The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-12
HAYES SOUTHERN POLICY.
OPINIONS OF DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS
OF SOUTH CAROLINA. :
Letter from Hon. d. Wyatt Aiken, Mem.
ber OF Congress. = :
CoKEsBURY, S. c., April 9, 1877.

GENTLEMEN-Your note of the 9th
inst. was received on Saturday afternoon,
and as requested reply at once.
You write me thus: "Give us for pub
lication your views as to President Hayes
Southern policy; whether it is proper
that Democrats should seek or accept
Office at his hands, and what will proba-
bly, be the result upon the destiny of the
two National parties from this change in
policy by the Republican party?"
At present it is difficult to define Pres
ident Hayes Southern policy, but as the
latter portion of your inquiry implies
that, by consent of party, he will assume
a conciliatory policy towards the South,
I think we should unhesitatingly accept
every Federal appointment profered us.
This country does not belong to the Re-
publican party, neither should any of
these National appointments be construed
to be partisan preferences. l imagine a
United States District Attorney in the
South nowhere finds Republican, rather
than Democratic, laws to be administer
ed, because, forsooth, he holo. ofice by
the will of q Republican President.
Neither does collector of the ports at
the South recognize anything peculiarly
Republican, rather than Democratic, in
his revenue collections because Repub-
lican guards the threshold of our Ma
tional treasury. For the same reason /
can see no partisanship in the Office of
post master, or mail agent, or any other
strictly National appointment.
If in accepting an appointment a
southerner (Dem.) were required to COM
promise in any way his political creed,
of course he should reject the profered
position. For this reason I regretted to
see Southern man, regarded as South
ern Democrat, go into the Cabinet. Not
that he would compromise the South, but
because he would of necessity be mere
fgure-head, or become identified with
the administration in party feeling. The
Cabinet are the Presidents counsellors,
and should be in sympathy with him in
all his political views. His Southern
appointees are agents paid for doing ser.
vice to our common country, unbiased by
party exactions, and in the case of Dem
ocratic appointees unswerved by party
afiliation.
I believe President Hayes received his
Office through fraud, but am far from
believing that he is himself a fraud.
And what effect his policy (which seems
to foreshadow that of the wrong man i'll
the right place. may have upon the two
National parties, I am unable to foresee.
Should it shatter both of them through
out the North, it would be God-send to
the South. We are under no obligations
to either of these two parties, because
they are both irrecoverably corrupt and
anti-southern to the core. True, we
have hosts of friends at the North, but
we have more enemies, and as many of
either can be found among the Democrats
as among the Republicans. None of
them believe that we have accepted in
good faith the Amendments to the Con-
stitution, and they have mistrust as to
our loyalty to the Union, which can
never be obliterated but by time.
I have ever found more congeniality
amongst Northern Republicans than
with Northern Democrats, and believe
an average representative of the Repub-
lican party North is more nearly akin in
feelings, sentiment and thought to a
Southern Democrat than similar repre-
sentative Northern Democrat. Carpet
baggers, scallawags and negro politicians
belong to neither party by any kind Of
political right. They are mere barnacles
that have befouled the Republican party.
Once rubbed of, they will sink in the
slough of contempt to be forgotten, but
not forgiven.
No honest man, unless totally ignorant
las most Northern men are) of Southern
affairs, can for a moment believe that,
upon principle, Mr.. Hayes can maintain
himself in Office and recognize the
Nichols government in Louisiana. The
very same fraud that placed him in the
Presidential chair would install Packard
Governor. And yet we know that the
very political existence of that State de-
pends upon the installation of General
Nichols as Governor. Sooner or later
Mr.. Hayes must see this, and must inevi-
tably recognize the Nichols government.
When this is done, the South will be a
political unit. If, then, the Southern
States so legislate as to convince the col.
ored population that the laws recognize
no distinction on account of color or race,
there will, in my judgment, be political
revolution throughout the North in less
than four years as potent for good to the
South as was that between 1861 and 1865
for evil to our distressed country.
Not that there will be war again-far
from it; for the recent presidential elec'
ton proved that Northern Democrats will
not fight Northern Republicans, however
willing either party might be to fight
Southerners. But in that event parties
at the North will be so deyided, and so
clamorous for Southern patronage, that
the South need only stand firm and united,
and she will hold a balance of power that
will be effective in restoring this Govern
ment to its wonted purity, and the people
to prosperity.
H.. L. ~. -.. H. 1a.los, - ~ =