Litchfield enquirer., 1878-12-05
The New Southern Departure.

which they had been brilliant and trusted lead
 CTS At last, after long decline of strength
 due Tn large degree to the weakness and tn,
 crimes of Southern Republicanism, the party
 which had carried everything before it for hal
 a generation, which had crushed Secession
 and freed the slave, found itself in minority of quarter of million of votes, and owing iti
 last victory to atechnical decision of partisan majority of the Commission of peaceus ata
 whose arbitriment the matter had been finally
 submitted. One of the Southern States whose electoral votes had been counted for the Re
 publican candidate passed at that very election into the hands of the Democracy. MT. Hayes found it not only wrong, but impossible, to sustain the so-called Republican governments
 which still kept up show of resistance against the more popular Democratic governments of l Louisiana and South Carolina. TWoyears of I just and liberal administration and sound fi- nancial policy have followed, which, in spite of the bigotry and selfshness of Republican Senate, have greatly strengthened the party with the people On the other hand, the Dem ocratic party has gone further astray on fnan- ce than the Republican; the reputation of it's late presidential candidate has been ruined by 1 the disclosures of the cipher telegrams and it l is also beginning to feel the effects of reac- tion which is the inevitable result of the bigot- ", the injustice and the cruelty which have characterized the supremacy of Bourbon De mocracy in the South.
 The Presidents Southern policy, though perhaps distasteful toa majority of his own party, has undoubtedly proved satisfactory to the great majority of the people of the North. It had the hearty support of that large inde- pendent vote which now holds the balance of power in most Northern States In appealing to force and fraud against such a policy, the South Carolina Democracy are alienating the very men who have hitherto been helping them tocast eff the Carpet -Bagger and the tyranny of Straight Republicanism. Candid independent Northern citizens are no more disposed to see Southern Republican voters terrorized into si- leDce, and then defrauded even of the votes they dare to cast, than they were to sanction the robberies of the Carpet Bagger and the scandals of negro legislation. The policy pur- sued by the South Carolina Democracy of 1878, will as surely lead ts the defeat of their par ty in 1880, as the Lecompton iniquity of 1857 led to the election of Lincoln in 1860.
 Let us briefly epitomize the evidence regard ing the conduct of the recent South Carolina parody of popular election. During the can- vass, Republicans were denied their constitu- al right of assembling for the discussion, in their own way, of the matters in issue before the people. During the balloting, every chance was given Democratic politicians to perpetrate fraud, United States Supervisors were hustled and beaten, and it seems undeniable that the grossest frauds were actually perpetrated Then, when the prosecution of such of these crimes as were cognizable in the national courts was attempted, witnesses were persecut- ed with arrests on false and malicious charges before the State courts, with the evident in- tention of suppressing the evidence of crimes no intelligent observer can deny.
 It must be confessed, on the other hand, that ii there is Bourbon Democracy now in pow CT in South Carolina, there is Bourbon hepu6llcanism there, which is at least as dan- gerous, if not quite so violent in it's methods of injustice. The diligence of red-shirted Democratic raiders, of Democratic ballot box suffers, and of fraudulent Democratic counters has been such that but three Republican color. ed men were returned as chosen to the iegisla- ture at the recent election. These come from the ieland of DcuufVut--tIe nepuDIIcan streng- hold of the State One of them, Hastings Gautt by name, was 6 member of the legisla- ture five years ago. He has since made an af f1davit acknowledging that he received money for voting in favor of one of the swarm of swindles that characterized the era of Carpet Bag rule. Another of these representatives was, at the time of his election, under lndict- ment for official misconduct. The shrewd Re. publican who gave Mir. White the Tribune correspondent much information regarding Democratic election rascalities, said that he ''scratched'' several names on his ticket be- cause they were DO more fit to hold office than his horse. In short, South Carolina Republi canism still shows itself grossly unfit to be trusted with the control of it's state govern ment. It has the votes but it has neither the brains nor the honesty to organize an endura-. ble government for an American State
 The dilemma stated in plain words is this: one party has too few votes to attain power honestly the other, too little honesty and in- telligence to administer the government to which their votes would otherwise entitle them. In short it is a case of premature en- franchisement of class utterly unfit for the suffrage The only remedy possible is a re- turn to the true principles of government which were neglected when South Carolina was re- constructed. The first use the Democracy should make of their ill-gotten power should be to place an educational restriction on the ballot-to be applicable to white as we'll as black-and to pass fair registration law such as the Constitution of South Carolina now re- quires, but which the Republicans have neg lected to provide. Of such remedies no req senable, candid Northerner could complain :; but the existing combination of force, fraud and injustice is one with which we have no idea that the people of the North will ever be satisfied. It points directly to the restoration of Grantism, if not of Grant; and it may lead to restored regime of Carpet Baggery in States that were nearly ruined by the robberies and oppression which followed their original Reconstruction.
 The South will undoubtedly favor the Pres. idents policy of having the question of quar- antine put under national instead of State or municipal control, as at present. Senator Lamar says that the yellow fever scourpe was
 in proportion, far greater calamity than the l war, and terrible blow to the South, which was just beginning to revive after the pros | frofiu affo1 oft