The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-13
FOSTERS DISAPPOINTMENT.

ABGDFulnI 10 JnG popular bBLMWeHts If0Ms
gresham Foster, having gone back ON the
Hayes Southern policy, now makes haste to
20 back on himself. But before passing
| Judgment on him, we should, at least, en-
deaybr to candidly survey the field and take
notice Of the difficulties with which he Is
| brought face 10 face. TO begin with, Foster
| Ia naturally and reasonably irritated because
| Hayes is rather too big load to pack In D.
heavy Democratic district, which he can hope
| 10 represent again in Congress only on his own
personal strength and popularity. But then.
again. since Foster consented 10 be- Hayes
mot1thpiece and security on certain occasion,
just after the Wormey conference when
assurances In regard 10 Hayes Southern
policy we're Of vital Importance, 1t is quite
| natural that he should. as an honorable man,
feel q great delleacy In assuming the tone Of q
Cato towards the administration and utterly
repudiating all responsibility for or eonnse"
ton with what is called its Southern policy
In his speech accepting the nomination for
Congress he made certain remarks upon this
subject which he has since had occasion to
| modify; but he merely says that "ais meah-
| ing has been greatly exaggerated" leaving
| the report ,1ncontradicted that he had de-
elared the Southern policy OF Hayes con-
spie,1otls failure.
| Foster cunFesses that he did express dis
appointment at the result Of Hayes South
ern policy. The South had not been "drawn
to the administration" as he had hoped and
expected 1t would be. We give Mr.. Foster
the benefit OF his explanation In his own
words He says:
To- tInt1 ftS
| Congress- did say chat the measures OF com
| ciliation adopted by the President were not as
successful as had hoped them to be-. / hoped
| there would be a large accession 10 the indie
pendent movement in the South rs d result OF
conciliatory measures. and also the tonlng
| down and destroying, TO q great extent, the
old secession spirit Of that section. | also
see some progress In the independent move
ment whioh, seems to be, springing up in the
South. | do not see, however, any great
amount OF Cancellation down there.
| From this 1t would appear that Mr.. Foster,
and therefore Hayes. had entertained most
extravagant hopes in regard to the result Of
their concessions to the South. 1t Is quite
natural that they should take great and undue
credit to themselves for the grace with which
they conceded what they could not have with
held.
The South, on the other hand, feels no
particle Of obligation TO them for doing what
| the law and the 1uress OF imperative crCtim-
stances alike foropd them to do The South
was under no contract, specific on implied.
and has all along been free to pursue her in
| terests and protect them rs honor and policy
might dictate What Hayes has done she has
given him full credit for, but if he and bis
| friends expected. rs a consequence OF his CON
| cessuns 30 law and justice, q disn-
| tegration of all social and political
organization Ia the South, they counted with
out their host. The South has Its convictions
and faiths, and they are as strong and as hard
to shake as those Of any other people. For
many long. weary years, 1t s true she had
been made the shuttlenock and hattledoor Of
political tricksters. and her honest resentment
and her miseries alike had been utilized to
sway Northern sentiment; but this had never
| been by her consent She rightfully attrib=
| uted her delveranre Ii the end to the Demo-
cratic party and the concessions 1t had forced
from Hayes, and not to Hayes himself. The
natural and honest result Of the Southern
policy. then, has been TO emphasize her devo-
| ton TO the Democratic party, and not to
| divide her into personal folIowings and fac
| tions whose sole vitality was gratitude
| There Is an ancient proverb which says or at
least intimates that gratitude to men is fatal
to republics. or Mt least alien 10 the principles
| that govern them.
But, after giving Hayes the fullest credit
! for his conciliatory policy, the hopes Foster
pretends to have built up on itare simply pre-
puEteruus. Unfortunately for Hayes. he has
never been In position where he could do
| full Justice to the South. No matter how
kindly mny have been his disposition he
owed his ability to do anything to a set Of
men whose existence WIS uncomfortable to the
South and whose prsferment was an oblpuuy
she could never endure. Hayes had to take core
Of these men and this very necessity esttanged
him from tho honest masses Of the South
| This may have been his misfortune, but 1t
| was the misfortune common to all frauds and
swindlere. He could not expect to draw the
South to him through the medium Of such
magnets as M ad. Wells, Tom Amber.
derson. McIn and che like. The exi.
gencies which forced him TO put the
patronage of his Office ut the disposal OF
the Returning Board thieves and perjurere
built up about him u Chinese wall of stink.
pots that Southern sympathy can never clint
over or raze TO the ground.
Tie punishment Mr.. Foster threatens lis
with for disappointing his expectations, We
| don much fear. His remedy for n solid South
is Il solid North We do not believe that would
help matters. Prejudice and bad blood may
J be got rid Of without necessarily dsintregrat
ing great party, which Is held together BY
principles and not by anmOsities. At any
event. Mr.. Fosters piques and disappoint
ments may be allowed to become merely in
cdents of his own biography, without enter.
ing into the general history Of the country
This. we think, will be their fate.