The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-12-12
The President and the South.

One OF the most Just and concise crltl-
cisms upon the course pursued by Mr..
Hayes in his treatment of the Southern
question, comes from the New York
Journal of Canlmerce, 2 Paper not prediS-
posed in favor -oC~the South, but gener-
glly--f in its conclusions. We make
the following extract:
As the message nowhere bears the i'm
press of the authors own thought and
will, we attach little importance to any
part of it. Take his remarks about the
alleged Southern election troubles as an
illustration. The President evidently
did not speak from his own knowledge
of interest in the subject. He metely
took the Attorney Generals report as
brief and made case out of it. Gen
eral -Devens is. not an impartial or calm
Judge of Southern affairs. He is clearly
prejudiced against the South and anxious
to strain every point to put that section
in the wrong. His language is censor
ious and harsh. The construction of
motives he assigns to the Southern peo-
pie who do not support the administra-
ton is wholly unwarranted by the evil
dence he produces. In fact, he presents
no sufficient testimony for any of his
charges. His information comes mostly
from "pubic sources, which are common
to ALL"
We take this to mean the newspapers.
But in our files of Southern exchanges
we have vainly looked for the proofs of
those outrages which the Attorney Gen
eral finds so common. Perhaps he reads
only the political sheets which are anx-
ious to return the army to the South and
and restore carpet-bag rule there. Such
organs can most readily pave the way
to such restoration by exaggerating or
inventing "outrages" inflicted by the
white Democrats on the Republican
blacks. If General Devens is correct in
his statements, the Presidents recon-
mendations are fully justified. But
when the Attorney General says, as he
does, that his "oflice is not provided
viii the means of any general system Of
investigation Of infractions of the laws"
the President might have paused for
confirmation of that officials assertions
before reopening the unpleasant and dis
turbing subject in his message. He has
done so ut the risk of being convicted
of inconsistency, if not of more Sc
rious fault.
A year ago the Presidents message
highly complimentcd the Southern whites
on their treatment of the freedmen. He
seemed then to be satisfied that the col
ored voters were not driven or frightened
from the polls. He was then willing to
trust the South to govern herself without
an army or any co-ercive or restraining
measures. But, for 4 long time previous
to the publication of that message, the
Northern organs of one party had been
ringing with accusations against their
opponents of the South exactly similar
to those now made by the same papers,
and repeated by the Attorney General.
A year ago the President satisfied him
self that the allegations against the
South were generally unfounded, and his
message glowcd with trustlul and con-
ciliatory sentiments toward that section.
Now, he tacks sharply in the other di.
rcction. He believes now where he had
good reason to place but little confidence
before. Has he any new or better evil
uelCc tuall Aoiihciiyj VI "Hs 10 WV "'''
ter?
No one impcachcs the Presidents hon
csty of purpose. His intentions, we
presume, are just and honorable. But
he is not strong man, and is easily in
hucnccd by the more rcsolute persons
about him. He also likes his ease. 1Ie
has had Il hard time of it for q year,
quarrclling with the radical of his party.
They have attacked him renomously on
account of his past kindness to the South.
He now acts like one who is anxious to
make friends of these bitter enemies of
his own household. His references to
Southern matters in the message read
like concessions to Blaine and the rest
bid for peace. He thinks he went too
far on one side in his last years message.
Now he seeks to restore his political
equilibrium by little excess on the 9th.
er side. That probably explains the real
Inconsistencies of the two messages. If
the design of the President is such as we
have indicated, it will miscarry. His
latest suggestions about the South, though
differing widely from those Of his prcvi-
Gus message, are too moderate and rea-
sonailc 10 .rt the extremists. They
want nnlI:ng less than revival of army
rule and carpct-hag governments at the