, 1877-01-07
A rIRE-EATING GOVERNOR.

Ex-Gov. Brown, Of Georgia, has had an
opportunity offered him Of putting himself
on official record as the champion fre-eater
Of that State, if not of the whole South.
The occasion was presented to him in d let
ter written to him by handful Of citizens Of
Atlanta, asking him to contribute his views
of the present political situation for publica-
ton. In reply the Governor spreads himself
over two columns Of vituperation, and mis-
statement, and false assumptions, IN man.
ner calculated to fire the Southern heart.
The Governor starts of with the assumption
that the Republicans have made false and
fraudulent. canvass of the votes IN South
Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana to count in
HAYES and WHEELER, and then Endorses the
Oregon swindlc, as giving the Democrats
the pri,a1 ,facie right to the Inauguration
of their candidate, even supposlng the
Electoral vote Of these three States to be
counted for HAYES. Gov. Browns letter
was written Dec 80, and at that time he eVi-
IDENTIFY had not heard that the Congressional
Committees had reported fair count Of the
vote in South Carolina for HAYES and
WHEELER. He had not heard that the Denoc-
rncy Ind also virtually conceded Florida to
the Republicans. Of course, he was not
aware of the little bonus that was paid to
Cnos1s, according to CnoS1s's own confess
sion, for the part that he played in the ras-
cally operation. And as he says that the
popular will was expressed legally and
peaceably at the ballot-box in all the South
Cfo$o rf ba hoe hoard r,1ffiuey
Of the intimidation, terrorism, violence,
bulldozing, and other features of the Mis-
sissippi plan for T11pEN and Reform that
were practiced in Louisiana
Starting out upon such false premises as
these, Of course he jumps at the conclusion
that T1pES and HENDRICKS are elected, aud
thnt they must be inaugurated, and he for
mulates his reply to any one asking for the
position Of the South in the following words:
''We hare confidence in the Northern De-
mocracy. We leave them to decide this is
sue. And We will, during the emergency,
stand BY them with immovable flrmness, be
tie consequences aehat they may" The Allan:
ia Constitution, Gov. BEowS's mouthpiece,
presents this position more forcibly, perhaps,
in the following extract from an editorial AZ
ticle commenting upon the letter:
The South lost all in the last War but their lands
and their ability to fight; and il the men who have
oppressed us whenever IN opportunity presented
itself think we have no desire to exercise that ab
ity, because we have long submitted to outrages
and expressions, they do not know us. We will
bear many things rather than be blamed loz bring
Ing on another war; but iii comes to the necessity
Of asserting vital constitutional right md not to
4 mere sectional strife, ready to exercise
that ability as our forefathers OF the Revolt
ton.
Both the Governor and his organ go fur
ther than. the other dre-eaters. Even the
Memphis Appcal, that clustering swash-
buckler, says: "TnDEs and HENDRICKS
are constitutionally elected or they are not.
If they are, they should and will be put in
Office If they are not, then HAYES must be
accorded his legal rights. There is nothing
in the trouble that admits off, compromise
or any halfway course. The motto Of the
Southern Democrats is All or nothing"
The motto of Gov. BRowN is s'!An." his
position is that T1LDES is elected and must
and shall be inaugurated, or the South will
fight. In taking this position he has low
cred himself in the estimation Of Northern
people to the level Of the craziest fre-eater
in the South