Ottumwa weekly courier., 1877-08-15
MlscEMAN8.
BLUFF BEN WADE.

townsfolk call him, preserving the
title of the first important Office he
held. found him in little one-sto-
ry building overshadowcd by horse
chestnut trees. His house. q large
frame structure. robbed of it's origi-
nal picturesqucness by mansard
roof, stands a few steps away, and the
little building used as an office, shares
with It the delights Of spacious
lawn, dotted with clnmps Of flowers.
The public square, where centers the
placid life Of the village, is but a
stones throw distant, the bank is
next door, the post Office just around
the corner, and the court house so
near at hand that the ex-senator can
almost hear the speeches of the law
yers without leaving his easy chair.
The 7ribassae correspondent receiv-
ed cordial greeting, and when the
talk settled into the expected channel
of politics, he said: "You are regard
ed as the most prominent ntrepresenta-
tive in Ohio of the element of the re-
publican party which strongly disap-
proves of the southern policy Of the
administration E aa,sr
'That's mistake replied Mr..
Wade, "I'm not in politics at all,-no
man is less so IN fact,-and don't
know that l represent anybody but
myself. / wrote a letter. to an old
friend at Washington not long ago,
and marked it private, in which /
gave my views of the course of the
administration. 1t got into print,
and that set all the newspapers to
talking about me. i2S'S s.a
"Have You modified the opinion
you expressed in that letter ?"
"Not at all. I think Hayes made a
great mistake in surrendering Louis
lana and South Carolina. lie is an
honest man, and 1 have great respect
for him, but he misjudged his duty
shockingly. Why, it was a complete
surrender to the South. / can COM
pare it to nothing but the course of
Buchanan in the last days of his ad-
ministration, when he gave up the
forts and government property to the
rebels. The plea was the same then
as now-the rights Of the states to To-
cal self-government. Yes, local self
government! That means that the
southern whites may do just as they
please and violate with impunity the
constitutional amendment which
gives the suffrage to the negroes
There is no republican party left in
the South now. The negroes may
vote, if they want to,-they'll not be
bull-dozed any more, l think,-but
their votes will not be counted, il
counting them makes any difference.
The South profits by negro suffrage
to get increased representation and
power; but we have no authority
according to the new policy, to sec
that the negro enjoys his guaranteed
rights of citizenship"
"Was there any better way than tht
one the president took?"
eyes; he ought to have told thu
South that he meant to uphold the
, legally elected governments in these
I two states by all the force at his com
Q mand. That would have been enough
Packard and Chamberlain could hav'
), been kept in office without trouble
The South busters good deal but j
easily cowed."
"The Packard and Chamberlain
governments could only have beel
maintained by the constant presenc
of troops, just as the Kellogg gov
!, ernment was"
2 "Then / would have used troops
Iwould not have surrendered with
> out struggle what we had fairl
won. l would use troops evcrywher
if necessary, to protect the negro i
q his rights. Why, look at these rail
. road riots. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
: as we'll as republicans, called on tn
e epresidcnt to send soldiers to protet
g them and enforce the laws, but whe
l. a corporals guard was stationed i
a some Southern state there was a gres
: out cry about military interference
. and sbayonct rule and 'down-trod
den communities "H
"Do you remember, when yo
blame Hayes, that Grant set the el
. ample of ceasing to uphold carpe
Il bag governments when he left Go,
o Ames and the Mississippi republican
a to shift for themselves 2"
Il ayes, I don't forget. Grant con
menced still earlier, when he permi
8, ted Baxter's inauguration in Arkal
rs sas; but because he did what was nj
70 right, that doesn't excuse Hayes. w
= expected Hayes would do better ths
~ Grant. Instead of that he has abal
ID doned the country to the rule of IL
le South. / see no hope of anythin
: else. The united South is going
get control of the government"
ado you think it the duty of repul
licans who feel as you do, to step OIL
by themselves and form O separa1
., organization? ?' t ~
d "Oh, no; not at all. The hope (
le the nation is in the republican part
II and we must keep it together. I'll
ignorance and vice of the countf
" are embodied in the democratic pa
Is ty, and We ought not to stop 1ightin
ir it for moment. am as much n
NJ publican as ever, and mean to vote til
:. republican ticket this fall
N "What harm do you apprehen
g will come from tho presidents pol
# cy?"
81 "We've got to give up the govern
ment to the democrats, and the den
ocratic party is controlled by th
l. South, exactly as it was in Pierce
:. and Buchanan's time, the only diffel
being that the South is much NOR
&c powerful now than then. The Sout
n doesn't care for the democratic part.
vi What they want down there is to in
! demnify themselves for the losses {
= Of the war out of the federal treasu
&c ry. They will first pass the TeXa
re Pacific subsidy bill; then they wi
take $l00,OOO,000 for the levee
of the Mississippi. They WI
get the Supreme Court on their sid
to open the way by decisions to til
:. D.tpayment of their war claims. can
tell how far they will go. If they ar
- stopped short of paying the rebt
= debt it will be because the republ
cans of the North become alarme
= again and wrest the government oil
,f of their hands. just now few ar
- awake to the danger. 1t has cease
:, to be any reprOach to man to hay
= been a traitor, and Northern me
- look on the rebels as men who took
= different view from themselves of
- doubtful question of constitution,
:, Interpretation" gtt.
20 have taken q few sentences hel
- and there from an hours conversl
- ton, choosing such as illustrate tt
,e ex-senator's position toward the pre-
= ident and the Southern question. II
y. believes that the North must rule Il
20 South to prevent the South fro
!. ~ ruling the North. During the grea
- :. er part of his long political caree
~ he saw the country governed by t.
a arrogant Southern oligarchy. Il
~ ~ cannot forget the immeasurable eyi
"a and calamities that resulted from Il
~ domination of that element. It is II
"a wonder that in his old age he shoul
~ view with apprehension the will
= drawal Of the strong arm of pow
~ which the North has held over Il
v South since the rebellion was crushe
=, out. l would like to see the fct
~ eral government, controlled Bby Il
=, republican party. continue polio
a of repression in the southern stat
!. ~ as long as any opposition to the flu
= civil equality of the black race shoul
:. show itself there. Impractical as Ii
- views are, they are entirely SINGER
:, and therefore merit respect.
=. The ex-senator is enjoying a ha