Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-11-16
HAYES SOUTHERN POLICY.

Recent events ia the southern States
seem to have ,hownt) President Hayes
tIl utter useIs,.ness % continuing the
po.cy which Boz has hitherto been pursu-
ing in relation to that ection. A report
OF an important and interesting interview,
in which he virtually acknowledges the
inadequacy Of his Southern Policy is
given in the Wash hingion National Re
publican Of November 18th. The main
points of the interview are thus tels
graphsd:
The time for discussion is past. De-
termined, vigorous aetion is I'm perative
The Cabinet reached the determination
several days ago, and has lately been
considering the duty Of the Attorney
General in the premises. The Southern
policy was inaugursied with an earnest
desire to coneiliate, round off the sharp
angles and soften the asperties of polt
cal strife. Nobody will say an attempt
was not made TO most earnestly carry out
the policy. OF the personal and partisan
sacrifices l made in this effort, and of the
consequent interruption of certain rela-
tions which had previously existed be-
tween myself and some efmy supporters.
have nothing 70 say just now; but it
appears that the leaders who made those
/ plecg ges did not exert themselves to keep
them, or were unable 10 do SO. In fact,
/ | am reluctantly forced to admit that
( the experiment was failure. The
/ FIRST important election held since it was
attempted has proven that fair elections,
with free suffrage for every voter, in .he
South are an impossiblity under the ex-
listing condition of things. 1t is not be-
cause the Republican party appears as
the sufferer in these results that | com
plain. 1t is because free suffrage and
the freedom of political rights have been
1 interfered with that am called upon to
! take cognizance Of these disturbances. II
the Republicans had committed these
outrages upon Democrats, my duty would
be the same. 1t will not do fol me, or
any other official, to treat these questions
otherwise than IN an bipartisan way.
The partisan press will naturally take a
partisan view ofthe case, and | will be
held to account for aiding the Republi-
cans and Haunting the "bloody shirt"
but for all that shall do my duty as
Chief Magistrate ofthe whole nation, and
II, in the faithful execution of the laws,
justice demands the punishment of this
or that man, whatever his political con-
neutions may be, l shall not be deferred
by partisan criticism. Al that ] know
is my duty to aid in the punishment
of t'-e criminals. ! do not think the
/ Southern leaders, who promised to pro.
/ tect the blacks, are responsible for these
crimes. Hampton for example, tried re.
/ peatedly TO repress the violence which
characterized the South Carolina cam
paign, and failed. Prominent Republi-
cans that state have advised nae that
Hampton cannot control the "red shirts 4"
and tina. he has made speeches deprecat-
ing violent campaign Nichols earn
estly opposed like proceedings in Louis
lana. Officers of the Department of Jus
tice have bsen instructed to carry out the
proceedings, already begun, against the
depredators, not cnly against those who
have already been arrested, but others
who wi! soon be arrested. 1t is pro-
posed to make a clean sweep Of this busi-
ness, and exhaust every legal resource in
the execution of justice TIE integrity of
American eitzen.hip has been gro.sly
violated in wide spread localities. 1T
must and snail be vndicated.
The President closed by saying: If it
is discovered that any District Attorney
in the South is not earnestly endeavoring
to do his whole duty in the matter he
will be speedily replaced to secure Wig
orous prosecution Of these cases.