The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-11-28
HAYES NEVER HAD A POLICY.
Secretary Evarts on the Presidents Course
and Political Condition OF the South.
Dispatch to The baltimore SIN.

Dispatch 10 The Baltimore Sun.
WASHINGTON, November 1S.
Secretary Evarts has had an important
interview with the editor of the National
Republican i'll exposition of the Presi-
dents policy. The editor said the people
are beginning to think that the much
derided bayonct rule is, after all the best
Southern policy. DR. Evarts answered :
"They are now assured that the Presi-
dent is doing everything in his power to
vindicate the laws and maintain the in
tegrity of the government. That should
satisfy them, and believe it does"
The Editor-"Yes; there is a general
feeling of relief at the recent change in
the Presidents policy"
Mr.. Evarts-"There you fall into a
popular error, and use n popular phrase
illustrative of the methods of political
managers, but not applicable to the pres
ent administration in the condtEt of its
official affairs. President Hayes has
never surrendered, abandoned or chang
ed any policy, because he has never had
any to change. The equality or parity
of the States, all the States, was rein
| stated when he came into Office. The
same administrative functions were to
be performed in all of them under the
rehabilitated condition of things. The
results of the war had been embodied in
the constitutions of the Southern States
and that of the general government, as
we'll as in their laws, and reconstruction
was an accomplished fact. The troops
had been, Or were very soon thereafter,
Withdrawn from the South, and there
was no occasion for special or particular
izing methods differing in one section
from those employed in another. The
constitution of the general government
was I is yet his only guide, and you
will ,..nit that being controlled by that
document could not be properly de-
scribed as being controlled by a policy.
Nor were his endeavors in the nature of
an experiment, unless it is an experiment
to adhere closely to constitutional re-
qnirements. It is true that he treated
the Southern leaders in Ii friendly spirit,
believing that they were in earnest in
their professions of n determination to
preserve the integrity of American citi-
zenship in their respective States. But
the first election has passed and he dis
covers that his trust has been betrayed !;
that is to say, that the Southern leaders
will not or have not been mile tn kee,n
their pledges. They were the natural
and legal representatives of the Southern
people here Mt the capital and the proper
persons officially and otherwise with
whom he should have consulted regard
ing Southern affairs. So you see even
his consultations with them were not in
The nature of an experiment"
Editor-"But he appointed Democrats
to Office on their recommendation"
Mr.. Evarts-"Did he7 Well I do
wish some one would take the trouble to
, ol-o l.
cratic appointments, and then the public
truth there is in that charge"
EditOr-"There was Fitzsimm0ns."
Mr. Evarts-"Yes; there was Fit. i'm
mons, rs you say. Now, let me tell you
appointed one Democrat from Georgia
Hillard, to be minister to Brazil thai
was the end Of it, of such appointment,
/ mean, SO far ns I was concerned, as
intended it should be; and then the
President appointed Fitzsimmons to be
United States Marshal ill Georgia. But
Hillard and Fitzsimmons nre like Fall
staff's men in Buckram-they have beer
exaggerated into an unlimited number ,
Editor-"How will the Southern lead.
ers feel now towards the President in
view of his expressed intention to vigor-
ously prosecute some of their followers?''
Mr.. Evarts-"That is not a question
which can have any weight with the
I President. You may rest assured, how
ever, that the exertions now being made
to execute the laws will be controlled by
men who are in sympathy with those
laws"
Editor-"That means that the laws
will he enforced by Republicans %
Mr.. Evarts-"Pre No man who
is reluctant to obey the instructions OF
the administration regarding the punish
ment or prosecution of the perpetrators
of these outrages in the South will be
trusted in the performance of that duty
To be vigorous in the performance o1
be in close and earnest sympathy with
the underlying motives which inspire its
direction and disclose its necessity"
Editor-"And after all, Mr.. Secretary
those prejudiced juries will settle tho
matters"
Mr.. Evarts-"But how are you going
to avoid that? The law interferes to
prevent its own complete execution, and
the constitution, which guarantees pro-
lection to its subjects, also contains pro-
visions which enables the States in their
sovereign capacities to take supreme con
troll of those subjects or citizens under
certain contingencies. OF course it will
be the duty of the administration 10
avoid those contingencies as far as posi-
: bic, and it may succeed, as the govern
ment did in many of the Ku Klux cases
tried in 1928. Iexpect, however, thai
the most earnest endeavOr will be made
for the punishment of the perpetrators
of those atrocities. No words that l car
command are strong enough to depict
those atrocities in their true light. They
are horrible beyond description, deprav
ed and noxious."
Editnr-"Ani from what cause d.
: these atrocious proceed ?'
Mr.. Evarts-"There is no use deny
ing the fact that the Southern peopl,
have suffered greatly, the SoutherI
whites / mean, from the sudden boule
: yersement of their social system o
fabric, the sudden interjection into thei
voting aggregate of an element of ignor
ance and the consequent domination q
uneducated and inexperienced power il
their political affairs. 1t was perhaps
mistake that this was done by the Repub
iican party OF the North. But all thi
does not justify murder and wholesal
disregard of existing law"
Editor-"Mr. Secretary, first came tn
Abolition party, then emancipation an
then enfranchisement for the blacks. l
has been supposed that the act of enfran
chisement was accompanied by prom
Use or guarantee of protection"
Mr.. Evarts-"Very true, but we no.
find it very difficult to keep that prom
isa of rrntoctioD n 10 hpcouea Of III;