The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-08-07
A LETTER FROM SENATOR
CHRISTIANCY.
TuE "soUTnEaN PoLsCN."

faith in the good intentions of South,
ern people, and il thoroughly con-
ylnced that they are playing a game
oil take everything and give nothing.
LANSING, Mich. June "a, 1877.
Hon. SAM'L ID. LEooMPrr:
DEAR SrR:-YOurs OF the l4th re.
ceived, and shoald have been sooner
answered, but / have been called away
from home on professional business.
am glad to know that we both APP
prove the policy OF the new admins.
tration, and take abont the same view
of il.
do not think the President has
much 10 fear from opposition in his
own party. That opposition comes
from two classes; lat, the honest, con-
scientious men who hate injustice and
the cruelties perpetrated in the South.
ern States against the coloTed people,
but are not sufficiently informed 10 APP
preciate the entire problem with all It's
surrounding complications, aud espe-
cially the relations of the state gov
ernments 10 the Federal government; !;
and, acting upon the honest and natu-
raj impulse TO check or punish wrong,
and under the mistaken notion that
the Federal government ia responsible
for all tho evils or defects Of the State
governments, would have the Federal
government strike down, at once and
by force, the evils OF which they COM
plain, thus ignoring all distinction be-
tween Federal and State power.
While the second class, comparative-
ly small in numbers, though sufficient
/ ly intelligent to comprehend all the
/ bearings and all the difficulties of the
/ problem, and fully cognizant Of the re-
lations between the State aud Federal
governments, yet, feeling, perhaps,
/ under 40 strong an obligation to pro-
tect the colored people aud white Re-
I publicans of the South as TO make
7 them overlook some Of the disastrous
consequences OF violating the Consti.
tuition for this purpose or else per-
haps honestly believing il better 10 run
the risk OF snch consequences aud even
of another war which might result,
rather than fail in the immediate at
tainment Of their humane purposss,
Northern people. the most Of Southern
outrages, for the purpose Of keeping
up Northern sentiment TO the highest
pitch Of evaporation against such out
RACES, without taking into considera-
tion all the difficulties growing out OF
the sudden dissolution OF the social
relations, by the war and the abolition
Of slavery, which the better classes
and order-loving portion Of the South.
ern people have 20 contend with, and,
without making auy allowance for the
differences of education, OF passions,
opinions, and preludices under which
the people of the South have been
reared, which have been the growth of
many generations, and which will re-
quire generation 10 obllterate, or to as
simulate with Northern sentiments, and
which, j may add, can never be thus
Rssimilated by policy Of evaporation
and force, but only by kindness, for
bearance and magnanimity.
With this class of politicians IL is
the custom systematically 10 ignore the
true relations of the States with Fed
eral government, and 10 produce in the
popular mind the belief that the Fed
eral government, has complete and
ample powers 10 control all the social
relations, and 10 exercise the same
complete powers OF government as IL
the States and State lines were obliter.
ated; and. therefore. that the Federal
government is responsible for every
evil existing in the several States. -
They exhibit and impress upon the
people the lawlessness existing in the
South, and the cruelties Inflicted upon
the black. and even upon the white Re
publicans land God knows there is too
much Of truth in this, and demand
that Federal troops be sent 10 crush
ont these abuses at once; without con-
sidering that such remedy may be
worse than the evil 20 be remedied,
and that To give complete military pro-
lection against such evils in the South
would require an army OF more than
fifty thousand men, not occasionally
and spasmodically, but under such an
exasperating policy permanently; not
merely in some chief localities, but in
every township and neighborhood; and
this policy, IL IL could succeed, would
be destructive Of all ideas of Republi-
can government, and that such a state
Of things would not be peace, but a
chronic state Of war.
Did this policy of force, when at
tempted by the late administration,
prevent the evils and abuses complain
ed OF. or did 10 (by exasperatinR the
Southern people, only tend TO increase
them?
My own opinion now ~, that. upon
the whole, though il gave protection in
particular instances, u produced, by its
exasperatiOn, more evils than II RENE
died.
The true text OF the merit Of the
policy OF this administration will be,
not " bether IL shall prevent all abuses
aud lawlessness ln the South, but
whether. upon tho whole, such abuses
aud lavlessness will not be less than
under the old policy OF force. In my
opinion they will be less, and they will
continne to grow less as this policy
shall be continued / may be mista-
ken. Bat the observation Of my whole
life has taught me 10 believe that II in
dlylduals or masses of men will ever
do a wrongful, cruel, or lawless thing,
or refuse 20 do a right one, II will be
when you told the rod over them aud
dare them 90 do IL, or to omit To do 10;
while ESPECIALLY with masses of men
or whole communities like the people
Of StateJ II left TO act upon their own
responsibility. theiI own ideas of what
truth. justice, and their own welfare
aud prosperity deman1. aud appealed
to as equals. with kindness, cOnsidora-
ton aud forbearance, they will not
fail, sooner or later, 10 sec that their
own welfare depends upon their own
rectitude, the repression of every
wrong, aud the equal protection Of all
rights, and n uniform enforcement oi
the laws. At all events, with full faith
that the latter policy will bo successful.
wish To see IL thoroughly and fairly
tried before u Is condemned.
Aud hEch, I am satisfied. are the
views and wishes Of the great mass OF
the Republican party, aud, certainly
or their professions can be relied mp
ON or mean anything) the great mass
OF the Democratic party shonld be IN
full accord with this policy. They will
not oppose u however much they may
oppose the party in other respects.
The administration. therefore, hat
nothing 10 fear from opposition 10 this
portion oi its policy, uDlets from tie
naduess Of partisanship or sectional
hatred, the people Of the south sbould
indulge ~ still greater wrongs, intimi.
datiOu, or violence against the colOted
people aud the whites who vote with
them, than under the policy of the late
administration. This do not believe
will be the result. but II, as the proph-
cts OF evil have been prompt aud eager
90 forctcll, the Southern Democracy,
throwing aside all moderation, regard.
less Of rights and reckless Of copse.