National Republican., 1878-01-19

planted themselves upon their traditional
preiudiccs against color, and acted upon the |
hypothesis that the colored citizen has no |
than the colored slave had before his eman- |
cipation. This has been so widely at variance |
with the spirit of the settlement and the
terms of all the reconstruction measures
and acts, that the North has been admon-
ished that the South has not accepted the
situation in good faith, and that the settle
ment bears no fruits consistent with the
sowing. Hence the conduct of the leading
spirits of the Democratic party in the late
Confederate States, and the policy of con-
ciliation adopted by the present Admins
tration, have not challenged the respect, ad-
miraton, or confidence of those who hold
that all parties connected with the adjust
ment of our former differences are in honor
bound by all the results and terms involved.
When the war closed the people at the
North laid all their anmosities and preiu-
dices upon the altar of settlement, and
there they would have slept for all time
but for the violations of faith and law
that followed on the part of the Southern
Democrats. 1t was not the North that
broke the compact of peace, but those men
at the South, who, while they pretended to
succumb to the situation, nursed their old
prcjudices and hates until they became too
strong to be controlled and finally devel-
oped themselves in the shape of Ku-Klux,
rifle clubs, and bulldozers, to the astonish-
ment and disgust of every good citizen of
this nation and every right-minded man in
the world. If the North is aroused, the
South has aroused it by its open viola
tion of the principles of right, good fellow.
ship, and good citizenship.
But it was our purpose at the outset Of
this article to present to the readers of THE
REPUBLICAN some evidence from Demo-
cratic sources to show that the colorcd vote
of the South, untampered with, would be
nearly solid for that party which ensured
the freedom of the colored man, and clothed
him with the rights of citizenship The
Charleston Nc'rS and Courier affords the fol-
lowing on this subject:
As exhibited in the ticket nominated by the
! Republicans. their convention drew the color
| line sharply and decidedly, meeting, as you
will bear in mind, subsequent to the Demo-
cratic convention. The ticket was generally
supposed to be the result of hasty, undigestcd
action. But the facts and experience of the
campaign. as well as a close observation of the
voting at many polls, show unquestionably
that the Republicans acted upon predcter-
mined, wcll-digested plan, the main feature of
which was the raising of the color issue. The
negroes were unapproachable on the question
Ofhow they should vote. l heard an en-
/ plOycr attempt to use persuasion on his farm
hand. \ trcmor seemed to take hold of the
darkcy, whose only reply was that If he voted
the Democratic ticket he would be robbed and
murdered" Each fellow event II straight"
They were not oven eectiOHecrdJic, if | may so
express it. Indeed, Democratic colorcd voters
were rs rare as hens teeth and so far as the
'cOlOred Democrats" tan animal Thdre nerer seen,
l. e.: q genuine onel of the last election is con-
ccrmed, they seemed to have forgotten their
fall from grace. and took care and pains this
time to vote solid" and straight" 1t was
very commonly supposed, from the apparent
lack of interest manifested in the county, and
from the character of tho ticket, that the
negro vote would be small. But, on tho con
d. trary, as 1t has turned out, the colOred pOpula
tiOn were as much excited and voted rs eagerly
as on any of the general election days of the
{ past ten years.
As reported heretofore, IL the Republican
ticket is elected not one of the candidates can
give bond. Indeed, BUSH and LAWRENCE are
now trying to ill their own vacancies existing
on account of this very fact. Now, the candi-
dates, one and all, knew this, wero warned OF
II in full time, and q Democratic ticket, with
a respectable colored man on it, was nominated
with vcw to giving no excuse for u contest.
There was already one cOlOrcd man in office
and the election oflIARRIsOS would have given
the COlorcd people fair representation in the
,fuN. i
basis. But this, II seems, was not satisfactory
They must carry ont the farce of II nomination
aud contest. They chose to oppose, and
their opposition is without excuse indeed, has
= the appearance of malice, or something worse
with deep current of race and other prCju
diccs underlying. Now let them help them
| selves to bOndsmcn when elected. | don't
think there Is one man in the county mean ol
, bold enough to give them cUuntcnance, and
certainly not to become their bondsman. II
would, however, be first rate opportunity fol
some adventurous spirit to learn the real mean
ing of adverse public sentiment. Have W,
such a spirit in Georgetown? | will not dc
= the old town even this injustice; so pleast
consider the question erased.
This extract, from Democratic authority
affords good evidence that the Republican
I party still lives in South Carolina and wha
p exists there no doubt will be found in tn,
. other Southern States beyond the lines o
, Virginia and Kentucky. The Republican
sentiment in the South is not extinct, bu
its spirit has been cowcd by q reign of ter
/, rOr that is a blotch upon Christian civil
ization. When the Republicans of the Soutl
, shall become assured in the full protection
of their rights which the Government ha
, pledged to them in the organic law, the,
r will step to the front and assert their prn
cip.cs as tearlcssly as at the North. As ye
the arm of the Federal Government has no
been thrown around the colOred or whit,
Republicans in the late insurgcnt State
with an honest and sincere protecting power
and lattcrly, we regret to have to say, Dem
Ocratic outrage upon the rights of the Ro
publicans in those States has been treate,
with tcmporiling timidity entirely unbe
coming the occasion and its necessities
However, Republican duty at the South i
plain. 1t must stand by Republican prin
ciplcs and faith at all hazards. We under
- stand that it requires great courage an,
: iOrtitude to meet the enemies of right il
= this controversy, but the issue must be mct
o 1t may involve some suffering and peThul