The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-12

AuI SOtClduuCue, Vutso VIC pnASy WV 80 soAS =
and sustains great war; if the war is. "a
success, viii be upheld by the popular
voice, and will control the government
for a very considerable period of time
after the termination of the war. 1t is
equally certain that the party oppo.
sing successful war will go out of power
for series of years. Our own war of
1872 with Great Britain is an apt illus
tration. Knowing this to be rule of
popular action, [ participated in none
Of the hopes entertained by our Southern
leaders, that the Democracy who had
opposed our civil war would be able, by
the popular vote Of the people of the
United States, to obtain control of the
government and reverse the terms of re-
construction dictated by it in the hands
of the Republican party. was there
fore of the opinion that it was best for
the South to offer no opposition to the
election ofa Republican PRESIDENT, while
the reconstruction acts had not been ex-
ecuted. This would no doubt have facil-
itated the admission of our Southern SEN
ators and Representatives, and would at
a much earlier period have given us con-
troll of our own local affairs. And upon
this conviction I acted. But when we
had complied fully with the reconstruc-
tion acts, and the government of the
United States then refused to, carry out
its pledges for our re-admission and used
the military arm to,interfere in our local
affairs, I felt that there was something
for the Democracy of both sections to
stand upon, with good hope of success !;
and from that time until the present I
have voted for the Democratic candidates
and advised our people to do so, in the
hope that the American people might
then be ready to drive from power those
who had not only dictated unreasonable
terms to US, but had failed to keep faith
in carrying them out. Unfortunately the
popular mind was not ready for this in
1872. But in 1876, so gross had been the
outrages of the Federal administration
in the use of the military, to put down
legal State governments in the South, for
party purposes, that the people rose in
their might at the ballot box and con-
demned this bad faith and usurpation, as
already said, by an overwhelming
msjority, by the. election of the Demo-
cratic candidates for President and Vice
President. r
~ My Judgment was then that the De-
mocracy. Of the North, knowing that they
had elected their candidates, should have
stood firmly by them, announcing their
determination to inaugurate them; and
he'solid South should have moved up to
their support. And the result would
not have been doubtful as the moral
conviction rested upon the minds of the
capitalists of the Republican party North
that we had been successful, and they
would not have hazarded their fortunes on
a civil war to sustain an undoubted fraud.
But the Democratic leaders at Washing
ton were outgeneraled by the superior
management Of their antagonists, and
Governor Hayes was counted in aud has
been inaugurated. He is now the de
tacto President of the United States, and
we should be orderly and obedient to the
laws during his term, and hope that he
will give us fair administration. I
counsel nc. factious opposition to his ad-
ministration, and think we should not
hesitate to give him credit for all good
acts performed by the administration.
Ifhe would come to the just conclusion
that the Republican party has had its
mission, and that the sixteen years of
power which it has enjoyed is as much as
it is entitled to on account of conducting
q successful war, and if he would adopt
the policy of Washington and disregard
ing party, would call about him the best
men of both parties and distribute the
offices among them, permitting each to
act politically with perfect freedom while
holding position, saction would entitled
him TO respect and confidence there
might be less question about the expe-
.diency of Democrats accepting Office un-
der him. - 80
I must confess, however, thatI have,
from the beginning, seen no sufficient
evidence that this is the purpose of the
President. Instead of his taking broad,
patriotic view Of the situation, and re-
solving firmly to restore peace and pros
perity to the country, at the sacrifice of
party, the policy adopted by him seems
to me to point only to an effort on his
part, by the bestowal of patronage, to
strengthen his own party. The only
fruit borne of his policy ofSouthern con-
ciliation, so far as have noticed up to
this period, is the appointment Of sim
gle Southern Democrat to cabinet Of
fee; while his vacillating course in refer
ence to the removal of troops from Lou
isiana and South Carolina, and his refer
ence of the question to commission,
wholly unauthorized by any law, Federal
or State, majority of which I have no
doubt will be composed of his own party,
have but confirmed my distrust.
We may, however, be asked by North
ern men, how is conciliation to take place
if the, South is still to stand firm and
solid and will meet no advance made to
her by the administration? To this |
reply: The South is not in the market.
We cannot be purchased by patronage.
But if the purpose of the President is to
restore peace and harmony to the country,
and to divide the South by lines other
than the color line, there is an easy and
patriotic mode of doing it. Let him and
his party offer us no bribe Of office; and
let them, in the administration Of the
government, do equal and exact justice
to every State and to every section of the
union !; let them bury the war issue and
let there be made no further allusion to
it. In word, let the Republican party
cease to Haunt the bloody shirt in our
face; and let them, as pledged, we hav-
ing complied with the reconstruction
acts, coneede the samegright. to local sell.
government to Louisiana and South Car.
oIina which is conceded to New York and
Ohio, and let all efforts to keep up divis-
ion, on account of past connection with
the war, cease; and the result will natu-
rally be, that new issues will spring up Z;