The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-11-28
HAYES NEVER HAD 4 POLICY.
Secretary Evarts on the Presidents Course
and Political Condition of the South.
Dispatch TO the Baltimore Snn.

WASHINGTON, November Is.
Secretary Evarts has had an important
interview with the editor of the Nationa
Repubfcan in exposition of the Presi-
dents policy. The editor said the people
are beginning to think that the much
derided bayonet rule is, after all, the best
Southern policy. Mr.. 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 1 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 a popular phrase
illustrative of the methods Of political
managers, but not applicable TO thepres-
ent administration in the conduct 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, OF 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withdrawn from the South, and there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 and is yet his only guide, and you
will admit that being controlled by that
document could not be properly de-
scribed as being controlled by policy.
Nor were his endeavors in the nature of
an experiment, unless it is an experiment
to adhere closely to constitutional re-
quirements. It is true that he treated
the Southern leaders in friendly spirit,
believing that they were in earnest in
their professions of a 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 able to keep
their pledges. They were the natural
and legal representatives of the Southern
people here at 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 he? Well do
wish some one would take the trouble to
make up a list of his Southern Demo
cratic appointments, and then the public
would understand exactly how much
truth there is in that charge"
Editor-"There was Fitzsimmons."
Mr.. Evarts-"Yes; there was Fitzsim-
mons, rs you say. Now, let me tell you,
I appointed one Democrat from Georgia,
Hillard, to be minister to Brazil that
was the end of it, of such appointments
I mean, so far as I was concerned, as l
intended it should be; and then the
President appointed Fitzsimmons to be
United States Marshal in Georgia. But
Hillard and Fitzsimmons are like Fall
staff's men in Buckram-they have been
exaggerated into an unlimited number. F."
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"
4 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 be enforced by Republicans :"
Mr.. Evarts-"Precisely. 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 OF
such an important duty the official must
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 the
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 to
avoid those contingencies as far as posi-
BILE, and it may succeed, as the govern
ment did in many Of the Ku Klux cases
tried in 1928. Iexpect, however, that
the most earnest endeavor will be made
for the punishment of the perpetrators
of those atrocities. No words that can
&C lmand are strong enough to depict
those atrocities in their true light. They
are horrible beyond description, deprav'
ed and noxious."
Editor-"And from what cause dc
these atrocious proceed ?"
Mr.. Evarts-"There is no use deny
ing the fact that the Southern people
have suffered greatly, the Southern
whites 1 mean, from the sudden boule
versement of their social system OF
fabric, the sudden interjection into thei
voting aggregate of an element of ignor
ance and the consequent domination O
uneducated and inexperienced power il
their political affairs. 1t was perhaps {
mistake that this was done by the Repub
lican party of the North. But all thi'
does not justify murder and wholesale
disregard of existing law"
Editor Secretary, first came th'
Abolition party, then emancipation ant
then enfranchisement for the blacks. II
has been supposed that the act of enfran
chisement was accompanied by prom
ise or guarantee of protection"
Mr.. Evarts-"Very true, but VIC nov
find it very difficult to keep that prom