Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-06
oh "Wipe Them Out" of Course.
From the New York Tribun


But out of all these efforts to get on
good terms with the men who few years
ago were straining every nerve to cut our
threats and scuttle our Goyernment-and
who desisted only because we put them
down-there has come absolutely nothing
but more embittered spirit. We have
not only failed to conciliate our deeply Of
Tended brethren by these advances. but
we have so increased their sensitiveness
thst at the present moment no Northern
man can express an opinion upon the po-
ltical and social condition of the South
without arousing at once all along the line
the cry that he is waving the bloody
Shirt" and trying to revive the animosi-
ties of the war. 1t is not surprising that
In this state of things we had almost be-
gun to despair of seeing the real genuine
era of reconciliation ever ushered in. But
Senator Hill, of Georgia, has inspired us
with new hopes. He gives us what we
think must be the final condition. Being
asked his opinion about the state of affairs
at the South, where it is popularity be-
lieved that several queer if not crooked
things happened in the late elections, he
remarked at once that 1.-The talk about
Southern political affairs which had been
so loud and continuous throughout the
North during the last two or three months
is an outrage OF really criminal proper
tons" Observe the fine instinct with
which he locates outrages. The outrage
does not consist in the outrages. but n the
talk about the outrages and that is ian
outrage of really criminal proportions.'
What he means, we presume, is that the
Southern people are sensitive souls, and
when they have deemed it necessary to
bulldoze and shoot down colored voters,
they don't want to have questions asked
about it; it revives the animosities of the
war, and is ian outrage of really Grim
inal proportions" Speaking of affairs in
his own State of Georgia, the Senator said
republicanism had no show for success
there; that the State was solidly demo-
cratic for all time to come, "our people,
he says, would rather be placed in their
graves than again be subjected to or aflil-
lated with repubicanism in any shape. y
He very much regretted this. because
"sectionalism in any form is a'deplorable
thing but he thought, 'should the re-
publican party be wiped out Tomorrow,
the people would divide on other than
party lines Immediately" This violent
antipathy to the republican party, he said,
was because 1--WE hold it responsible for
the crushing and grinding policy inaugu
rated toward us Immediately following
the close of the war;" by which "our best
and ablest men were denied their political
rights" etc.
1t 10 of course too late now to correct
that fatal mistake. 1t seems not to have
occurred to any one North or South that
the proper and statesmanlike thing for us
to do in 1865, at the close of the war, was
" tdhc tuc UcSt anu dDlcst uleu vi tHt
South right out of the Confederate Army
and Confederate Congress, force upon
them political rights" which were never
"denied" them, but which they contempt
uously flung away-and set them at once
to governing the country they had in vain
attempted to destroy. But it seems that
was the proper thing to do; and because
we did not do it, we are held responsible
for "crusbing and grinding policy
which, in the words of the Great Reform
err. can "never be condoned." But. ''if
the republican party should be wiped out
tomorrow, says Senator Hill. this would
all end we should have no more section.
alism; "the people would divide on other
than party lines Immediately" So that
seems to be the last condition precedent
to the ushering in of the era. Simply to
wipe out the republican party tomorrow.
Then seciionalism will disappear and the
people of the South will divide on other
than party lines. 1t isn't the first time, to
be sure, that this method of effecting
reconciliation by wiping out all opposition
has been proposed, but this has in it
something more than the charm of novel
ty. from the fact that we had begun to be-
lieve that these Southern brethren of ours
were utterly implacable. 1t is refresh
ing circumstance. therefore, to be in
formed that the only thing now necessary
10 bring the era in is TO wipe out the re-
publican party. Let us hope that little
thing like that will not be allowed to keep
US longer apart. BY all means wipe it
out. And then we may add to the Par
able OF the Prodigal Son a narrative of
how, after the calf had been killed and
the Old Stag whiskey brought on, and the
elder brother charged with embezzling
turnips while the younger was in the
husk business, and the old man abused
roundly because he would not consent to
have the gang who had helped the boy
spend his substance in riotous living quar-
tered on him, the old man said well
Prodigy, my boy, you don't seem quite sat
isfied; what can do for you?' And
Prodigy answered: "rm solid against nv
elder brother. and / shall be for all time.