the Union. Their toll has added to
the resources and wealth of the nation IN
| fol1 mil ,rva rafa .
not, they are our eountrvmeD, and will re-
main so forever. Tax
payers, eountrymen, fellow citizens and
fellow,sOldiers the cOlored men Of America
have been and will be. Our
government has been called the white
mans government. Not go.
Il is not the government of the native
born, or Of the foreign born, of the rich
, man or Of the poor man, of the white man
! or of the cOlOred man-it is the govern
: ment OF the free man."
These we're the sentiments of President
! Hayes ten years ago. Has he changed his
viewsl Let us see, The National Repub-
= lican platform contained the following Sec
tiOp:
, "The permanent pacifcation of the
. Southern section of the Union, and the
T complete protection of all it's citizens in the
free enjoyment of all their rights is a duty
i to which the Republican party stands
sscredly pledged. The power to provide
. for the enforcement of the principles EN-
bodied in the recent constitutional amend.
ments is vested by those amendments in
the Congress of the United States; and we
declare to be the solemn obligation of the
n legislative and executive departments OF
= the government to put into immediate and
vigorous exercise all their constitutions
II powers for removing sny just causes of dis
t content on the part of any class and for Sc
= curing to every American citizen compl 3te
liberty and exact equality in the exercise
OF all civil, political and public rights. TC
this end we imperatively demand Con
gress and a chief executive whose courage
% and fidelity to theee duties shall not faltel
1t until these results are placed beyend dis
J. pute or recall"
It This is the platform which President
Y Hayes was called upon to approve or dis
approve, In his letter of acceptance he did
t not content himself with mere assent il
s general terms, but discussed the subiec
It fully. He said:
h "The condition of the Southern States at.
q tracts the attention and commands the
+ sympathy of the people of the whole Union
8 in their progressive recovery from the eff
IL fects of the war, their first necessity is al
q intelligent and honest administration O.
II government, which will protect all classes O
n citizens in all their political and private
" rights. What the South most needs il
peace, and peace depends upon the su
a premacy of the law. There can be no en-
2 during peace if the constitutional rights o
any portion of the people are habitu
IS ally disregarded.' The welfare
h of the South, alike with that of every othe
n part of the country, depends upon the at
8 fractions it can offer to labor, to immigra
1t tiOn, and TO capital. But laborers will no
T. go, and capital will not be ventured. whert
70 the constitution and the laws are set at de
it tance, and distraction, apprehension anC
,e alarm take the place of Ieace-lovlng anI
10 law abiding social life. All parts of tn
10 constitution are sacred, and must b
saeredly observed-the parts that are ney
g. no less than the parts that are old, Th
10 moral ard material prosperity of tn
d Southern States can be most effectively ad
at vanced by hearty and generous recogn
tion OF the rights of sll by ala reoogni
ton without reserve or exception
This simple stateQent of the demands o
law and Justice is admirable. The tw
epigrammatic sentences cover The Who'll
ground, The entire brief nAragraph
l. plea for peace, but coupled wiur th
solemn injunction that peace can Onl
come, and come to stay, through the OF
> servanee of the constitution and the lave
The olive branch is held out, but behind i
d. is the mailed hand Of justice and of power
Y, There is no eoneealment, no holding out O
l. tslse hopes "What the South needs" h
70 Gays, sis peace" but peace depends upo
q, A4o VI lhb Jaw
d A single sentence in the letter of accent
70 snoe-"A division Of political parties, rest
70 ing merely upon distinctions of race, O
i upon sectional lines, is slRays unfOrtunat
!, and may be disastrOus"-has been mad
1t the basis of many speculatiOns. 1t has beel
8 assumed that President Hayes would see B
Is through certain specific acts of administrs
e ton, to recognize parties ia the SOuth-tha
10 Is to say, to repel portion of the e0lore,
II vote from the Republican party, and at
IT tract to it a portion of the white vote. Thi
It certainly an unwarranted assumption
q he presidential office it is the provinc
he incumbent TO execute the laws no
h 45 scheme for a reorganization of parties
u Happily we know that the President elec
10 holds broad views on the subject of parties
i We quote the language used by him on th
1t subject several years ago: "GIeat poll
It tieal parties, whether sectional or other
1t wise, do not come by accident, nor ar
o they the invention of political intrigue.
+ faction born of clique may have som
d strength at one or two elections, but tn
g wlsest political wire WOTkers can not b.
! merely taking thought create a strong AM
2 permanent party. Great pOiitics
t movements always have some adeouat
It cause In the light of these phil l0sophies
' reflections it is idle to expect that Pres
Q dent Hayes will lend his eountenance {,
o any political intrigue whatever. The reol
Q ganization of parties in the South may re
Y suit from the establishment Of peace; bu
a as peace depends on the supremacy of tn
= law, the road to peace plainly lies througl
D its enforcement. Those who desire tb
d OhliteratiOn of race lines in politics vii
IS best achieve their desire by m aking the iay
n supreme throughout the whole OF cur ter