New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-11-16

looked the gross abuses naturally result
ing from too narrow ali idea Of Their
duty. Senators who are tenacious of the ira
ditions of General Grants time 20 TO the
White House to protest TO President Hayes
that he IS making appointments ut the South
which are dCmorallzing the party and break
ing up It's compact and effective formation.
If they frd Mr.. Hayes but little impressed
by their representations, il is because he does
not profess to regard the Civil Service as an
agency for political propagandism. lie tlies TO
get the best officers without much reference
to their usefulness as leaders and organizers
That at least is tho theory of his reform. IL
is true that in practice lis method has not al
ways met the Just expectations OF ms frtnuS'
He has not invariably succeeded in finding the
best men; and in disregarding the politicians
he has sometimes taken advice from persons
who ere much less competent to advise, beng
no more high-mindcd than the politicians, and
much less worldly-wse. These, however, are
mistakes 70 which good man Is specially liable
and they do not alter the fact that the Presl-
dents notion OF administrative reform IS
inst one, and that his tendencies are all IN the
right direction. IneXpcricnce and human I'M
perfection must account for the discrepancy
between what he promised and what lie has
been able to perform. Despite the mischicyous
influence OF the blunders and Inconsistencies
of some of his COunsellOrs, he has al
ready made great improvement III the tone
of political life, and we are confident that he
will cary the reform much farther, and give
MS, If he is allowed fair chance, corps OF
government functionarics who Will compare
favorabv with those of almost any nation IN
the world.
But because the President is right in the
main. il does not follow that the Senators are
altogether wrong. The situation mt the South
is anomalous. The close of tic war found the
Republican panty established as the guardian
of an Ignorant and almost helpless race, in
cauable az self government, AID exposed to
peculiar dangers. We made the negroes ctr
zeus and voters hut we could not give them
by act Of Congress the capacity to exercise in
diligently the privileges belonging to their
new condition. 70 leave them without poliu-
eel guidance in the infancy Of their freedom
would have been cruelty. The organiza-
ton and support Of The nucleus Of
party, around which they could rally,
was the legitimate complement of eman-
cipation, and to this task General Grant and
ms adhcrcnts bent their energies from 1865
10 1876. Their purpose was good one, al
though they committed great blunders and
great excuses in pursuing if, and as a con-
sequence of these errors the negroes are not
much better fitted to manage their own af-
fairs to-day than they were ten years
AGO. What is TO be doncl Shall we
4. n al,
men to their fatci For 4 long time to come
they viii remain in condition of tutclage
Would it bc we'll for them and well Tor the
country that they should fall completely into
the power of their natural enemies, the Bour-
bon Dcm0cIacy7 The moment the ollice-hold-
ing class i'm the South ceases to represent Re
publican ideas. the imprcsSible freedman,
who has very little conception OF any political
power of which he cannot see the outward
form and the regular and constant manifesto
tion, viii look upon the Republican party rs
n thing Of the past, ard become a mere voting
machine to deposit the ballots prepared by
his master. In the balance Of our political
forces the Southern Democrat will then count
double. Now it seems to be the duty of the
Federal Government in such n case TO sus-
lain a Republican official authority at the
South, and to give at least encouI-
aecmcut to party organization; and this
we are persuaded can be done without the
sacrifice OF any true reform principle or the
parpcUation Of any Of the corrupt rings which
Wllagod the states and dSgraced the nation
under the rule Of Grlntism. Possibly there
are none Of the old Southern Republican or
carnations which deserve to last certainly
there are very few Of the old Southern Re
publican leaders whom we cannot well spare
from public life. But something should be
done TO replace them. The negroes can do
nothing. The President and Congress can do
much.