Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-11-20

A FAILURE.
The Attempt to Establish P0liti.
cal Equality at the South.
The President Speaks out Plainly
and EmphaticalIy.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. Eth,
National Republican will print to
morrow an editorial interview will
the President on the Southern situa
tion. Omitting the questions, he i
represented 40 saying: "The tim,
for discussion has passed. II is nov
too late for anything but the most de-
termined and vigorous action. The
determination was reached several
days ago, and the deliberations of the
Cabinet on this subject since then
have been comparatively brief, and
confined mainly to the consideration
Of the duty of the Attorney General
In the premises. When the Southern
policy was originated it was with an
earnest desire to conciliate the South.
ern leaders, to round off the sharp an.
giles Of sectional differences, and to
soften the asperities Of political strife.
No one will deny that the attempt to
enforce this policy
WAS MOST EARNESTLY MADE,
nor that it was carried out with q
conscientious desire to accomplish the
result for which it had been inaugur-
ated. OF the personal and partisan
sacrifices I made in this effort, and of
the consequent Interruption of certain
relations which had previously exist-
ed between myself and some Of my
supporters, have nothing to say Just
now. But 1t appears that the lead
ers who made those pledges either did
not exert themselves to keep them, or
were unable to do 90. In fact, 1 am
reluctantly forced to admit that the
experiment was failure. The first
election of importance held since it
was attempted has proved that fair
elections with FREQ suffrage for every
voter In the South
ARE AN IMPossIBILITY
under the existing condition Of things
1t is not because the republican party
appears IS sufferers In these results
that l complain. 1t is because free
suffrage and freedom of political
rights that have been interfered with
that am called upon to take cogni-
zance of these disturbances. Ifthe
facts were exactly reversed, and If the
Republicans had committed these out
RACES upon the Democrats, nv duty
would he the same. 1t will not do
for me or for any official before whom
the questions may come may treat
them otherwise than in an unpartisan
way. The partisan press will natur-
ally take q partisan view of the case,
and l will be held to account for aid
ing the the Republicans in Haunting
"the bloody shirt" as it is called. but
for all that
SHALL DO MY DUTY
as Chief Magistrate OF all the people
to Democrats and Republicans alike,
and if, in the faithful execution of
the laws, justice shall demand the
punishment Of this or that man, what
ever his political connections may be,
l shall not be deferred by partisan
criticism. AL that I know ie, that
great crimes have been committed,
and It is my duty to aid in the punish
ment of the criminals. do not think
the Southern leaders who have prom
ised to protect the blacks in the exer-
cise of their rights are responsible for
these crimes. Gov. Hampton, for ex-
ample, has tried repeatedly to repress
the violence which has characterized
the campaign in South Carolina, and
failed. Such Republicans % Judge
Lee, Mr. Rainey, and ex-State Sena-
tor Swails, of fthat State have advised
me of these facts. They say that
Hampton
CANNOT CONTROL THE RED SHIRTS,
- they call them, and they have re-
peatedly informed me of speeches he
has made deprecating violence in the
conduct of the campaign, and it ap-
pears that Gov. Nichols, in Louisiana,
is earnestly opposed to these proceed
ings or the same kind of violence in
his State. The officers in the Depart.
ment Of Justice have been instruc-
ted to carry out the proceedings al
ready begun against the depredators,
not only against those who have al
ready been arrested, but against 9TH
ers who will soon be arrested. It is
propose to make q clean sweep of
this business, and
EXHAUST EVERY LEGAL RESOURCE
in the execution of justice, The in
tegrity Of American citizens has been
grossly violated in widespread To-
calities. 1t must and shall be vindi-
Gated"
The President closed by saying in
regard to District-Attorneys in the
Southern States, that
"lf it is discovered that any officer
Of the class you refer to 10 not earnest
ly endeavoring to do his whole duty
in the matter, there will be NO hesita-
tion in taking the proper steps to re-
place him, and to secure q vigorous
prosecution Of these cases."